These days, there are a ton of responsibilities on the to-do list of a responsible homeowner like yourself. It seems as though there’s always another repair or maintenance project for you to take care of. One of those potential home improvement projects at some point might be due to electrical issues that occurred in your home.
Don’t worry, though – there are steps you can take to prevent those electrical issues in the first place. The good news is that you’ve come to the right place by reading this article. Detailed below are ten common electrical issues and you can avoid them.
Remember, it’s worthwhile to invest in your home when it comes to its property value in the long run. That’s why, on average, homeowners spend one to four percent of the home’s overall value on repair and maintenance each year! Keep reading to prevent a possible electrical one.
1. Your Electrical Panel Is Too Outdated
One of the first things to consider is a bird’s eye view of your home’s electrical system. All of the electrical cords in the walls, floors, and ceilings of your home lead back to the electrical panel. The electrical panel is responsible for controlling your home’s entire access to the community’s electric company.
Still, not every home has the most updated electrical panel. This can, in many unfortunate cases, lead to serious other electrical issues throughout the home as a result. It’s in your family’s best interest to invest in the most updated and relevant technologies when it comes to your electrical panel.
It’s up to you, though, to do your research and determine if your model of the electrical panel is up-to-date. For more detailed guidance, check out this article on these recalled electrical panels and what you need to know if you have one of them.
2. You’re Not Prioritizing Surge Protection
One mistake many homeowners make at some point is that of ignoring the value of surge protection. This is of particular importance when it comes to homes that use a ton of electronic devices all at once.
Imagine the electric company is doing some work on power lines in your area. If a power surge flows throughout the entire community, will your home be protected? A severe enough power surge has the ability to cause real damage to devices plugged into the source of that electricity at the time of the surge.
For that reason, make sure your family buys plenty of surge protectors for your home. Use them especially around the entertainment center or where other appliances are all plugged in.
3. A Receptacle Is Getting Too Hot
A receptacle (or, an outlet) should never be too hot to the touch. If you notice that one in your home starts overheating whenever it’s turned on, something might be wrong behind the scenes. An electrical wire nearby likely needs to be replaced.
Remember, though, it might not be in your best interest to take on this home improvement alone. Instead, be willing to hire expert electricians to handle something more involved like this. That way, you won’t be putting yourself or anyone else in danger by fumbling around with electrical wires as an amateur.
You’re not alone in needing to hire a qualified electrician every once in a while, by the way. Consider the following statistic regarding electricians throughout the United States. It indicates that in the year 2019 alone, the industry generated $180 billion in revenue.
Calling a qualified electrician can be worth the cost in the long run if it saves you further damage to your home. For this potential electrical issue, the best solution is leaving it to someone else who knows what they’re doing.
4. A Lightswitch Stops Working Even After You Replace the Bulb
Here’s another example of a time when you shouldn’t try to fix the problem alone. If a light switch is not working even after you switched the dead lightbulb for a functional one, call an electrician. It’s another electrical issue that only an expert should take a look at.
By the way, it’s also in your best interest to invest in LED bulbs throughout your home. Not only do they last longer, but they don’t cost you as much money to stay turned on. Even experts recognize the value of LED lighting when it comes to energy savings.
5. Electrical Wires Become Exposed
As mentioned above, there’s always going to be another home repair or maintenance project for you to think about. Perhaps you have a major home remodeling project coming up. You might even be tearing some walls down to make a bigger living space.
Well, during home renovations, it’s important to be conscious of electrical wires. If you start knocking down walls and electrical wires become exposed, that can cause issues throughout the entire rest of the home. Instead, be intentional about knowing when to hire expert professionals to protect the integrity of your home’s electrical system even during a major renovation.
6. Plugs Keep Falling out of a Receptacle
Over time, an outlet can get worn down when it gets used too much. You might start to notice that every time you plug something into a certain receptacle, it falls out. The only way to prevent this from happening over and over again is to replace the outlets entirely.
Take the time to think about whether you should just replace all of the outlets in your home, too. It’s worthwhile to do so every few years so that they don’t get too worn down. Plus, if you want their design styles to match, you should definitely buy them all at once.
7. You Don’t Have Enough Outlets in the First Place
It’s possible that your home simply doesn’t have enough outlets. Not even surge protectors offer enough room for your devices. If that’s the case, it’s time to call a proper electrician to give you more access to more power.
8. The Lights Flicker When It’s Windy Outside
One windy day, you might discover that the lights are flickering every few minutes or so. In these cases, the flickering can be caused by exposed or damaged electrical lines in the area. You’ll need to call your local electric company to see what the issue might be.
If you notice the lights flickering on a day that isn’t windy, don’t try and fix the issue yourself. It could be an internal electrical issue that only a qualified expert can fix. You might be tempted to see if changing the lightbulb could help, but flickering could be the result of something even more serious and dangerous.
This is one great example of when it would be wiser to call an electrician before trying to replace lightbulbs. If your home experiences frequent flickering during windy days, you don’t want to risk your own safety by trying to mess with the electrical wires. Instead, call an electrician before you do something even as simple as switching out a dead lightbulb.
9. You Experience Consistent and Random Power Surges
Often, power surges can be caused by something outside of your control. Perhaps someone is working on a nearby power line, for instance. Other times, though, power surges are caused by something in your own home.
If you start to experience power surges on a regular basis but no one is working on power lines near you, take action. This is yet another case when you should contact a professional electrician immediately.
10. Your Electrical Bill Starts Climbing Too High out of Nowhere
The last electric issue that might occur in your home is that of an increasing energy bill. It’s understandable that energy bills can fluctuate with the time of year, of course.
Still, if changes that are too drastic for your comfort start to appear on that bill, call an electrician. They’ll be able to find the source of the issue and have it fixed in no time.
Hire Experts to Fix Any Electrical Issues in Your Home
At this point in the article, you have a thorough understanding of how to prevent potential electrical issues in your home. There’s no need to cut corners when it comes to maintaining the overall quality of your home. Doing so could make all of the difference when it comes to the property value as you’re selling it in the future.
That’s why you’ll take the above guidelines seriously. In addition, it’s in your best interest to continue to keep yourself well-informed of trends in the electric industry. You never know when staying in tune with these trends could come in handy in your own home.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to expert professionals if an unfortunate electrical issue does occur in your home. In fact, that’s where we can come into play. We prioritize keeping families like yours safe and well-lit at all times.
For that reason, we encourage you to browse through the rest of our website today. On our blog, you’ll find the latest and greatest trends in electrical practices homeowners should follow. To start, check out more details about our available electrical services and get a free in-home evaluation.
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