Your home’s wiring degrades over time, but the signs of it may not always be on the nose. If you avoid rewiring your home when it’s needed, it can increase the risk of an electrical fire, which is why it’s important to take it seriously right from the start. Here’s how to know if you need electrical wiring in Junction City, OR.
1. Your Outlets Begin to Spark
You plug something in, and the outlet lets out a little crackling sound. Or when you pull a plug out, it sparks to the point that you can see it. Either way, it’s not good. This means there’s a loose connection from the wiring in your wall to the outlet itself, and that spark is enough of a problem that you should disavow that outlet until an electrician can look at it.
2. Wired-In Lights Flicker When You Turn Them On
You enter the room and flick on the lights, and they flicker a bit. Maybe you have to fiddle with the switch a few times, flicking it off and on again, just to get the fixture to light up. Your light should turn on right away from flicking the switch a single time—if it’s not doing that, there’s an electrical problem that needs attention.
3. Your Appliances Begin to Malfunction or Become Unreliable
Some appliances use a 240V outlet. You probably have one or more in your home, most likely for your electric clothes dryer. If your major appliances run into problems, but you can’t find any issues with the machines themselves, it could be the outlet. Chances are it’s requiring too much from your home’s electric panel and the strain has damaged your appliance. That’s not normal; the only damages to your major appliances should be from wear and tear or non-electrical problems.
4. Burning Plastic Smell
In general, a burning plastic smell is never good and should always raise concern. But if you can’t find smoke or see anything in your home that’s producing the smell, it’s likely the casing on the outside of your wiring in your walls. When the wire heats up too much, it can melt the casing, causing the smell. This is cause for concern and should be treated as an emergency.
5. Your Circuit Breaker Keeps Tripping
Your circuit breaker has a ton of switches that, if you look at it, you’ll notice are all facing the same direction. That’s because these switches act as safety devices for specific conduits of power throughout your home. When a problem happens with your electrical system, the switch for that zone of your home flips to block the flow of electricity. If your circuit breaker is tripping often (meaning one of the switches keep flicking the other way), that shows that your system can’t handle the load, and you need to call an electrician as soon as possible.
It’s Time for an Electrical Inspection
Now that you know a bit more about your electrical system and what to look for, how many items on this list stood out to you? If it’s even one of them, it’s time to consider electrical services to take care of your home.
Contact us today to schedule your electrical service as soon as possible.