Electricity. It’s a great thing. The only problem with the electrical wiring being buried inside of your home is the fact that when something is out of sight, it is often out of mind. How can you tell something is wrong with your electrical system in your home or place of business if you can’t see it?
Here are seven ways you can tell you have an electrical problem:
1. You are using too many extension cords.
Aesthetically, your home just looks better when all the electrical wiring is buried inside the walls. There are, however, other reasons why your electrical wiring is placed there. All those exposed wires wouldn’t be safe! If you find yourself using extension cords in every room, you may need to consider having some work done on your home to get more outlets installed.
2. Your lights dim or flicker for no apparent reason.
It is important to understand that light fixtures only draw a small amount of electricity. This is why it’s so uncommon for lights to dim or flicker. Furthermore, when this happens, the issue isn’t usually the light fixture itself. It’s usually a problem somewhere in the wiring of your home.
3. You smell burning plastic or vinyl.
The strange smell of burning plastic or vinyl is unpleasant and hard to miss. It’s a surefire sign your electric wiring is getting too hot and needs to be looked at by an electrician. Ignoring this sign is just asking for a house fire.
4. You are seeing sparks.
It goes without saying, the electrical wiring in your home should never spark. This is also a sign there is a short or the wiring is getting too hot. It’s another problem that may lead to a house fire if you opt to ignore it and hope it goes away on its own.
5. Your outlets or switches are hot.
This is one of those signs some homeowners and business owners ignore. After all, if the appliance plugged into the outlet produces heat, isn’t it normal to expect the outlet or switch to get a little hot as well? While this may seem to make sense, the outlets and switch plates are never supposed to get hot.
6. You are hearing buzzing.
When your electrical wiring is working properly, it should be silent. A buzzing is an indication of a problem.
7. Your breaker is always tripping.
Occasionally, your breaker is going to trip. Sometimes, you are going to blow a fuse. But this isn’t something that should happen on a regular basis.
If you have witnessed any of these signs or have any other reason to suspect that you may have a problem with your home or commercial electrical system, call the experts at Prairie Electric and we will be happy to help!
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