5 Signs Your Home Needs an Electrician

When purchasing a new home, especially a fixer-upper, you want to make sure your home’s electrical systems are up to code. But how do you know if your home’s electrical systems need immediate attention? Here’s a checklist of five things to look for to decide if you need to call an electrician.

1. Dimming or flickering lights

As you turn on your light switches and notice flickering light bulbs or dimming lights, this could be a sign of an overloaded circuit, bad circuit breaker or faulty wiring. Flickering or dimming doesn’t always indicate a problem. As new lights and devices turn on, they pull more amps from the circuit. But if it happens steadily or often, then it’s time to call an electrician.

2. Buzzing

If you hear buzzing when the lights are on, this is a problem. The sound you hear could be from faulty wiring in the circuit, most likely near the outlet or switch. This can be dangerous in the future, so take care of it as soon as you can.

3. Damaged wires

Look around for exposed wires. Wire coverings can be damaged in a variety of ways from age to bending to corrosion or even heat. Exposed electrical wiring has a high risk of danger for potential fires. A professional electrician should quickly replace all damaged wiring.

4. Outlets

Look at the outlets around the home before you start moving your furniture home. If your home was built after 1970, the home should have three-pronged outlets, and if built after 1990, the three-pronged outlets should have ground fault interrupter outlets. These ground fault interrupters prevent individuals from being shocked if an electrical issue arises. These are electrical standards, and if you’re home features only two-pronged outlets, you’re going to need an electrician to update the house’s wiring to code. These issues should have also come up on your inspection report.

5. Shocked

If you feel a slight buzz, shock or tingle when turning on switches or touching an appliance, the ground fault might not be operating correctly or you may have improper wiring. Once you rule out common static shocks that are common in winter, call an electrician to ground or replace the wiring.

These aren’t the only things to look for, and even if these five signs aren’t present in the house, it doesn’t mean there isn’t an issue with your home’s electrical systems. Minteer Real Estate Team has trusted electricians who can help  you with any of your electrical needs.

(Source: Inman News)