Residential

Surges can be caused by a number of things including damaged power lines, bad electrical wiring in the house, lightning strikes and even faulty appliances. Electrical surges typically only last a microsecond but this doesn't mean they can't be harmful. Frequent electrical surges can damage the electrical components that are connected to your home, this degrades the life expectancy significantly.

Not unlike surges, dips and sags in your electrical supply can often be traced back to devices connected to the power grid that are faulty or made poorly. These kind of devices can draw a lot of power when turned on and cause these noticeable dips.

Do you have dimmers installed in your home? Have you noticed that it isn't working properly? If your dimmers don't adjust light properly it is probably caused by shoddy workmanship or faulty products. If your new home has light switches that seemingly don't turn anything on it could be a sign that there are problems. They could have been superseded and had their fixtures removed or be plagued by faulting wiring in the outlet, wiring or circuit.

Some high wattage items like hairdryers and microwaves can trip circuit breakers especially when other things are using the same source. Circuit breakers are designed to protect your home and you, when it trips it's actually doing it's job.

If you find that your circuit breaker is tripping frequently it could be that it is being overloaded. A lot of apartments and homes don't have enough power points to cater to everything we plug in. You can prevent this from happening by not daisy-chaining power boards, removing devices that aren't in use and being mindful of how you connect devices in your home.

Do you notice that some lights in your home are very bright while others are more dim? This could be caused by different types of lights with different wattage or a bad main neutral connection. Check to make sure all your globes are identical, if that doesn't fix it the a professional will need to take a look at it.

No one likes to experience an electrical shock. Though they are usually mild they remind us that electricity can be dangerous. Electrical shocks usually happen when you turn a device on or off. This can be caused by the appliance itself or the wiring. To test this simply plug something else into the outlet and see if it happens again. Though you can test it using that method it is advised that you consult an electrician to reduce the risk of shock.

There are many ways to reduce the cost of your electric bill if it is becoming excessive. These include switching to a more cost effective provider, patching leaks in the hot water system (if you have them), identifying devices causing power surges, unplugging things when not in use and repairing damaged wiring and circuits.

There are many reasons that your light bulbs can burn out too often. These include bad wiring, wattage is too high, insulation is too close to the light, if it's on a dimmer switch there could be too much wattage for it and a poor connection to the circuit. Isolating the issue can be tricky for someone who isn't a professional, it is always advised that you call an electrician to help identify the problem.

Recessed lights are equipped with a safety feature that cuts power to the light when it gets too hot. It could be that the wattage of bulb is too high or the insulation is too close. Check for excessive heat in the lights because an overheating light can pose a risk of fire. Be sure to test regularly to avoid a disaster.

If there is still a ground fault on the circuit, like a failed appliance that is still connected, or a wiring failure, this might be the culprit. It could also be that the GFCI device has failed and you would need a replacement.

Contacting an electrician should be the first thing you do when electrical problems persist in your home. Safety is the most important thing so it's best not to leave anything to chance. Contact an electrical professional to help diagnose and fix electrical problems persisting in your home.