Typical Electrical Problems
Whether you have a 1950’s bungalow, a 1990’s plaster house, or a recent new build, every home is susceptible to a variety of electrical issues. Minor issues can quickly become severe hazards if left unattended, from overloaded circuits to flickering lighting.
As leading providers of residential electrical services for all types of homes, Hiko Electrical knows that often these tiny issues will go unnoticed as they are not always easy to detect.
With this in mind, we have created a list of the most common household electrical problems that we see. Hopefully, this will be a good starting point to ensure that your home is safe and healthy.
Correcting most residential electrical hazards requires a licensed electrician to ensure that all repairs comply with relevant codes and standards.
While it may be easy to disregard some of these problems or ignore them, we strongly recommend taking action to correct the following issues before they become a safety hazard.
Light Flickering
Flickering lights are an easy one to ignore. They may only flicker for a short time when first switched on, and they may be so small that you don’t even notice it.
While occasional flickering or dimming is regular, this happening daily is not. If your lights continue to flicker even after changing your light bulbs, it may be time to consult a licensed electrician to determine the cause of the issue.
Ancient Wiring
Old houses, some as old as 1910’s, provide a significant risk. Like most things, the wiring will deteriorate and become damaged over time. Along with this, things such as mice or nails can damage wires. These corrupted and damaged wires can lead to sparks and even fires.
In addition, old wiring is a lot lower ampage and with us filling our homes with many more appliances and devices than ever before, these circuits can be overloaded, which can lead to a fire.
Poorly Modified Wiring
The regulations and safety standards of today are more stringent than ever. Unfortunately, the electrical health of many older buildings and homes suffers from multiple variations of DIY dabbling.
Commonly, the wiring will show signs of being modified over the years by various people trying to do a quick fix or having no proper electrical training. The older the building, the higher the risk that, somewhere in the installation, faulty wiring or badly executed connections have snuck in. Don’t ever ignore buzzing, flickering, or dimming lights and burn marks around outlets.
Outdated Electrical Design
We love older buildings, but often they are just not in step with modern life. Electrical codes and standards have advanced a lot over the years, and if they had passed inspection today, your home or business probably wouldn’t meet current safety requirements.
Hot Outlets When Devices are Plugged In
If you notice that your outlets are becoming warm or hot after plugging a device in, this is a sign of faulty wiring or other damage. This heat can eventually lead to an electrical fire or other significant hazards, so they should be inspected and replaced immediately.
Using Multiple Power Boxes and Extension Cords
Often we get around a lack of power sockets but using power boards and extension cords. Often at the same time! While using multiple power bars or extension cords is not unsafe, it is far more efficient to have additional outlets installed to minimize the risk of hazards.
This is even more relevant in our post-Covid world with more people working from home in temporary home offices.
The Takeaway
We hope this gives you an insight into some of the typical home electrical problems.
And if you need to solve some of these yourself, get in touch with the team at Hiko Electrical. We will be happy to guide you through the process of making your home as safe as possible.
