Electrical issues are serious business, especially when those issues could cause serious damage to your home. If you want to know when you should spring for emergency electrical services, here are some common tells you may need to call an emergency electrician.
Warm or Discolored Outlets
If a power outlet in your home is warm or discolored, that means that outlet could be overheating. This can lead to further damage to your electrical system, or your home at large if you don’t get it checked out. If you notice outlets that are warm to the touch or appear burnt, you should call an electrician right away.
Breaker Frequently Trips
Breaker trips aren’t out of the ordinary but repeated or consistent breaker trips are. If you’re not overloading a circuit and your breaker is frequently tripping, you need emergency electrical services. While a frequently tripping breaker can be caused by an overloaded circuit, you could also have a serious issue with your breaker box.
Flickering Lights
Flickering lights are one of the easiest electrical problems to stop, but they’re a bigger deal than you might think. If you notice the lights in your home flickering — especially when you plug in a certain appliance or when the heater or AC kicks on — that could be a sign of an overloaded circuit or faulty wiring. Keeping an eye on the occurrence can key you in on if the cause is one to be concerned about.
Unusual Smell
You shouldn’t smell your home’s electrical system ever really. If there’s an unusual smell around outlets or panels when you activate certain appliances, that could be a sign that an electrical problem is reaching a dangerous threshold. If you smell something burning or see smoke in your home when you’re not cooking, call emergency services immediately.
Buzzing
Electrical systems typically don’t make any noticeable noise. If you hear an unusual buzzing sound coming from your breaker box or an outlet, that’s a sign there could be something wrong.
As a homeowner, chances are your whole life relies on electricity. In fact, according to the U.S. Energy Infomation Administration, the United States consumed approximately 38.3 quadrillion BTUs of power in 2018 alone. If you want to make sure your electrical system is in working order and not endangering your home or family, call an electrician to perform an inspection today.