What Are The 10 Most Common Electrical Problems In The Typical Home?

If you want to protect your home and family, then the electrical safety of your home is paramount. We tend to take our power supply for granted, but it pays to be mindful of your electrical use.

Should you notice any problems with your energy supply or any concerning electrical issues around your home, such as flickering lights, sparking sockets, loud buzzing sounds, or a burning smell, don’t delay in bringing in a fully qualified electrician from a trusted company, such as JVB Solutions, to check your electrical system for faults or damage.

Here we have listed the ten most common electrical problems that are commonly found in our home and what you should do if you find you have this problem.

1: Faulty light switches

If any of your light switches are not working, or you notice the light switch housing has come loose from the wall, it could be a sign of poor electrical workmanship or some underlying damage to the switch.

You may have a fault in the circuit, the wiring or the outlet itself. You should call out our team at JVB Solutions to inspect and test the system to discover and fix the fault.

2: Fluctuating power supply

If you experience regular dips in your supply, this could be a sign that you have a faulty device connected to your system. This could be a poorly made or faulty device that drains a lot of electricity when they are turned on.

You should test any devices you have plugged in when you experience a dip in power. Switch off and unplug any device you suspect is causing the problem and notice if this resolves the problem. If it doesn’t stop the problem, then it could be a hidden fault that will need uncovering by an electrician.

3: Electrical surges

It is not uncommon to experience an electrical surge from external sources such as damage to local power lines, or lightning strikes. However, if you are getting regular surges it could be an issue with a faulty appliance or damage to wiring in your home.

Frequent power surges should not be ignored as they can damage your electrical components and cause them to break down or shorten their lifespan. If removing electrical devices doesn’t cure it, then it is wise to call in an expert such as JVB Solutions to test your system.

4: Circuit breaker tripping

If your circuit breakers frequently trip out, check to see what appliances you have running at the time. The most common causes are from high wattage items such as hairdryers and microwaves, especially when used on a system that is powering other electrical appliances.

While it can be reassuring to know your circuit breakers are working and protecting you as they should, it can help to use additional appliances on lower settings or use them on a single circuit that isn’t being used by other appliances.

5: Overloaded circuits

A major cause of circuit breakers tripping is when the power board becomes overloaded. It is common for older houses to not have enough electrical sockets to cope with modern gadget use, and even modern homes can be short of available sockets to power electrical equipment.

If your circuit breakers are tripping often, then it could be due to a circuit overload. You can prevent this by calling in JBV Solutions to install more power outlets to meet your needs.

6: Electric shock

Surprisingly, electric shocks are very common in homes where the wiring is damaged or not up to modern standards. If you get a shock from turning a device on or off, it could be the appliance or it could be the wiring.

Try testing the appliance in a different socket, but be careful because you could be risking giving yourself another shock. In most cases such as these, it is wise to bring in an electrician to test your sockets and devices.

7: Inconsistent light levels

You may notice that the lighting around your home is inconsistent. It may be too bright in one room and really dim in another room, despite having the same light fitting and using the same light bulbs.

There may be a problem with the main neutral connection that will need to be checked by an electrician before it can be resolved.

8: Sudden increased energy use

We all know that electricity prices can fluctuate, so a small increase in your electric bill can be expected. However, should you notice that your home is suddenly consuming more electricity than usual, it is worth investigating the cause.

You can try unplugging devices to see if anything is causing an extra drain on your energy. It could be that you have some damaged wiring or broken circuits that are not carrying the current correctly. If all else fails then it is time to call in the experts at JVB Solutions to uncover the problem.

9: Recessed lights turning off and on

If you have downlights or other recessed lights that are turning off and on for no reason, it could be because they are getting too hot. These lights have an in-built safety device that cuts the power to the light once it becomes too hot.

Reasons for this could be that the light bulbs are sitting too close to the insulation in the ceiling causing them to overheat, or you are using bulbs with too high a wattage. Overheated lights can pose a serious fire risk, so it will pay to have them checked by a qualified electrician and changes made to eliminate the problem.

10: Light bulbs burning out frequently

This problem can be down to the bulb wattage being too high, or the bulb is too close to insulation material. There could be an issue with the wiring on the lighting circuit or the mains supply.

If you notice that the bulbs flicker a lot, it could be a poor electrical connection on the lighting circuit. This is a tricky issue to fix and should be left in the hands of a professional electrician to handle.

Conclusion

If there are a lot of persistent electrical problems going on in your home, to be on the safe side you should call in an expert to discover the cause and fix the problem.

Don’t leave anything to chance – get in touch with our friendly team at JVB Solutions to help locate and correct any electrical problems within your home. It is worth it for your own peace of mind.