tips & tricks
3 Common Home Electrical Problems
In the age of always-on always-connected devices, electricity holds a more important role in our life now than it ever has. Unfortunately, that also means that electrical problems in the home or office have a greater impact on our daily operations. We’ll take a look at a few of the most common home electrical problems, and what type of solutions they require.
Warm Light Fixtures
Many homeowners contact us saying “my light fixture feels warm” or “the dimmer switch feels warm.” It is always good to show caution when it comes to warm electrical devices. If your light fixture feels warm, the bulb it contains may be a higher wattage than the fixture is rated for. This is called “overlamping,” and could cause strain on your fixture by drawing more watts than the wires are rated for. If this continues for too long, the fixture, and the area surrounding it, may be damaged. Try swapping in a lower-wattage bulb to see if that solves the problem. If not, contact your local electrician.
Plugs Fall Out of Sockets
Homes in Macomb and Oakland counties may be up to 100 years old in some areas, and not all of them have had the required electrical maintenance performed throughout the years. A good sign that your home is in need of an electrical tune-up is that plugs fall out of sockets. This problem occurs when the contacts inside of an outlet no longer snugly hold on to the plug that is inserted, and is a sign that your outlet receptacles need to be replaced. This is a hazard, since exposed electrical connections can cause sparks or even fires if debris comes in contact with them. If there are one or two outlets that need replacing, many homeowners choose to do it themselves. However, if multiple outlets throughout the house need replacing, this may be a sign of additional issues with the home’s electrical system. A proper electrical inspection will identify any other problems caused by the home’s dated wiring.
Appliance Usage Trips Circuit Breaker
If use of any of your high-demand appliances (such as a microwave, dishwasher, or chest freezer) trips the circuit breaker on a regular basis, then the circuit that appliance is on is getting overloaded. This usually results from too many high-demand items on one circuit at the same time. To remedy this situation, you can try relocating some of your appliances so that they are plugged in to different circuits, or schedule your use of appliances so that they are not being used at the same time. If neither of these options will work for your home, you may need to contact an electrician to have a new circuit run for those appliances that are being affected.