If there’s one thing you should never ignore, it’s faulty electricals. If the electrical systems in your house or business aren’t working right, it’s probably a good idea to call an electrical contractor ASAP! Electricity can be extremely hazardous, so if the lights flicker when you turn the bathroom tap on – get that checked!
Ok, so not every issue is a reason to call an electrician, so let’s go through the 3 major signs that you should really call an electrical contractor! Remember though, changing a light bulb is an easy job you can do yourself – there’s no need to call a sparky. If you’re struggling however, definitely ring a friend, or a friendly local electrician to talk you through it.
Overloading The Circuit
If you’re running your kettle, microwave and toaster all from the same extension board, you’re going to trip the board, and probably the circuit. This means you’ll need to reset the circuit breaker out at the fuse box.
Realistically, overloading a circuit is no reason to call an electrician, those three common kitchen appliances draw a lot of power, and simply put most house circuits aren’t designed to carry that much all at once!
An electrician can, however, come out and install extra wall outlets on a different circuit, which means you can plug more stuff in at once!
But if your phone charger trips a single wall outlet? That’s a problem. It might be the charger itself, so try a different one. If it still happens, call an electrician and explain the problem. There’s most likely a poor wiring connection in your house, which is a real hazard if left to deteriorate.
Sparks!
Pulling a live cable from the wall and seeing sparks inside the outlet is generally pretty normal. It’s not good though! Switch things off before you pull the plug! Not only is this habit bad for your appliances and circuits, but it could also go wrong. Those sparks might jump just the wrong way, and boom your house is on fire.
However, seeing sparks when switching off lights, or power outlets? That’s a sure sign of faulty electricals. That’s never supposed to happen, and if it does then something is wrong. That can be anything from worn shielding or fittings to internally damaged circuitry. Whatever it is, unless you’re a licensed electrical contractor don’t touch.
Only a licensed electrician is legally allowed to touch household electrical circuits. It’s extremely dangerous work, and if you do it, you’re not insured if your house burns down, and legally liable for any damages caused. Oops.
Burning Smells or Smoke
If you can smell burning inside your house or property, and you haven’t just made toast or left the oven, you’ve got a problem. Electrical fires have a really distinct smell, they smell nasty – acrid and pungent. In 99% of cases burning smells mean something is burning. The first thing you should do is quickly check all of your major appliances, and where they’re plugged into the wall.
If you’ve got a big mess of cables behind the TV for example, check there first. If you still can’t find the source of the burning, and haven’t seen any discoloured fittings or felt any warm outlets, go to the fuse box and switch off the main power supply to the house. Usually, it’s the two largest circuit breakers in there.
Once it’s off, quickly double check all the outlets and appliances to make sure nothing’s burning, use your common sense at this stage. If the house is on fire- don’t call an electrician, call the fire brigade! If your house isn’t obviously on fire, and the smell is starting to subside, probably best not to immediately turn it back on and carry on as normal.
Call a licensed electrician, and get them out to check. If there’s an issue to be found- a good electrician will find it, and if they can’t, they’ll help you work out what to do next. Electrical issues can be hazardous, and pose a huge threat to you and your family’s safety if left unchecked. Get a reliable, honest and thorough electrician in to make sure your home’s safe.
