I previously wrote about Common Electrical Mistakes and The proper way to go about it, those are the electrical problem caused by the electrician.
One the most annoying thing is when you experience some electrical problem at home maybe while you are doing something important with electricity, you reading this article will guide you in troubleshooting some of these home electrical problem without calling any electrician.
Before you think of troubleshooting any Electrical Problem yourself, make sure you know Some Safety Precautions That Must be Put in Place While Working with Electricity and Electrical Equipments.
ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS AND STEPS IN TROUBLESHOOTING THEM
When you Experienced a power failure at home, the first thing to do is determine whether the problem lies in your house’s system or is a utility company outage. If the whole house is out and it looks like your neighbors have lost power too, call the utility company. If any of your home’s electrical power works—receptacles or lights in another room, for example, the problem is with your system.
[1] OUTLET STOP WORKING
- Check is if there is a surge protector on the outlet itself, if that isn’t tripped then
- Check the breaker box, If there are not any breakers tripped in the box, then
- it’s possible one of the wires to the outlet has come loose. Wires that are pushed into the back of receptacles and switches can work themselves out over time. To fix this, remove the cover plate and outlet from the wall. If you notice any loose wires, pull them out and attach them to the terminals on the side of the receptacle. The terminal screws will hold the wires tighter and prevent them from loosening.
[2] OVERLAMPING
Overlamping happens when a high wattage bulb is used in a low wattage light fixture. Not only is this is a code violation, but it’s also a very dangerous situation. The heat from the bulb can melt the wires in the fixture, which could lead to an arc and fire.
Overlamping occurs in houses with outdated electrical systems. In homes that were built 50 years ago or more, the electrical circuitry will typically lack the capacity for today’s light voltages and appliances. When an outlet is sourced beyond its level of power, the overlamping can put a strain on your electrical system.
Overlamping becomes dangerous when it causes the wires behind an over-sourced outlet to overheat. Once overheated, the wires can eat away at the surrounding insulation. With no insulation barrier, the overheated wires could ignite anything they touch, which could lead to a fire.
Overlamping is liable to occur when an outlet is over-sourced with light bulbs of too high a wattage. Likewise, overlamping can occur when an outlet is overdrawn with extensions. For example, if both sockets in an outlet are plugged with extension boards that power eight appliances each, that will put a tremendous, concentrated power strain on such outlets in most older homes and apartments.
In houses with outdated electrical capacities, overlamping can be prevented with the
- Installation of Circuit Breaker and with
- Upgrade to wiring behind each Outlets. However, such upgrades should only be performed by a licensed service professional.
- Use only bulbs that are rated for the fixture. If the fixture was made prior to 1985, stick with 60-watt or lower bulbs.
[3] OVERHEATED LIGHT SOCKET
When a light fixture is overlamped, the socket can also be a source of danger. An overdrawn lamp is bound to overheat at the socket and through the underlying wires. The overheating can cause arcing, where eclectic sparks are sent through the air between wires. Arcing is a leading cause of fires.
- If you have any light fixtures that were made prior to 1985, only use bulbs of 60 watts or less. With any fixture manufactured during the past 30 years, read the wattage limit listed on it, and stay within that range.
[4] LIGHT BULBS BURNING OUT QUICKLY
There are few things more annoying than replacing light bulb faster than you bought them. Fortunately, getting to the bottom of why your lights are not lasting as long as they should is a fairly straightforward process. For starters,
- Make sure you are using the appropriate wattage. If that isn’t the problem,
- Check the insulation in the fixture and make sure it isn’t too close to the bulb.
- If the bulb still burns out quickly, then you are probably dealing with faulty wiring in the fixture, circuit, or mains.
[5] ELECTRICAL SHOCK
Electrical shocks are mild yet annoying occurrences that sometimes happen at the flick of certain light switches and appliances. The problem could stem from either the power source or the device itself. If the problem occurs with only one particular device, that’s likely the culprit. If a certain outlet is generating shocks through various devices that it powers, the issue is probably down to the power source. In the latter case, you should definitely have the matter checked by a professional electrician.
[6] TRIPPING OF CIRCUIT BREAKER
If an appliance overdraws an outlet with a circuit breaker, the breaker might trip and cut the power supply. When this happens, it means that the circuit breaker is warning you against overloading the outlet.
Two appliances known to trip circuit breakers are hairdryers and microwaves. In your bathroom, the reset button might snap out if you run a hairdryer on a hot, high setting for too long at a time. Likewise, a microwave could trip a circuit breaker after several minutes, especially if the outlet is overdrawn with a daisy-chained power board.
To stop your circuit breaker from tripping in the future,
- Run high-consumption devices like hairdryers and microwaves for briefer cycles at lower settings.
- Also, be sure not to overload the outlets you use for these devices.
[7] FEW OUTLETS
The average home is full of more electrical appliances than ever. Consequently, homes that were built before the advent of home computers, big screen TVs and massive entertainment systems are often ill-equipped to power all these electronics simultaneously. If your living quarters are limited to one or two outlets per room, chances are you have been forced to split your outlets with extension strips.
A limited number of outlets can be a problem if you use few appliances but are forced to use extension cords due to the lack of options. While the danger is minimal, be sure to use extension cords with a heavy-duty gauge. The number of the gauge runs inverse to the thickness. Therefore, a 14-gauge wire is thicker than a 16-gauge one. If you have to use an extension cord to power a refrigerator, range or microwave, be sure to use a thicker-gauge extension cord only.
In today’s buildings, receptacles are supposed to be in place every 12 feet from one another. Furthermore, each room is supposed to have an outlet within four feet of the entryway.
- Additional outlets can be installed by a licensed electrician. The going rate on first-floor installations is reasonable. Installations on upper floors will generally cost a bit extra.
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