10 Common Electrical Problems in Homes & Businesses (and How to Fix Them)

Electrical problems can be scary, annoying, and expensive. In most cases, you can trace them to bad installations, older wirings, and electrical installation materials, power surges, or other common issues. Most electrical problems are common to homes and businesses and require an electrician to fix them.

This article lists the 10 common electrical problems you’re likely to experience at home or in your business and explains how to fix them.

Light switches are sometimes used multiple times daily to save energy and aid visibility. The installation may become damaged due to frequency of use and may fail to turn on your electric bulbs when clicked. Ensure you’ve checked the light bulb(s) and it is working perfectly. Confirm that the circuit breaker is ‘on’ before calling a professional.

Danger level: Low danger as light switch problems could be due to frequency of use, defective parts, older switches, etc.

Solution: It is important to call a professional electrician to examine and replace the damaged light switch.

Frequent power surges at home or in your business can damage electrical appliances and predispose you to other hazards. This problem requires immediate attention.

Danger level: Moderate.

Solution: Call on a professional electrician to investigate the source of the surges and fix the problem. More often than not, the surge may be a general problem due to lightning storms

The circuit breaker controls the intensity of electric current supplied into your home or business. The circuit breaker may turn off when the current exceeds a safe level. Frequent tripping may mean many things, including bad wiring, short-circuiting, or other problems.

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Danger level: High

Solution: Turn off and unplug all electrical appliances to prevent damage. Turn off the electrical circuit, call your electrician, and wait for them.

Electrical outlets or switches are expected to mirror the indoor temperature. However, they may become warmer when sparks or other fire-related problems occur behind the surface.

Danger level: High

Solution: Locate the circuit breaker and turn it off immediately to prevent further damage. Contact your electrician and wait.

The eyes are accustomed to a certain level of light intensity. A deviation in the intensity, whether by becoming too low or too high, signals a problem. This problem could be due to poor wiring connection in the socket or related issues.

Danger level: High

Solution: Check if you have the right light bulbs installed in the outlets; if yes, check if the light bulb is correctly installed. If the problem remains or spreads across rooms, turn off your circuit breaker and contact your electrician.

Electrical shocks are literally and figuratively shocking to experience. It can leave your heart racing, cause burns, and sometimes death. Electrical shocks indicate a bigger electrical problem and should not be handled by a non-professional. Such problems are caused by poor materials, bad wiring, exposed electrical materials, or others.

Danger level: Moderate to very high.

Solution: Locate the electrical circuit and turn it off. Contact electricians denver as quickly as possible.

Electrical bulbs are expected to last for about 40,000 hours of use. However, there’s a problem if you change yours weekly, fortnightly, or monthly. Bulbs burning out quickly is a sign of a bigger electrical problem waiting to happen. Before calling your electrician, check that you’re buying the right wattage for your outlets.

Danger level: Potentially high

Solution: Report the problem to a professional electrician for inspections and fixes.

Dealing with a high electrical bill during inflation can ruin your earnings and finances. It is important to investigate the cause of the energy cost spike and address it as quickly as possible to save costs in the short and long run.

This problem can commonly be attributed to increased heating or cooling demand, careless use of energy, bad or damaged appliances, older and inefficient appliances, etc. High electrical bills can also be a result of local price increases. You can check out texas electricity rates increase 2022 to learn more.

Danger level: low to high

Solution: Investigate the cause, which can commonly be the following;

• Hot water system leaks
• Leaving electronic devices, chargers, and appliances plugged in when not in use
• Problems with the HVAC system
• Electrical breach, etc.

Common solutions can include the following;

• Contact an electrician for an inspection
• Change electricity provider
• Replace older appliances with newer ones
• Contact the electricity provider to investigate the surge.

Your light bulb should feel warm or moderately hot due to being on for an extended time. However, it may be a problem if it is too hot to touch. This problem is called ‘overlamping.’

Danger level: High

Solution: The commonest solution is changing the bulb and replacing it with the correct wattage. However, you need to contact an electrician if the problem persists.

This is often indicative of an old or damaged wall socket. This problem can be resolved by either using the right plug or changing the socket.

Danger level: Potentially high if unresolved

Solution: Contact your electrician to change or update the wall sockets.

The problems, danger levels, and solutions explained above can help you understand how bad your electrical problem is and how best to address them to prevent damage and fire hazards.