If you live in a home long enough, sooner or later you’re bound to encounter an electrical repair need or two. And usually with two equally powerful forces working together: the age of your home and electrical wiring combined with an ever-increasing demand on your electrical system from all your new electrical toys, gadgets, appliances, and home comfort systems.
So the question is, which electrical problems are most likely to occur? Here at Burton, here are 4 electrical repair problems we run into all the time:
Improper use of an extension cord.
While extension cords are great for taking care of short-term needs, they should not be used as a replacement for new electrical wiring. Extension cords are exposed and therefore are prone to long-term wear and tear, pet bites, rough encounters with a vacuum cleaner, and so on. Electrical wiring, on the other hand, is protected by sheathing and conduits and therefore far better suited for protecting against shock and electrical fires.
Too much light bulb for the fixture.
Every lamp or overhead lighting fixture in your home is made with a maximum allowable wattage for light bulbs. Any time you replace a bulb with greater-than-specified wattage, the bulb can overheat, damage the socket, and cause an electrical fire. Make a room-by-room list of all your lighting fixtures and the corresponding maximum wattage for replacement bulbs to help prevent you from making a needless mistake.
Flickering Lights
Any number of factors can account for flickering lights, including the bulb not being screwed in all the way, a problem with the outlet, or a problem with the lighting fixture’s or lamp’s wiring. Even a bulb with wattage too high for that fixture can cause flickering.
Circuit Breakers that Frequently Trip
This is clear sign of an overloaded circuit or electrical panel. To help prevent problems, don’t plug more than one appliance or other heavy electricity into a single outlet. If you’re frequently replacing the same fuse or re-setting the same breaker, try unplugging some of appliances, lamps, etc., connected to that fuse or breaker as often as you can to see if that helps. Short circuits can also be caused by frayed or damaged wiring.
Of all the home repairs deserving the greatest amount of care and caution, electrical repairs are at the very top of the list. And when you consider the inherent risks, it’s easy to see why. So if you don’t have the requisite skill and knowledge, we invite you to contactBurton – Trusted Electrician Omaha at now or anytime for all your home electrical repair and wiring needs.
