A customer’s home’s wiring was faulty and her two-year-old refrigerator motor burned out as a result. She has an older house with an outdated fuse box, so we replaced that as well as the motor. All of her electrical components and appliances were working properly afterward.
Have your Electrical System Checked Regularly to Avoid Potential Emergencies
It is imperative that you have your home’s electrical system checked out regularly, especially if your house is 30 years or older. Many of these homes have wiring that can degrade over time and cause serious problems.
Even though older electrical wiring systems can still be quite reliable several decades after their installation, you should still be on the safe side and have your system checked to make sure everything is safe and secure.
If you haven’t had an inspection recently, but still want to know if you should consider replacing or upgrading your electrical system, look for these five warning signs:
- If you are constantly being shocked by switches and outlets, that’s a good indication that there is a wire in the circuit shorting out to the conduit enclosing the wires. The cause could be from a device that’s plugged into the outlet, but if it’s removed and you still notice the shocks then it would be wise to have your wiring examined.
- Buzzing, discolored, or charred outlets and switches is dangerous, and should be taken care of right away. Sometimes you can just replace the outlet or switch, but other times the problem lies elsewhere. It could be faulty wiring in the circuit or a loose connection on the switch.
- Do you smell that? If it’s a burning smell, then you need to have a fire extinguisher handy just in case. An electrical fire initially has an acrid smell and a short that causes a brief burn has the same odor. If the fire catches, however, you will smell something burning. At that point, you need to call an electrician immediately. Then, turn off the circuit breaker or remove the fuse for the circuit that caused the fire until the electrician comes. While they are there, they should check to make sure you don’t have any other electrical issues.
- If you notice that your lights dim or flicker frequently, that’s a sign of an overloaded circuit. When large appliances kick start, it’s normal for lights to flicker, so if you see it once don’t get nervous. If it’s a common problem, though, then you might have faulty wiring or need a new circuit breaker.
- If your circuit breaker or fuse goes out regularly, one of two things could be happening – too many high amp appliances plugged into a single circuit, or the amp load of the appliances is less than what the breaker is rated for. The first would would cause the breaker or fuse to blow out. The latter would cause a short.
Don’t wait for an electrical emergency – Call Raynor Services today to get your wiring checked out!
