What Homeowners Should Know About Common Electrical Issues

Updated 8/07/24

When you are looking for electrical work services for your home or business, you naturally want to work with the best in the area. Calling local electrical professionals helps ensure your work is done safely and correctly. Call the pros right from the start, rather than spending time and money on cheap services and contractors who cut corners with poor electrical work! They can walk you through the process and help you see what options are best for you and your unique electrical needs.

Local electricians know the things to look for when inspecting your home’s electrical system and when conducting repairs and maintenance work. They will look for signs of electrical arcing, indications of faulty wiring, signs of bad outlet setups, or any other issue that might be lurking within your home. Small issues can be a minor inconvenience, but they can quickly grow to be a huge problem if left unaddressed. Calling your local electrical contractor at the first sign of trouble will save you time and money in the long run!

If you need help with home electrical system maintenance, wiring, and electrical repairs, or basic electrical system diagnosis and upkeep, call your local experts. Do not do it on your own and don’t trust just anyone to handle your home’s electrical systems. Call the experts today to get the peace of mind you deserve!

Modern life would not be possible without electricity. The problem is that there are a number of issues that can come up with electrical systems in the home. Safety is always the top concern when it comes to dealing with the electrical system of a home. There are times when you may need electrical contractors to come in and do a house rewiring project but most of the time that is not the case. These are problems that many homeowners see:

1. The electricity surges often. There are a number of causes of electrical surges. These can include problems with the power lines, lightning strikes, damaged appliances, or an issue with the wiring in the house. An electrical surge lasts about a microsecond. Problems can occur when there are a number of them. This can damage anything in your home that uses electricity. Most of the time, when people experience a large number of these surges, there is no need to talk to the electric company about a house rewiring. The main cause is most often cheaply made appliances. If you unplug any of those that you have and you still have a problem, you will want to talk to a qualified electrician.
2. The power supply becomes unstable. Your electricity should run at the same level all of the time. If you notice there are ebbs and flows in the power in your home, again, the main culprit is often appliances and devices that are not working properly.
3. You notice your circuit breaker needs to be reset often. When you use appliances that use a lot of power, such as hairdryers and microwave ovens, especially when they are on the same circuit, this can happen. This often means your electrical system not only is not begging for a house rewiring but that it is working properly. If you find this is happening a lot, you should make a note of what you are doing when that happens. This can help you prevent this by changing how and when you use different appliances and devices.
4. There are times when frequent circuit breaker tripping means your circuit is overloaded. There are a lot of homes where there just are not enough power points to meet all of the power needs of the people who live there. If you are not using appliances or devices that can easily overload your circuit, you may want to look at the possibility of circuit board overload. You can fix this without going through a whole house rewiring. That can be prevented by:
   1. Avoiding daisy-chains for your power boards.
   2. Unplugging devices when not being used. One great example of a device that pulls in power when not being used is the phone charger.
   3. Putting all power hungry devices and appliances on different circuits.
5. You are getting shocked by your electrical system. This is never fun. Most are not strong but can be an indication of a problem with the electrical wiring in your home. The most common time these happen is when an appliance or device is turned on or off. The first thing you should do is plug something else into the outlet in question. If the problem happens again, it is your wiring. This does not necessarily mean you need a house rewiring job to be done but you should consult with a professional.
6. Your power bill goes up. There are a number of reasons for this. If your bill goes up by a lot, you may want to call your power company. They can send someone out to your home to check everything and make suggestions to bring it back down.
7. The lights in your home are either too dim or are too bright. There are two main reasons this happens in homes. The first is that not all of the light bulbs being used are the same wattage. The second is that there is a problem with the neutral connection. If it is the latter, you will need to bring in an electrical contractor to check out your system.

Keeping your electrical system running properly takes some attention to what you have going on vis-a-vis your appliances and devices. If you are concerned, you should talk to an electrician to keep everyone safe.