Electricity makes our lives so much easier, but installing one in a home is not an easy task, and it requires a real professional to do it. Just like in any other job, however, the person who’s doing all of your electrical installations in your home can make a mistake, whether because they are not too careful, or they lack the experience. Either way, a faulty installment can cause a lot of problems, and in some worst-case scenarios, it can even harm a person.
If you are recently doubting the skills of the company responsible for your installations, and you believe that there might be a problem, there are a few things that you can check before bringing your final decision.
Before we begin talking about these five signs that might be pointing to a problem, we just want to remind you that you shouldn’t attempt to do anything on your own, even if it turns out that you have a faulty electrical installation at home. Leave this to the professionals, and if you are experiencing any trouble, give a quick phone call to the nearest company. Attempting anything on your own is very risky, therefore you shouldn’t even think about it, for your good.
With all of that out of the way, let’s take a look at the first sign.
1. The sounds are often an indicator
By listening to the sounds of your lights, you can identify if there is a problem with your installation or not. We decided to put this one as the first item on our list because it’s the easiest thing to do, and it can often point out to a problem.
Start by listening to your lights a few seconds after you turn them on. What you should be hearing if there is an issue is a buzzing sound that’s unpleasant and instantaneously reminds you of an electrical problem.
On top of this, if you see a visual change as well, such as random dimming or flickering, especially when you turn on a few devices at the same time, it means that you have faulty wiring that can turn into a much more serious problem.
2. The frequency of circuit breaking trips
We all know that it’s a fairly common thing to experience the trip of a circuit breaker, and that’s what they are made for after all. Whenever there is a lot more “pressure” than what your system can handle, the circuit breaker will completely shut off the power in your home to avoid a larger and more dangerous issue.
In most of these scenarios, all you have to do is walk up to it and turn it back on, but here’s the catch. These things are “normal” to happen once or maximum twice per month, and that’s still a bit more than what it should be, but let’s say that it’s in the acceptable range.
However, if you keep experiencing this multiple times per week, it means that there is a problem with your wiring, and this can quickly turn into a dangerous problem that can cause materialistic damage, or even worse, hurt someone.
If you regularly experience this and you need a professional to take care of it, feel free to visit here.
3. Checking for heat and vibrations
We already mentioned that it is very dangerous to touch any wiring on your own, but this method doesn’t include touching the areas that can harm you. An easy way to find out if there’s faulty wiring in your home is by gently bending over the wall outlets and listening for any sounds of vibration. If there are none, you can try touching the plastic, not inside the outlet, and checking for vibrations or heat.
Now, this method is a bit tricky because people often mistake the regular heat for something that indicates a problem, but you should be able to distinguish these two by common sense. If it’s way too hot even for an outlet, there might be a problem. If it’s just moderately warm, you shouldn’t pay a lot of attention to it, unless there is a vibration as well.
4. Change of color
We all know that when something gets burned, it usually gets darker and the mark that’s left behind is pretty obvious that some sort of scorching happened there. The same thing goes for wires and outlets. If you notice that something is getting darker, usually the plastic on either the inside or the outside of the outlet, it means that a wire got burned and the plastic received the collateral damage.
This indicates a more serious problem, and if you notice something like this, it’s best that you shut down all electricity and immediately contact a professional company that can take care of the problem for you. Do not risk living with such an indicator of a serious issue because it can be harmful both for you, your family members and the environment. In some scenarios, even your neighbors can experience the damage.
5. The smell of burning
Last but not least, the most serious indicator of faulty wiring and installation in your home is the smell of burning. Electricity can often burn plastic, and when this happens, a very unique smell is released and if you are home and manage to sense it, you will immediately know that something’s wrong.
Out of all the signs that we listed above, this one requires the most urgent actions, because it means that something already burned since you is already smelling it. It’s both fortunate and unfortunate being home when this happens because you can immediately call for professional help, but you also risk getting caught in a fire, which is not so common but the chances are always there.
Conclusion
Electricity is something that we cannot go without in these modern days, but on top of all the benefits that we get from it, there are a couple of risks as well. We need to be very careful when using electrical devices and appliances, and if we notice any red flags, such as the ones we mentioned on the list above, we need to seek professional help immediately, and never attempt to fix them on our own.
