Common Electrical Problems That Occur at Home Over Summer

Each season has its appliances. In winter its heaters, slow cookers and electric blankets. Over summer it’s the air conditioning, fans, freezers and the pool filter.

Any of those go on the fritz and we’re in for a bit of discomfort until we can have them repaired again.

We see a lot of homes and we recognise some recurring patterns or behaviours. If you consider the way you put away your winter clothes and make way for your summer clothes, then the same should occur with season relevant appliances. Instead, what often happens is that outlets keep getting loaded and eventually they trip.

Tripping

Keep in mind that today’s demands from computers and technology were not relevant when most houses were built so your wiring and switchboards may not be made to tolerate the demand. It’s a good idea to take out an appliance when you plug one in. Run different things at different times and if you’re not using it unplug it.

This problem could be exacerbated by Christmas decorations and new appliances that people get for Christmas. Watch the kids, they might just plug everything in at once and not stop and consider that your electrical system is overloading.

Tripped breakers can occur for other reasons of course. You won’t know and you shouldn’t meddle, that’s the first thing to remember when you have home electrical problems. Call your residential electrician and he’ll let you know if there is a problem with your wiring or if you just need to change your behaviour.

Lights that flicker

If your lobes are bright and others are dull or they’re blowing more regularly than reasonable then you could have a deteriorating or problematic electrical system. Lights might flicker if you share a circuit with an appliance. In old systems the flickering starts when the appliance is turned on. If this is happening, it’s not a good sign. You should contact David Jones Electrical Services immediately if light bulbs are blowing, flickering or have a variable light output.

Ceiling Fans

This is more of a cooling than a maintenance or safety tip but it’s still an appliance so it’s worth discussing.

Ceiling fans cool the temperature by as much as eight degrees and it’s not the case that ceiling fans are redundant in winter. Hot air rises to the ceiling, so reversing the rotation of your ceiling fan in winter creates an upward flow of air that distributes your heater’s warmth and eliminates drafts.

And mosquitos hate landing under ceiling fans. If you want to stop mosquitos landing on you ceiling fans can definitely help.

Extension cords

You might think that extension cords are a permanent way to connect appliances but they’re not. They are just a temporary measure for appliances that are located too far from an outlet. You should expect them regularly and make sure they’re not getting too hot. A big no no is piggybacking extension cords.   

David Jones – The Electrician are experts at maintenance and repairs for all electrical systems and appliances. If you have a feeling that your wiring or appliances are sending the wrong signals, we have a 24 hour service to make sure you don’t have a sleepless night. For a system and appliance check up, call or email.

With David Jones – The Electrician you’re in safe hands.