Household Electrical Issues and When to Call a Professional
Sydney is the capital of New South Wales in Australia. In September 2017, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that Sydney households had average weekly electricity of $38.69, the fourth-highest in all of the capital cities. Thus, it can be cumbersome when electrical issues happen. Although electrical devices are ubiquitous, many remain unfamiliar about how they work.
Wires may as well be an intricate web of blood vessels, and looking at a circuit board is no different from looking at a page of braille. For this reason, when there is an unfamiliar electrical issue, instead of kidding yourselves and pretending to appear capable, you may want to call a professional, like an emergency electrician in Sydney.
Electrical Problems
Electrical problems can range from unsecured components that disrupt the flow of electricity, to power surges that can start fires. There are, however, common harmless problems that anyone with the slightest idea of how electricity works can solve. Before attending to any of these problems, safety is always paramount. You must first turn off the devices in question or disconnect the circuit entirely.
The Harmless
Nearly all household families in Sydney rely on appliances for comfort and ease. However, these convenient devices can falter sometimes. Something that perhaps everyone has heard of is a short circuit. A short circuit happens when electricity travels along an unintended path with little or no resistance. A law in electricity, specifically Ohm’s law, dictates that when the resistance drops with little or no chance in voltage, the current increases.
This surge in current can overload an electrical device, heating it up and possibly starting a fire. Fortunately, this is what circuit breakers were made to counteract, and they are prevalent in Sydney households. As the name suggests, a sudden abnormal increase in current triggers a circuit breaker to interrupt the current flow.
We commonly call this even tripping. When a circuit breaker trips, it may be a sign of a short circuit. It happens almost instantly when you plug a faulty device; this tells you that the device needs a repair or replacement. To restart the current flow:
- go to the circuit breaker,
- look for the switch lever that has shifted from ON to OFF, and
- return it to ON
Another common household electrical issue is loose components. Loose components are easy to spot because they should be fixed or in the first place. Putting them back in place may require some soldering or screwing. The same goes for damaged wires. You can cut off the broken segments. The freshly cut new end can be reconnected by soldering it, screwing it in, or securing it with electrical tape.
The Hazardous
Statistics show that 40% of residential fires in New South Wales are due to electrical appliances or faults. These hazards are no joke, so when you encounter them, it is best to call a local electrician in Sydney. If a breaker frequently trips, it may be a sign of other faulty circuits in your home. Remember, this is more treacherous if the problem is due to defective wires behind walls and not appliances themselves. Another reason is that the breaker itself is under-performing. A multimeter can accurately determine if the breaker itself is at fault.
Other hazardous problems include light bulbs that continue to flicker after replacement, this problem may be due to the wires themselves. Another issue is when you reset the circuit breaker, and outlets are still dead. This can mean that damages on the circuits may have already been done. Finally, any instance where components heat up or sparks fly are clear indications that you need to call an electrician.
Electrical problems are a frustrating nuisance, and it may be tempting to be the hero, save money, and try to fix the issues yourself. However, it would help if you did not take working with electricity lightly. It takes a specific skill set that an emergency electrician Sydney has to address the problem safely.
15 Comments
Kate Sarsfield
Mum lucked out as well, Connie: Dad was an electrical & mechanical engineer. Our household appliances lasted for years! No sons, so he taught me instead!
Connie Gruning
Kate, us girls can do ANYTHING!!! Selena learned to work on car engines she also does all the household repairs. Girls ROCK!!
Kate Sarsfield
I think my sister’s only now realising that she won’t have me around to do her DIY anymore.
Christina Gould
I had electric problems in my first home, every time it rained. It took a couple of years, but I finally got my electric company to find the issue outside my home and pay for the problems it caused.
Connie Gruning
Christina, That would be scary!! You guys are so lucky you never had a fire….. did you?
Michele Soyer
The man who wired our home when we built it was fantastic.. as we added on and put in solar and 12-V he did the wiring for that along with my husband…whenever we need something or have any sort of issue I call him and he comes immediately.. Great to have him as our electrician…
Connie Gruning
Michele, You have found a great electrician. Do not ever let him retire or move away!! Getting workers to call back is a feat in itself.
Shannon Holmes
I have an electrician I would call if I needed one, I really don’t know that much about it to eve try.
Connie Gruning
Shannon, I lucked out. I married one. LOL!!
Rosie
Yes, electrical problems are something a good home inspector is looking for. I knew a really good one, but he retired, he would take the better part of a day inspecting a house from top to bottom, and also give the person good tips about fixing some things, he also taught new inspectors. I shudder at the thought of paying for an inspection buying a house for one that isn’t very thorough, my friends told me about some that are in and out in an hour.
Connie Gruning
Rosie, the inspector that did our house here in Idaho was horrrrrrrrrrible. So many, MANY things he missed. MANY. Many! MANY! I wonder if he really even showed up!??
Tamra Phelps
Flipping the breaker switch back is about the only electrical issue I would fix myself, lol. I’m pretty clueless about it.
Connie Gruning
Tamra, The Husband finally labeled all our because I could never remember which was which and sooooooooooo I would just flip all off. AhhhhhhND that means you have a lot of clocks to reset when I do that.
Diane K. Brimmer
When we bought our house, the wiring was the old braided cloth wrapped kind. Old screw in fuses in the box. There was horse hair plaster and lath strips on the walls. Didn’t take us long to over circuit the house. After having a small fire on the side of the house we changed all the wiring, windows and drywall. Major job. Not all at the same time but we did what had to be done first. Great information!
Connie Gruning
Diane, I bet you have an amazing house!! I love old houses.