8 Common yet Dangerous Electrical Problems Around the Home

8 Common yet Dangerous Electrical Problems Around the Home

Electricity is the backbone of modern household, for most of our daily tasks we heavily rely on electricity.

It has two faces one is the pleasant face, which allows us to perform our everyday tasks with ease, the other not so pleasant face is the dangerous side of electricity which can be life threatening, if precautionary measures are not taken in its use.Therefore it is extremely important to know what are the dangers and problems associated with electricity from which we need to protect ourselves.

8 most common and dangerous problems are mentioned below.

1. Sags and Dips in Power
Sags and dips in electrical supply is caused by devices connected to your power grid that are made with substandard materials and draw a lot of power when they are turned on.

2. Electrical Surges
Electrical surges are caused by a number of things like lightning strikes, damage to power lines, faulty appliances and bad electrical wiring in the house. Although electrical surges are very brief like microseconds, but frequent surges can damage the electrical components and even electrical appliances reducing their lifespan. Frequent electrical surges are caused by electrical devices connected to the home grid or the wiring itself. Electrical surges can be avoided by removing substandard devices or power boards. If the surges keep on occurring after taking this measure it means it’s the time to consult a professional electrician.

3. Frequent Tripping of Circuit Breaker
High watt items like irons, microwaves and hairdryers can trip circuit breaker, especially when other power consuming devices are also connected on the same source. When a circuit breaker trips check what was the appliance being used at that time and limit the electrical usage on a single circuit while high watt devices are in use.

4. Light Switches Not Working Properly
Switches that don’t work properly are either due to a naïve electrician’s work or sub- standard products. If switches are not working properly it can be due to switches that have been superseded and fixtures removed, it could also be a fault in the outlet, circuit or wiring. A licensed and professional electrician has to be consulted to solve this problem of switches

5. Circuit Overload
Circuit breakers trip because of overloading of power boards. Most homes don’t have enough power points. If circuit breaker trips frequently it could be due to circuit overload. It can be prevented by

Removing devices that aren’t in use like phone chargers. Chargers draw power even when they are they are not connected to a phone.
Don’t overburden a single circuit, distribute your electrical needs around the home.
6. Electrical Shocks
Electrical shock is an alarming way of reminding us that electricity is pretty dangerous. Electrical shocks happen when you turn a device on or off. It could happen due to some issue in an electrical appliance or the wiring. In case of experiencing an electric shock get yourself checked by a doctor and immediately call a professional electrician to get this serious problem fixed.

7. Light bulbs burning out too often
If your light bulbs are burning too often there can be a number of reasons behind it. Such as:

Wattage is too high.
Insulation is too close to the light.
Bad wiring on the circuit.
Bad wiring on the mains.
On a dimmer switch, too much total wattage on one switch.
If flickering there is probably a poor connection on the circuit.
8. Overheated lighting
If your light bulbs are burning too often there can be a number of reasons behind it. Such as:

Are the lights producing excessive heat?
What is the total wattage on the circuit?
Are they insulated properly?
Keeping a check on the above mentioned electrical problems and fixing them on time, can save you and your home from a huge electrical disaster.

If you want to keep your family safe from dangers posed by electrical faults, Contact Skellec Electrical today.