What Are The Most Prevalent Residential Electrical Repairs?
Of all the repair problems that the average homeowner might face, it is those that should result in a call for residential electrical services that can be the most hazardous.
Even the most common and seemingly minor electrical issues can be extremely dangerous, making the expertise of trained residential electrical contractors necessary.
Reach out to a trusted local residential electrical company whenever facing these very common, but potentially dangerous concerns to ensure correct repairs that will keep homes safe!
1. Fuses That Repeatedly Burn Out
Popping a circuit breaker or burning out a fuse occasionally is normal.
When fuses keep burning out or a circuit keeps breaking, whether it’s the same one or various ones, there is some kind of electrical problem.
It is a top sign that it is time to call for residential electrical services, as this symptom suggests surging or overloading within the electrical system.
Left unchecked by a professional electrical contractor, this problem could worsen, resulting in permanent damage to the fuse or circuit box as well as to home wiring, making a fire possible.
2. A Burning Smell In the Home
Burning smells are an immediate red flag that somewhere there is an electrical problem.
Common causes are dust in the HVAC system if it comes from a heating vent or from some small appliance or a burning object in the home.
When neither is the source and the odor is coming from an outlet, seems to emanate from the walls, or cannot be located, the source could be electrical in nature.
A residential electrical company should be called immediately to locate the source of the smell and diagnose the problem.
It may be coming from overloaded, damaged, or shorting wires or outlets, which are common causes of devastating home fires.
3. Continuous Buzzing Noises
Electrical buzzing noises can be really annoying and also indicate there is a problem that should be investigated.
A residential electrical service should be called in to investigate any continuous buzzing sounds emanating from circuit breaker boxes or elsewhere in the home.
Different than the dull 60 Hz that some appliances make, this louder, higher vibration 120-180 Hz buzz could be a result of overloaded wiring, a problem with the circuit breakers, or other issues.
4. Sparks, Arcs, or Little Shocks
Any kind of electrical discharge outside of an electrical outlet, whether a momentary spark or a longer continuous arc, is another red flag that there is some kind of wiring or electrical service issue.
Residential electrical contractors recommend that any homeowner noticing sparks or arcs around outlets, or even receiving little shocks when plugging and unplugging items, should have the problem diagnosed immediately.
Bad wiring, damaged outlets and plugs, and overloaded wiring are just some of the sources of these reactions that could cause an electric shock if powerful enough.
5. Loosening Electrical Outlets
Commonly, electrical outlets can loosen in the wall over time.
In itself, that is not really an emergency; however, repairing or replacing the outlet box requires working with live wires.
It is much safer for homeowners to have a professional residential electrical company repair any loose outlets in the home than to risk potential injury or damage by trying a DIY repair.
Call A Contractor to Handle Common Electrical Issues
As minor as some common electrical issues might seem, they should always be handled by a licensed residential electrical contractor.
All it takes is one spark or one overloaded, overheated wire to cause a destructive harmful fire.
Electrical services highly recommend that homeowners avoid trying to do their own repairs, as one small mistake could result in the same.
Instead, have a residential electrical company inspect for damage when symptoms of these common problems arise, then make the appropriate repair.