Surprising Signs Your Home May Need Electrical Work Done
When your home needs electrical repairs or upgrades, certain signs may be obvious. The power may be out in certain rooms or you may trip a circuit and flipping its switch doesn't bring the power back on. However, not all signs of needed repair work are this obvious. Note a few signs your home may need to have electrical repair so that you don't overlook them, and can call a contractor as soon as possible.
1. One circuit keeps shutting down
Blowing a circuit on occasion is not unusual if you have too many appliances plugged in at once. One circuit continuously shutting down is not a good sign though, and this should be investigated by an electrician. You may have too many appliances on one circuit or may have old wiring that cannot support the demands of one appliance in particular. Older homes especially have older wiring that cannot provide adequate power for today's entertainment components, large kitchen appliances, and so on.
An electrical contractor can test the wiring behind the walls and note if you need an upgrade. He or she can also rewire appliances so they're on a separate circuit and you reduce your risk of an electrical overload.
2. Something is going on behind the walls
If you think you can hear a popping sound or any other noise when the electricity comes on, or think you can smell a burning scent, this usually means you have frayed or bare wires. The electricity may pop as it reaches the exposed part of this wire, or it may be singeing the building materials near the wires. Never ignore these signs as bare or frayed wires put your home at risk of an electrical fire.
3. You have frequent brownouts in the home
A brownout is a slowdown of the electricity; you're still getting power, but electrical devices seem to drag or don't work at full power. In some cases you may simply need to use certain high-power devices on a different circuit. For example, plugging in your hair dryer on the same circuit as a space heater can overload the electrical demands on that circuit.
However, if this happens often and without any type of noticeable cause, you'll want to call an electrical contractor such as Foreman-Sheean Electrical & Communications. Your wires may not be supporting the demands for electricity as they should. These brownouts put stress on your appliances and can overload your wires, also increasing your risk of an electrical fire.