Aging houses and commercial buildings’ electrical systems can be ticking time bombs, even though the property owners often don’t realize it. Materials and components fall apart or lose their integrity as they age. Faulty wiring is no different — except that this particular problem can ignite left unchecked.
Below is more on the topic from Quality Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric’s trusted electrician in Wagoner, OK. This local provider lists the common problems caused by poor wiring and why you don’t want to wait to address them.
What Causes Faulty Wiring in Wagoner Households?
Detached or frayed wires don’t just cause mild annoyances like lights flickering on and off – they are real electrical hazards. Left untreated, bad wires can stoke hidden housefires that threaten your family’s safety and home. Below, we cover some of the signs of faulty wiring so that you’re better able to protect your household and call for help.
Your Electrical Network Has Circuit Issues
Two main circuit issues can manifest in Wagoner households and businesses: short circuits and overloaded circuits.
Short-Circuiting
A short happens when a live or hot wire (one with an active electrical flow) contacts a neutral or conductor wire. When it does, the electrical resistance plummets, allowing a surge of power through the circuit. Short circuits cause sparks to fly, which is bad news for anything flammable nearby.
Circuit Overloading
The second issue is accidentally causing a circuit overload, usually by plugging in too many devices in the same room or power strip. An overload happens when the electrical demand exceeds what the network can safely supply. If this happens, the connected breaker stops the circuit, shutting off all lights and devices connected through it.
Your Outlets Have Grounding Problems
Modern electrical systems will be well-grounded in Wagoner, Oklahoma, which means they touch the ground at some point to keep the electricity from re-circuiting and overloading. Still, sometimes, grounding problems develop internally, such as:
- Insecure plugins: When you plug in an electrical device, do you push it firmly enough into the outlet? If not, the appliance isn’t fully grounded and may harm the wiring.
- Water exposure: Moisture and leaks wreak havoc with wiring, corroding metal, and causing separations that affect the circuitry.
- Broken grounding wires: Grounding wires direct electricity safely into the ground if there’s an overload. If a grounding wire severs, it can’t ground excess voltage.
Your Lights Regularly Flicker Lights
Have dimming or flickering lights ever spooked you? There’s a perfectly logical reason behind it that might include:
- Circuit overload: Overloaded circuits impact other areas of your electrical network, like light fixtures. When an outlet demands more electricity than the network can readily supply, it takes it from elsewhere.
- Poor or loose wiring: Is the wire connecting the light bulb to the network hanging on by a thread? That means the bulb can’t access sufficient power to stay bright.
- Fixture issues: Incorrectly installed fixtures can stress and degrade the connected wires. For example, if the old contractor stretched or twisted the wires in odd ways to connect them, they may not last long.
Your Electrical Panel Houses More Circuits Than It Can Manage
Have you upgraded or retrofitted your original electrical panel within the past few years? Consider replacing the panel soon. Old electrical panels with faulty wiring can only manage limited electrical activity and aren’t designed to handle modern life.
Does your current panel work fine but struggle to distribute electricity properly? It might benefit from a simple sub-panel to lighten its load. Be sure to check this with your electrician.
Your Old Home Features Aluminum Wiring
Many homes and businesses constructed before the 1970s featured aluminum wiring instead of traditional, reliable copper. At the time, construction companies, electricians, and property owners considered aluminum a cost-effective alternative for conductivity. Unfortunately, now we know that aluminum corrodes more easily.
Aluminum is a copper substitute, but a brittle one that doesn’t last very long. If your home was built during the 1960s or 70s, ask our electrician in Wagoner, Oklahoma, to evaluate whether copper replacements could help restore things.
Quality Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric Can Fix Your Faulty Wiring Problems in Wagoner, Oklahoma
How can you fix wiring issues? Unless you are a qualified electrician, you shouldn’t ever fix wiring issues yourself. Schedule electrical inspections for fire risks and other concerns in your household or workplace, and trust the experts.
Faulty wiring is no joke! Fortunately, Quality Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric isn’t laughing. We’re standing by to protect your home in Wagoner, Oklahoma, so call us to schedule electrical repairs, heating maintenance, or leak fixes today!
