Home electrical fires account for 13% of all home structure fires in the United States, and in many cases, homeowners shrug off the warning signs before it is too late. They assume it's an old light bulb, a minor electrical hiccup, or something random that occurs in an old house.
But these warning signs are rarely random. Many electrical fires start small- with flickering lights, frequently tripping breakers, and burning smells- all warning signs that are often dismissed.
At E-Z-A Electric Inc., we've been reading those warning signs for Indianapolis homeowners for over 32 years. Here is what your home is trying to tell you, and when it's time to pick up the phone.
A light that flickers occasionally is not usually a cause for concern. It can be because of a loose socket or simply because it is old. However, a light that flickers consistently, especially when an appliance kicks on, or in multiple rooms at once, is something else entirely.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has identified flickering and dimming lights as one of the telltale signs of electrical problems at home. This can happen due to voltage fluctuations from an overloaded electrical system, loose wiring in the circuit, or a failing connection at the panel itself.
Pay attention if your lights start flickering or dimming regularly. If it happens every time the washing machine starts, or the air conditioner kicks in, your circuits are being asked to carry more than they were designed for, and that is a wiring or electrical panel issue.
You need to call an electrician if:
A breaker that trips once is doing exactly what it needs to do: that is, protecting your home by cutting power when a circuit is overloaded.
But if a breaker trips repeatedly, it is a warning sign of an underlying problem.
A breaker usually trips repeatedly for one of three reasons. The first is circuit overload, where too many appliances are drawing power from the same circuit simultaneously.
Another reason could be a short circuit, where a hot wire makes contact with a neutral wire, creating a dangerous surge. The third reason could be a ground fault, where a hot wire contacts a grounded surface, particularly a wet area.
It is not advisable to reset a tripping breaker without understanding why it tripped. And you should absolutely never replace a breaker with a larger one to stop the tripping. Doing so removes an important safety feature and allows wiring to keep overheating.
You need to call an electrician if:
This is not a subtle sign, and you need to act immediately if you experience a burning smell from an outlet, switch, or panel. This almost always means that something is overheating.
It could be insulation breaking down because of excessive heat, or even an early stage of an electrical fire that has not completely broken through the surface yet.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has listed a burning or rubbery smell coming from an electrical source as one of the major signs of a serious electrical hazard.
Wiring fires are extremely dangerous as they often begin inside the walls and spread through the entire structure before any smoke alarm activates.
You need to call an electrician immediately if you smell burning near any outlet, switch, or panel.
Do not wait to see if it goes away. It will not go away on its own.
Electrical problems do not resolve on their own. A loose connection will get looser, an overloaded circuit will continue to get hotter, and a failing breaker will get closer to not tripping at all.
The majority of electrical fires are preventable, as the warning signs are present long before the fire actually starts.
An electrical inspection is far less disruptive and far less expensive than the alternative. For most Indianapolis homeowners, catching a wiring issue or panel problem early means a straightforward repair. Catching it late sometimes means something much worse.
Flickering lights, tripping breakers, and burning smells are not personality quirks of an old house. They are your electrical system asking for help.
At E-Z-A Electric Inc., we provide professional electrical wiring repair and electrical panel repair services for homeowners throughout Indianapolis. With over 32 years of combined experience and honest upfront pricing, we'll find the problem, explain it clearly, and fix it before a warning sign becomes an emergency.