Electrical problems can be one of most dangerous and most common problems in the home and office. There could be several reasons for electrical problem such as overloads, defective equipment and weather conditions. Here we will talk about 10 most common electrical problems in a typical home and in office.
Electrical outlets not working
Fuses blowing or circuit breakers tripping
Lights flickering or dimming
Ceiling fans spinning too fast or too slow
TV, radio, and other electronics not working properly (i.e., no sound)
Electric Shocks
Switches that don’t work correctly
Unusual sounds coming from appliances
Strange smells coming from electrical wires
Higher electric bill
1. Electrical outlets not working.
Electrical outlets not working can happen due to overloaded circuits, loose wires or defective electrical outlets. So before repairing any outlet you need to make sure that it’s not because of overloaded circuits. So, check your home breakers and see which one is turned off (tripped) and turn them on accordingly. Make sure that there are no power lines running into the wall where you want to plug something in. And most importantly if the switch which controls that particular room isn’t functioning properly then most likely all your appliances won’t work. Most of the time people don’t think about this simple solution so they look for other ones but most of the time this works out very well.
2. Fuses blowing or circuit breakers tripping
Fuses blowing or circuit breakers tripping most often happens due to faulty equipment, overloading or overheating. So, most of the time this is because you have too many appliances plugged in and most likely they are using more power than they should be using (overloaded). Most common thing people do here is to plug things and overload them and then loose fuse or breaker which most end up paying a lot of money for that kind of repair. What most don’t know is that it’s relatively easy to fix if we use some common sense.
3. Lights flickering or dimming
Most commonly lights flickering or dimming occurs when there is too much stress on your electrical system like bad weather conditions, faulty wiring, old age appliances etc. It also could happen if you have a lot of appliances plugged in and using too much power at the same time. When this happens most people usually go out and buy new light bulbs but most of the time it’s not the light bulb that’s broken, it’s the wiring. So it is important to know about these things before going out and buying things that you don’t need.
4. Ceiling fans spinning too fast or too slow
This could happen because of several reasons such as incorrect wiring, defective switches or motor problems. If your ceiling fan is turning too slowly, then most likely there is something wrong with the switch, if it’s turning too quickly then most likely there is something wrong with the motor. What you can do here is to replace the defective parts.
5. TV, radio, and other electronics not working properly (i.e., no sound)
Most commonly this happens because of bad wiring or incorrect usage of the equipment. Usually it’s the wiring that gets damaged because people use cheap extensions and buy things to replace them very often which damages the actual cable itself so try to avoid using those cables and if you don’t have money for new ones at least make sure you are turning off all your appliances when they are not being used.
6. Electric shocks
There are many electrical safety hazards associated with old homes and a lack of electricity. When the wires or appliances in your house start to shock you, then it’s likely that there is an issue with how they’re being used by themselves – but not always! Sometimes problems arise because older houses were wired during different times which means newer devices may use outdated wiring. If you are not sure about electric shock and can’t find the actual reason, you better take the help of a professional electrician.
7. Switches that don’t work correctly
Switches most commonly start acting up either because of water damage, dirt or just simply getting old. So, what you need to do is clean the part where the wire plugs into then check or change your fuse/breaker.
8. Appliances making strange noises
This usually happens when there is something wrong with the motor inside the appliance or it’s just old and needs to be replaced. What you can do here is to replace the defective parts and if that doesn’t work then you might have to replace the whole appliance.
9. Smells coming from electrical wires
When this happens it usually indicates that there is a fire hazard and you need to get an electrician to take a look at it. Most of the time it’s because of faulty wiring, overloaded circuits or bad insulation.
10. Higher electric bill
One of the most common electric problems is high electric bill. Usually, we don’t understand why our electric bill goes up. And we don’t have the proper knowledge to find out. Anyone can follow the following instructions.
Check for any loose connections
Make sure the circuit breaker is in the ON position
If your home has two or more stories, make sure that all of the circuits are on separate breakers
Turn off any appliances that aren’t being used (i.e., dishwasher, clothes dryer)
Switching to a provider that is more cost-effective
So, these are some of the most common 10 problems that people face in their home or office and what you can do about them before calling someone to come and fix it for you. When you face problems like these, an experienced electrician will always be your good choice to choose.