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5 common electrical issues

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5 common electrical issues

Every house either with old or new electrical panels –ηλεκτρολόγοι Αθήνας-  and system will eventually show its problems. Many houses are having issues with their electricity and it can create not only discomfort but also dangerous situations for you and your family. This is why we created this article, so that we would talk about the 5 common electrical issues that every house will sometime face.

If you are interested in learning more about these common electrical issues then keep reading!

Frequent Surges

Electrical surges result from a number of things. Summer storms and damaged power lines. Sometimes, even the power company is to blame. A surge happens when there is a massive jump charge inside your power lines. This increases the electrical energy, which after that increases the current to your outlet.

And then boom! Your television is off. Even if it’s just for a split second, frequent surges are able to damage your appliances and electronics. Lighting is the infamous troublemaker in your house, but it’s not the number one reason of a power surge. One lightning bolt contains one billion volts of electricity.

Around 200 cloud-to-ground strikes happen every second around the world. The most common of these is the sheet lighting, or heat lightning. That is when you see flashes of lighting in the clouds. It might look beautiful, but it is also very dangerous. When one of those bolts manages to reach the Earth, it sends out a tremendous amount of voltage. This is what causes the power lines to have an incredible surge.

But if you’re experiencing surges often in your house and they have nothing to do with lightning, you may have some faulty wiring or just an issue with one of your appliances. Check around your home for cheap electronics. Maybe that video player you picked up from the flea market? Cheaper electronics use cheaper components that could be faulty.

Using a surge protector (adapter) works most of the time. But, if you picked one up for $2, it likely won’t do much, believe us. In case of a lightning strike, a surge protector will not be able to handle that so it would be best to unplug your laptop, console, TV, etc. during a storm. If you do that and still experience surges, it’s definitely time to call an electrician.

Not enough outlets

You may think that not having enough outlets is an electrical issue. After all, that must mean that you can not overload anything or have too much on a circuit. When you are moving into a new house and notice the master bedroom and the living room have only one outlet each, what do you do?

Most people would get an outlet extender so that they can plug their TV, cable box, lamps etc. Or, you could go and buy a cheap extension cord. The same thing goes for a dead outlet. You are going to need power to that other side of the room so you just use an extension cord.

There’s a couple problems with this cheap fixing.  The first is that most extension cords are for a temporary use. You are not supposed to use them as your number one wiring option. If you are using an extension cord as your permanent fix, you have to make sure you are using at least a 14-gauge heavy-load extension cord or a UL-listed surge protector.

If you have every receptacle filled up or have a cheaper or even long extension cord, you’re at risk for an electrical fire. Not to mention, you could damage your devices. Extension cord safety is no joke. Don’t daisy-chain two or more together or use them in an attic or crawl space. If you need more outlets, just call an electrician.

Lights that are just not right

If your light bulbs are getting burned out often then you should check it further. There is  number of things that could be the cause of the frequent burn:

  1. The wattage is too high
  2. The insulation is pretty close to the light source
  3. Bad wiring right on the circuit or the mains
  4. Too much wattage on the dimmer switch

When your light flicker and it is not an issue of the light bulb then it would be better to call an electrician to fix it as it could be the cause of a fire.

Electrical shocks

Electrical shocks are a bit of inevitable in your house. The most common cause of them is the old electrical system in your house, as older houses are the result of poor insulation. Small shocks are not a big deal but a bigger one could be fatal so you need to keep an eye on your insulation.

There is also the chance that your wiring is not grounded properly. Houses built even in the last 20 years might have issues with the wiring. If you wish to test a socket you can do it with a couple of different devices. Plug in the devices and if you get shocked every time you you turn them on then it is probably the socket and not the devices.

High electricity bills

The high electricity bills that you might be getting lately are probably because one of your devices is draining a lot of power. Simply change this device or adjust it (if there is a thermostat or another option of adjustment) in order to avoid the expenses. Damaged circuits could be causing the problem with the higher bills too so of you replace them you will save a lot of money.

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