Generally if your home is over 40 years old, you may want to start planning for a complete electrical re-wiring of your home. Old electrical wiring can cause many problems and even lead to home fires that could destroy all of your possessions. The following are a few signs that you should look for if you suspect your electrical wires are going bad.
A circuit breaker is a safety mechanism that cuts off a circuit if it becomes too overloaded with electrical amperage. Fuses serve the same purpose, but unlike circuit breakers, fuses have to be replaced when they trip after an overload. The repeated tripping of these safety mechanisms indicates two things. The first cause of repeated tripping is that the appliance controlled by the breaker or fuse has too many amps for it to handle. The second, and most dangerous, is that there is a short somewhere in your electrical system causing your breakers or fuses to keep tripping. A short can result in a fire, which will cause a lot of damage to your home.
Buzzing Outlets
If you find your electrical outlets are making a buzzing noise, you may have a bad electrical problem. The buzzing outlet needs to be replaced, but the problem doesn’t always lie with a bad outlet. A loose connection or electrical short can also be blamed for the buzzing outlet. If there is a loose connection, it can arc inside of your wall and cause electrocution or even a fire.
Burning Smell
If you continuously detect a burnt smell in your home, you should have an Electrician in Fishers look at it immediately. The smell could be caused by a short, or in some cases it can signal the beginning of an electrical fire. In most cases the short will affect the wall outlets, but they have been known to arc inside the wall, catching all surrounding materials on fire.
As previously mentioned, call an electrician immediately if you detect this smell or hear buzzing and keep your fire extinguisher close by as a safeguard against a fire. You should never attempt to do your own electrical work due to the great risks associated with electricity. Call a professional Electrician in Fishers for your repair needs.
