Electricity is a fundamental resource that every American home relies upon to maintain functionality and living comfort. It powers lighting, heating, cooling, and other home appliances. It’s only natural that every home at some point in time will eventually encounter electrical problems of some sort. Below are some of the most common electrical problems in American homes, along with the possible causes for each:
Frequent Light Bulb Burnouts
There are various causes of this problem. It can be as simple as using the wrong type of Lightbulb from one application to another. If the problem is widespread then you might have to look for a different explanation. A common cause of light bulbs burning out frequently is a bad main neutral connection. In most cases, this is caused by twisting the light bulb into the socket too tightly. Try just turning the bulbs in gently to the point of contact to see if you get more longevity.
Dead Outlets
Try resetting the circuit breaker connected to the outlet in question to solve the problem. If that doesn’t work, you may have a poor connection within the circuit—probably within the outlet itself. If this is the case, the outlet has to be replaced. To be safe, you should always call an electrician when replacing electrical outlets.
Circuit Breaker that Won’t Reset
Circuit breakers often trip during lengthy or simultaneous use of heat-related appliances such as Microwaves and hairdryers, especially if they happen to be on the same circuit. If the use of these types of appliances can’t be split to separate circuits by relocating one of the high wattage devices to a different zone of the home, then the solution is to create an additional circuit to that area in order to spread out the load of the high wattage appliances onto separate circuits. This is something you’re definitely going to need an electrician for.
Unexplained Increase in Electrical Bills
If your usage increases along with the rates, it may be time to have your entire electrical system assessed so upgrades and replacements can be done.
Make a note of these three most common household electrical problems, and let a professional electrician take care of the repairs when they happen in your home. Don’t ever go DIY with your home’s electrical systems if you don’t have the knowledge and experience for the job, as the danger of electrocution, burns and even death lurks around the corner when handling such systems.