When you close on your house and get the keys to your new home, it’s a wonderful moment. You now have a special place that is yours, a refuge from the troubles around us and a beautiful place to raise your current or future family. Everything feels right in the world. You’ll soon start dreaming of upgrades you want to make and home improvements that will make your house an even more perfect place.
After you’ve unpacked the boxes and are fully moved in, you also realize that you’re now responsible for a considerable amount of upkeep on your yard and your house. To keep everything in working order and to make it last for the coming years, you’ll want to make sure to take care of preventative maintenance items. Changing all the filters, recaulking the bathroom tub and other tasks will be on the agenda. You’ll also want to pay careful attention to items that come up, such as when you start noticing strange things happening with your lights and electrical circuits.
Sparks From an Outlet
Occasional sparks that are coming from an outlet aren’t cause for immediate concern. However, if your outlet is sparking every time you plug something in you may need to call an electrician who specializes in basic electrical services and repairs.
The cause of the sparking could be a short circuit. If this continues, heat generated from the short circuit could degrade the wiring insulation. If it gets down to the bare metal, you’ll have a critical fire hazard.
Your Plugs Are Slipping Out of the Outlets
This could seem like a small inconvenience, but it’s really an issue to which you should pay attention. Over time the tight connection that occurs when you plug something in can be worn down. This especially happens in the bathroom and the kitchen.
If you have an outlet with a connection that is not tight, the loose fit can create sparks or even an electric arc. Either of these situations can cause a potential fire.
Your Circuit Breaker Trips When You Use Several Appliances Simultaneously
If you are using several household appliances at the same time and a circuit breaker kicks off, you likely have a problem with the circuit design in your home. This might occur in the kitchen when you are running the oven, a blender and the microwave together, or in the bathroom if you were using a hair dryer and curling iron.
Appliances that use a lot of power should have their own separate circuits and corresponding breakers. An electrician can evaluate what is going on and create the separate circuits that are needed.
If you notice electrical issues around your home with sparking outlets, plugs that fall out of the socket or circuit breakers shutting off, it’s time to call a qualified local electrician to help address these issues. While there are many repairs that you can make on your own in your home, electricity is inherently dangerous so it’s best left to a licensed professional.
