What Are Common Electrical Issues?
Our electrical installations in our home can go unchecked for many decades and the first sign of trouble can often be a sign of pending complete failure. There are occasional signs that your electrical installation may be in distress and in need of some maintenance or repairs. These signs, if ignored, can turn into serious problems very quickly and that can mean disruption and expense. If you have an “ELECTRICAL ISSUE” then please contact a qualified local electrician. If you are based in Liverpool or Warrington...call us!
Electrical Issues That You Shouldn't Ignore...
Strange fishy, plastic, burning smell:
This is a tell tale sign of electrical burning, melting or smouldering. Wires and electrical accessories can give off a strange odour when they being to overheat or melt. This smell should not be ignored and if you suspect there is an issue or can smell this odour anywhere in your home then you must call an electrician immediately to come and investigate. Better safe than sorry. 😊
Flickering Lights:
Flickering lights can mean a number of things from bulbs that are on their way out, damaged or old light fittings, loose connections or signs of power problems and fuse box problems. If you have flickering lights then it is a good idea to call an electrician to come and carry out some investigations for you. Once they have completed their investigation they will be able to quote for repairs for you.
Intermittent Power Cuts:
Intermittent power cuts can be frustrating but where is the problem? Why is it happening and who should you call? In the first instance you could try calling 105 to see if there are problems outside of your property with the cables in the street back to the main transformer. Calling 105 puts you through to the local network provider for your area and they will be able to tell you if they are working on the supply or if there is a fault that they are aware of. If there are no known issues then its best to call an electrician to come and investigate for you. Intermittent power cuts can be a sign of serious issues within your electrical installation.
Brown Outs:
Brown outs are where there are periods of low voltage not sufficient to operate electrical equipment correctly. It can damage electrical appliances and equipment in the home that is designed to operate at a higher voltage than is being provided. More importantly, if you are suffering brown outs then there is likely either an issue out in the street, or if none of the neighbours have a problem then it could be an issue within your installation. Either way, its best to call an emergency electrician to come and investigate the issues for you.
Switches that trip:
When switches trip it is never a good sign. The only positive is that the switch is at least doing its job. But why? The reason for a switch tripping is that there is an “ELECTRICAL ISSUE” somewhere in your electrical system. It is important not to continually reset trip switches as this can lead to trip switch failure, cable damage and other issues.
Fuses that blow:
The older version of trip switches. These crude devices are still in use in many UK homes today and they do perform a useful function although not as efficiently or conveniently as modern consumer units. If a fuse is blowing then there is an electrical problem in your home and you should have this looked at. A fuse blows if there is too much demand on the circuit such as too many appliances being used at the same time or when there is a short circuit problem resulting in a high fault current. If you are continually replacing fuses then there is an issue that needs to be rectified.
Sockets that stop working:
There are a number of reasons why a single or several sockets may simply stop working. You guessed it, its not good 😊 If you are having these types of problems then it could mean that there are loose wires, burnt out sockets or cabling and other electrical problems lurking in your electrical installation. The best thing to do is to call your local emergency electrician to come and investigate the issues for you.
Switches or sockets that spark:
Switches and sockets can occasionally spark and it can be normal under certain circumstances. In most cases, sparking from these things is not good. If you witness a socket sparking then it is likely that there are loose connections, worn internal contacts or other electrical problems at large. Stop using the socket immediately and consult a qualified electrician to come and investigate the issue for you.
Too many extension leads and too few sockets:
When there are lots of extension leads and too few sockets, this can pose a fire risk. Overloaded extension leads are commonplace and when this happens, overheating can occur causing electrical fires. The risk of this is increased in older installations with older consumer units / fuse boxes as there is not the degree of safety protection offered in these older units compared to the newer ones.
Single sockets in most rooms can also be an indicator that your electrical installation is very old as it was common many decades ago for each room to have a couple of single sockets only, if that. If you suspect that your electrical installation is very old then its best to have it checked by an electrician. Check out our information on electrical inspections.
https://www.electricalfaultsfixed.co.uk/electrical-safety-checks-eicr
Signs of rodents:
Rodents absolutely LOVE PVC cables. They get stuck right in and give them a good chew. This is bad for your electrical installation. A rodent infestation can mean a rewire is needed in order to repair the problem. It is likely that the consumer unit / fuse box will also have to be changed as well. Then there is the cost of getting rid of the rodents themselves by a specialist.
Everything possible should be done to discourage rodents from visiting in the first place as once they arrive they can cause untold damage to your electrical installation.
Shocks from equipment or pipework:
I hope that this one is fairly self explanatory. If you are receiving shocks from any equipment in your home then you MUST have this checked out. This can mean that there are issues with the safety earthing in your home and this could be deadly in the event of a fault. Earthing is not vital for electrical installation to function in many circumstances but lack of earthing can mean there are problems with electric shocks and deadly problems waiting to happen. Earthing is a safety measure and needs to be in place, correct and tested by an electrician to ensure its continuity and safety.
An old looking fuse box:
That’s right folks. That old looking electrical box that you have been worried about but ignored for years, it needs upgrading, replacing and sorting out. In general, a full electrical test and inspection is required prior to changing a fuse box unless the box is very modern and the electrical installation is fairly new. An old fuse box is an indication that the wiring in the property is at least the same age or older. Wiring and fuse boxes are not designed to last forever and should be maintained during their life or problems can occur.
If you have an old looking fuse box like the one in the picture then it is a very good idea to have everything checked out by a qualified electrician. Don’t put it off any longer, now is the time. These boxes can not pick up on every “ELECTRICAL ISSUE” like newer technology.
