Signs of Electrical Hazards: There’s a lot of electrical wiring in your home. While they are often well-installed and insulated, there’s always a risk that something can happen, whether it’s someone getting shocked or an electrical fire starting out of nowhere. If you’re not sure about the safety of something, then you should bring in a professional electrical repair service. Still, there are things that you can be on the lookout for so that you can know to call for help.
You Notice Burn Marks on Outlets
This means that the hot wire has touched the ground wire. This is due to corrosion, which can happen over time. Dirt and dust can also make that happen. You need to contact a professional since that means the energized wire can burn through other things.
You Notice Flickering Lights (Signs of an Electrical Hazards)
While a single bulb might flicker some right before it goes dim, it’s a bad sign if a lot of lights in your home at once do it, and it happens a decent amount, then something’s going on with the connections in your home. It could mean voltage fluctuation, which means you need to have it looked at fast. If you also happen to notice your bulbs glowing brighter than they should, then that can also mean voltage fluctuations.
You Smell Acrid Smoke
This is one of the telltale signs of an electrical fire somewhere. It can happen due to something like a short circuit inside the walls, which then can set other things inside the wall on fire. If you notice issues with shorts, turn off the circuit breaker and have a professional inspect the circuit.
You Hear Sounds in the Walls
No, this doesn’t mean that you have unwanted pests. If it happens when you turn on a light switch, then that means the wiring behind the wall is faulty. It could also indicate a loose connection on the switch.
You Have Mice
OK, some noises from behind the walls can signal pests. This isn’t good because mice love chewing on things like wiring, which can then cause shorts. Unfortunately, the mice won’t be able to pay you back for repairing the damage. If you have mice, first get a pest control technician over to get rid of them, and then have an electrician inspect your home to make sure there’s no faulty wiring.
Your Circuit Breaker Keeps Tripping
If you keep hearing a “THUNK!” and then the lights go dark, that means the circuit breaker tripped. That could indicate that something is going on with the wiring inside, which is making the circuit breaker heat up, which causes it to shut off. You don’t want to keep taxing it, so have a professional figure out why it’s doing it.
You Have Power Outages (Electrical Hazards)
There are several reasons why this could happen, and all of them can point to a bigger problem. It can be anything from the insulation to transformer failures, to tree branches affecting power lines. You need to have your place looked at to see what the culprit is.
You just need to be cautious with your electrical wiring, especially if your place is older. That can mean that a lot of the wiring will have corroded or worse. If you’re moving into a place that you know hasn’t been updated in a long time, then you can have an inspection for electrical things that need to be upgraded. That can make a big difference.
Even with the knowledge of these signs, electrical problems can still show up out of the blue. That’s why it’s always a good idea to have your home inspected for any possible issues. That will be the ultimate best thing when it comes to keeping you and your family safe from electrical hazards.