When it comes to home electrical issues, there are some things that you may be able to easily repair on your own, but others will need to be handled by a professional electrician to ensure that your home is safe from the hazards of fire or other electrical damage. Here are a couple of simple electrical repairs that many people are often able to take care of on their own without an electrician:
Damaged Extension Cords
Many types of extension cords can be repaired by cutting and replacing the plug at the end. To do this, you will need to cut the old plug off smoothly and pry back the outer insulation of the cord. Strip the inner wires and twist them at the end. Once the ends have been carefully and tightly twisted, they can be screwed back into the plug end that was removed. Once everything has been spliced back together, secure the wires with electrical tape. As a precaution, it is always best to purchase a new extension cord rather than make a repair to an old one, and even when spliced together correctly, anytime a wire has been spliced it can be a hazard to use.
Thrown Breaker
If you have a breaker that has essentially cut the power to an outlet, you can flip the breaker to turn it back on. This often occurs when someone uses a hairdryer and turns it on and off too quickly and it causes a power surge. If the breaker is throwing itself out frequently, however, you may have a serious electrical issue that should be handled by a professionally licensed electrician.
Other electrical issues will usually need to have a licensed professional handle the repair as it can be very dangerous to try to repair electrical problems if you do not know what you are doing. Some of the more serious electrical issues may be the following:
Light Bulbs Burning Out
Light bulbs will eventually burn out completely and need to be replaced, but if you are experiencing light bulbs that burn out after just a few days, you may have a serious electrical issue. Often when insulation in wiring has become dislodged or when wires have become frayed in the walls, they can cause the wiring to get far hotter than it should. This heat alerts the light bulbs and causes them to shut down entirely to avoid fire damage. While to the naked eye it will simply appear that the bulb may have been defective or even a low-cost bulb, this is often a sign that an electrician needs to inspect the home wiring to see where the issue may be hidden from the eye.
Flickering Lights
If your overhead lights or table lamps are beginning to flicker every once in a while, no, you most likely do not have a ghost haunting your house. You most likely have a loose connection somewhere in the wiring behind your walls, in your attic, or underneath the flooring that is on the verge of causing a fire.
Outlets That Will Not Work
If you have outlets in your home that have one section working and the other not working, or whole outlets that will not work when anything is plugged in, chances are that you have a wiring issue. This could mean that you have loose wiring, a bad connection, or even arcing in the wires. At any rate, it is necessary to have it checked out by a licensed electrician.
Around 400 people die each year due to electrical accidents. These range from things that may seem like a simple home wiring fix to major issues that the person knew they needed a pro to fix or replace. Do not try to be a do it yourself a pro and repair any and every issue that may arise in your home. When you have an electrical problem, leave it to the professional electricians to get it repaired for you. Your safety and the safety of those in your home is much more important than the few dollars you think you can save by trying to fix everything on your own.
When you need electrical help, be sure to rely on our Electricians for the best electrical referrals in the area.
This Blog was post by Good Electric – Electrician San Antonio
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