Can You Avoid Expensive Repairs?
If you have ever had to pay for an unexpected electrical repair, you know that most electrical issues are rarely cheap or simple to fix. Electrical problems can seem unpredictable to the untrained eye, but if you know what to look for and how to properly maintain a system most of these issues can be avoided or, at the very least, delayed.
How can you avoid these costly electrical repairs? This is a problem we coach our customers through every day. The desire to maintain your electrical system properly is there but the know-how is not. Because of the specialized nature of your electrical system, the average homeowner has little to no knowledge of the inner workings of their electric panel, wires, or any other part of the system. To help you avoid some common and costly mistakes that can damage your electrical system, we put together a comprehensive guide to all things electrical maintenance and best practices.
How Do You Know If Your System Needs Electrical Repairs?
One of the most effective things you can do to help keep your home’s electrical system running as efficiently and dependably as possible is to watch out for early warning signs that there might be an issue. Luckily for us, most electrical problems that you might face are fairly easy to recognize before the damage is too extensive. Keeping an eye out for these warning signs can help you catch a problem early on or even avoid it altogether.
Some problems are, unfortunately, unavoidable but they can be fixed quickly and inexpensively if caught early on before damage has been done to the connected systems and wiring.
Common Signs:
Flickering or Muted Lights
Though there could be any number of reasons why your lighting is not working as well as it should. If you have recently replaced or checked all bulbs to ensure that they are not blown, it could be a wiring or power supply issue. Before you try to make any repairs or replace any light fixtures, call an electrician in to check your wiring, connections, and power sources for any issues.
Your Breaker Trips Often
While it is common enough for breakers to get tripped occasionally when too many things are plugged in, you should not be constantly losing power and having to flip a breaker. If this is happening more than a couple of times per year, call an electrician to check the wiring and connections for damaged lines.
Dead Or Sparking Outlets
Dead or sparking outlets could be a simple connection problem or a sign of bad wiring. Either way, catching the issue early on and having a service professional come out and check things out can help you avoid expensive electrical repairs. This is especially important if your electrical outlet is sparking or shocking you when it is used. Sparking outlets increases the risks of fire and should be inspected immediately.
Early Bulb Burnouts
Another common sign that your electrical system is in need of repair is frequent and early bulb burnouts. If you find yourself replacing lightbulbs after just a few weeks this is likely a sign of a deeper problem.
Small things like changing the brand or wattage bulb you are buying is a good indication of whether or not the bulb is the issue or if the power source is malfunctioning. If bulbs continue to have a short lifespan, calling an electrician out to inspect the problem can help you save a ton of money on your electric bill and bulb replacement.
Regular Maintenance
Your electrical system delivers all of the power in your home to you while also keeping you safe and comfortable. As you can imagine, that is often a huge workload, which means this system should be inspected and tuned up regularly. Experts recommend that you have your electrical system professionally inspected every 12-18 months, depending on your system and how much use your system is seeing. Large families or individuals who work or spend a lot of time in their homes should have their system checked at least once every year, for example.
If that seems like too much, remember that your electric system is what keeps everything else in your home running. Every appliance, your heat and air conditioning, your security systems, everything! A Power outage is more than just a slight inconvenience and your electrical system should be treated seriously.
Furthermore, electrical fires are all too common in New Jersey. In many cases, these tragic fires could have been avoided altogether if the system had been inspected regularly and the issue was addressed rather than being left to fester. It is crucial that your system is checked regularly by a licensed professional and is running as intended. Losing any of the services that your electric system provides would be devastating to your day-to-day routine.
Before you call and schedule your inspection with Guaranteed Service, check out our industry-leading deals and coupons! We never want to see our customers overpay for their service so we not only make these coupons available to everyone, but we encourage customers to apply our discount codes to their bills.
Always Call A Professional
Regardless of how minor or simple you think a repair might be, you should never attempt to make electrical repairs yourself. While many other home projects might be straightforward enough to be fixed by a handy homeowner, electrical repairs are not only more complex and technical, but they also carry with them a higher risk level.
Improperly installed or repaired electrical elements are high fire hazards. Something as simple as replacing a dead outlet is still a dangerous task that should not be performed by any person not trained in electrical repair. The nature of electrical systems puts you and your home in danger of electrocution and fire damage, so it is vital that you call a professional for all inspections and repairs that your system needs.
Avoid Overworking Your Unit
One of the most common mistakes that many homeowners make is putting too much strain on their electrical system. Plugging in too many appliances and devices puts additional strain on a home’s electrical system. Houses’ electrical systems are made to deliver a certain amount of electricity, depending on the size and breadth of your electrical system. Going above this recommended power usage is not good for your system or your wallet.
One of the most common ways that homeowners over-work their electrical systems is by plugging in extension cords to every outlet. Extension cords should be used in rare cases and only when the other surrounding outlets are not full. This is going to help you avoid power loss due to an over-extended breaker and many of the increased safety risks associated with extension cords. You should also avoid “daisy-chaining” extension cords, regardless of the need for outlets in one place. Plugging one extension cord into another puts additional strain on the main electrical elements of the extension cord. This can cause many other issues if it happens too often such as blown fuses, tripped breakers, and even electrical fires.
Who Should You Call With Your Electrical Needs?
The most important thing that you should learn from this list is that you should never attempt to make electrical repairs yourself. Live wires and connections hold a huge risk of electrocution, electrical fires, and frying the existing wire system. Not only could these cost you a ton of money in the long run, but they could aslo put you and your family in danger.
Instead, you should always call a trusted professional to handle all electriccal maintenance and repairs. Electricians are trained on how to properly handle electrical systems and how to identify potential problems that homeowners would likely not recognize.
Doing your part in keeping your electrical system running as smoothly as possible is important, but make sure that you always call on a professional, like the fast and friendly experts at Guaranteed Service in New Jersey.
Guaranteed Service
If you are ready to take back control of your electric system, it’s time to give Guaranteed Service a call. Guaranteed Service is New Jersey’s premier HVAC, heating, air conditioning, and electric service company. We have a reputation for excellence that is unmatched, and our skilled technicians are available to you 24/7, 365 days a year to ensure that you are getting the service you deserve.
To schedule your free consultation or your annual maintenance, give Guaranteed Service a call at (732) 242-7480 or visit us online today!