7 Major Signs Your Electrical Has Problems You Need to Address Today!

Electrical malfunctions are the 2nd leading cause of home fires in the United States, according to the National Fire Association. Areas of electrical distribution, like your home wiring and breaker boxes, are the major causes of a significant portion of these fires in most cases.

That’s a very sad statistic that could be much lower if homeowners became more aware of the warning signs of an outdated electrical system. We are all busy, but being vigilent if possible can save many lives and money. Below are the seven major signs your electrical needs attention today.

1. Your Circuit Breaker Trips Frequently

It’s not uncommon for a circuit breaker to trip, especially in the spring and summer during thunderstorms, or if you are running multiple applicances from the same circuit. However, frequent circuit breaker trips should raise a red flag. There could be a dangerous problem rearing its ugly head in your home’s electrical wiring, and it may be that your electrical panel needs to be upgraded due to its age or having a dysfunction in its current status.

Electrical panels can last about 25 to 40 years, but older and outdated panels can’t keep up with the electrical demands of today’s homes. If you decide to install a new appliances, such as a large refrigerator, washer, or hot tub, it would recommended to upgrade to a 200 amp electrical panel.

2. You Have Frayed Wiring

This is a big one as you should never ignore fray wiring. If a wall is exposed during a remodeling project and you see the wiring is frayed, contact your local electrician team at Loess Hills Electrical because frayed wiring is a HIGH risk for fire or electrical shock.

3. Your Lights Dim Unexpectedly

During a strong Midwest spring or summer thunderstorm or windy weather, it is natural for your lights to flicker on and off due to the massive electrical surges from lightning and unstable electrical charges in the air, or maybe a tree branch fell on a nearby power line, taxing its ability to provide a consistant flow of electricity to your home. However, of your lights begin to flicker on a normal, calm sunny day, your home’s electrical wiring may have issues you need to have a professional investigate. The older wiring may not be able to handle the increased energy demands of your modern home life, so please contact a licensed electrical professional as soon as possible to investigate the issue.

4. Your Outlets Become Discolored

If you ever smell or see smoke in your home imminating from an outlet, call the fire department first, and following their assessment and remediating of the situation, contact Loess Hills Electrical to set up a time to replace the outlet. If there is not smoke, but you see scorch marks on an outlet, that should also catch your attention as there could be loose wiring inside the outlet, causing an arc (small spark in the outlet). Highly recommeneded to contact the fire department initially, but also to be on the safe side at this point, unplug all of your appliances from that outlet until an electrician arrives.

5. Your Outlets are Warm or Vibrating

When close to an outlet, take note of if it is warm. A properly functioning outlet should be cool to the touch, but never warm unless it is near a heat source. In addition, if you notice a vibration coming from the outlet, that is likely caused by damaged wiring, and you absolutely must address that immediately. If a cord plugged into the outlet catches on fire, your home could suffer massive or complete fire damage. Contact your local electrician at Loess Hills Electrical to address the situation ASAP, and don't plug anything into that outlet until told to do so by a member of our local electrician team.

6. Your Electrical Outlets or Plugged In Fixtures Are Making Noises

If a homeowners hears a buzzing or sizzling sound coming from an outlet, that is not what you want to hear. You want silence. Light fixtures can also produce an electric noise. This indicates something in the outlet, most likely wiring, is not grounded properly, and may in fact be slighly damaged. While not as high risk as other issues above, this certainly warrants the intervention of a licensed electrician to check out the issue as soon as possible to avoid additional more dangerous issues from forming.

7. You Know Your Wiring Is Old

If your home was built during the late 1960s or early 1970s or earlier, it’s time to have an wiring upgrade. Many homes of this era featured aluminum wiring. In hindsight, it was a very horrible choice as research shows buildings with aluminum wiring are 50 times likely to experience fire damage. The local Councl Bluffs electrician team at Loess Hills Electrical will install copper wiring as it is safer due to it being more resistant to heat

Overall, the local Council Bluffs electrician team at Loess Hills Electrical wants you and your family to be safe, and if we aren't able to provide you with the prompt assistance you need to address an electrical issue, we will work to set you up with another local electrician team to assist you as soon as possible. If you would like more information on our services, please check our local electrical repair service page, and to be informed on what you should do before a licensed electrician can arrive, please check our our previous blog Electrical What To Do. Be wise, be observant, and never attempt to resolve any of the above issues yourself. We are licensed professionals who are here to help you stay healthy and save money overall on your electrical repair and installation needs.