Hiring an electrician is something most homeowners do from time to time. Whether you bought your home, had it remodeled, or had it built from scratch, electricians played an important role. Electricians are also important for the maintenance and repair of your home’s electrical system. Usually, if you need an electrician, you would place a call and then arrange a time for the electrician to arrive. What happens if you can’t afford to wait, though? That’s where an emergency electrician comes in.

Emergency electricians are available on call to resolve electrical problems without a long wait time. If you need an electrician after hours, you wouldn’t be able to get a regular electrician, but an electrician could be there. You’ll probably pay a bit more, but being able to resolve an urgent issue immediately is worth it. How do you know when to call an and when to just make an appointment with a regular one?

Better Safe Than Sorry

First, let’s be clear that calling an emergency electrician is never a truly bad choice. The worst thing that can happen is an inconvenient time of arrival, while the best thing that could happen would be saving your home and the lives of your family. If you’re truly undecided, it’s better to err on the side of caution. With that said, it’s always handy to have a guideline, so we’ll go over some household electrical problems and whether it’s necessary to call an emergency electrician for help with them.

Circuit Breaker Tripping

The circuit breakers in your home are to protect your home from the dangers of electrical overloads. When they detect an overload on a circuit, the breaker trips and power is shut off to that circuit. There is a circuit breaker box in your home that you can use to turn the breaker back on.

Circuit breakers often trip when people use certain high-wattage devices on them, such as hair dryers. If this is a consistent problem with a device, then try to use it on a different circuit, or get one with a lower wattage. If it happens with any electrical device at any time, though, that could be an indication that you have a serious problem with your circuitry. Keep the breaker turned off and call an emergency electrician.

Power Outages

If the power is out in your home, it’s usually because there is a problem in the area. In those cases, you have nothing to worry about besides waiting for the power to return. However, if the outage is only at your home, or if it’s only in part of your home, you may have a serious problem with your electrical system. First, check with your electric company to make sure there aren’t any local problems causing your outage. Once you’ve confirmed that the problem is isolated to your home, call an emergency electrician.

Outlets or Switches are Buzzing or Warm to the Touch

If you hear a loud buzzing sound coming from a light switch or an outlet, disconnect anything that’s connected to it and call an emergency electrician. This is different from the usual soft hum you hear when you turn devices on and off. The same thing applies if you touch the outlet or switch and it’s warm to the touch, with the exception of dimmer switches. Buzzing and heat in your electrical system could be caused by damaged or improperly grounded wiring, which can lead to a fire.

Electrical Surges

Surges are when there’s a sudden spike in electrical charge in the power lines, and they can happen for any number of reasons. Common causes for surges include lightning, faulty wiring, and electrical overload. You can overload a circuit by connecting too many things to it, or by connecting certain things to a circuit. They can cause power to flicker off briefly, or for a device to power down.

Surges are not a cause for concern if they only happen occasionally. If you are having surges often, though, that can be an indicator of a bigger problem. If you have a lot of devices connected to a circuit, try disconnecting some devices to see if one of them is the cause. If the problem persists, you may need the help of an electrician, though a regular one will do unless the surges are accompanied by some of the other symptoms mentioned earlier.

Flickering Lights

If the lights in your home are flickering, it could be for a lot of reasons. If the lights dim a bit when you turn on an appliance or the air conditioner kicks on, it’s nothing much to worry about. If one light flickers all the time, it could be an issue with the light bulb.

If all the lights in your house flicker frequently, that hints at a bigger problem with your electrical system. Some potential causes include frayed wiring or an overloaded circuit, While you probably fine with a regular electrician, don’t get too comfortable. Have one out as soon as possible.

Once again, if you know you have a problem and have any doubts about which one you should call, call the emergency electrician. Residents of Florence, SC should treat the safety of their homes, their families and their neighbors with the utmost importance, and that means avoiding dangerous electrical faults in your home. Whether your problem is something that bothers you daily or an issue that only happens from time to time, it could be hiding a bigger issue beneath the surface, so be safe. If you do decide you need a thorough and dependable emergency electrician, contact Mister Sparky of Florence, SC.