Electrical problems in your home can be a scary thing. They don't just damage your appliances but can also pose a risk to life and your property. High electricity costs, light flickering, etc., can indicate an electrical problem. Let's look at the 6 most common electrical problems if your home and solutions for these problems.

The most common Electrical Problems are as follows

Electrical Surges

Electrical surges can occur due to poor wiring in your home, faulty appliances, or damaged power lines. Electrical surges are common and only last for a fraction of a second. Still, if you're experiencing frequent electrical surges, this can lead to damage that could reduce the life expectancy of your appliances.
To solve this problem yourself, go around and unplug all appliances plugged into sockets one by one and see if the surges stop, then you know the cause.

Sags & Dips in power

Much like electrical surges, sags and dips in electrical supply can often be put down to devices connected to your circuits that are faulty or cheaply made which draw a lot of power when turned on.
Again, to solve this problem yourself, go around and unplug all appliances that are plugged in until you find the culprit appliance.

Bulbs Frequently Burning Out

Are you tired of changing your lightbulbs now and then? It seems like the bulbs you've been buying are not the same as they used to be. But don't blame the lightbulb straight away, it could be down to another electrical problem in your home.

There are a lot of reasons why lightbulbs burn out frequently, it could be due to high voltage, bulbs fixed too tightly, and improper air circulation around the bulb.
What you can do to solve this is to check if the holder on the fitting is either loose or it's depleted. If everything is fine and one bulb after another keeps burning out, we suggest you contact us at Stillorgan Electrical Services to have an electrical expert see it.

High Electrical Bills

There are multiple things that can cause spikes in your electrical bill, the following three are the most common

• Damaged wiring and circuits
• Leakage in electrical systems
• Outdated electrical devices that are consuming more power

You can reduce the cost of your electricity bills by switching to more cost-effective devices and unplugging appliances when they are not being used. If your electrical bills are still high after doing these things, we recommend a callout from our electrical expert to assess your home's system and see if there are electrical leaks.

Overloading

Your light fixtures you may be using for your high-watt lightbulbs or other fittings could be designed for low voltage only. Using high-watt lightbulbs in these fittings can increase the risk of melting the light fitting/socket and wire insulation due to the high heat. Overloading is one of the main causes of domestic electrical fires.
You should check all light fittings in your home and ensure the lightbulbs used inside them are the same wattage as recommended by the fitting.

Tripping Circuit Breakers

Your home's circuit breaker is the first line of defence against damage that may be caused by overloading or short-circuiting. The circuit breaker (RCD, RCBO etc) is designed to cut off the flow of electricity when a fault is detected, they're designed to tell you if there is an electrical fault happening somewhere on your system. Circuit breakers can trip occasionally, and that's just them doing their job but if your circuit breakers are constantly tripping it could mean there are bigger problems afoot.

If your circuit breaker trips and there's no storm outside, look at your electrical usage. It could be a busy Sunday, everyone's home, you're cooking, the TV is on, there's laundry on and phones charging. Multiple large appliances used at once can push your current flow past a safe capacity, causing a circuit breaker to trip.

If this is not the case, it might be time to get an electrical expert to assess. That's what we at Stillorgan Electrical Services are here for!

Getting a registered expert out to assess any electrical issues you're having is always best. Still, we hope our list of the top 6 most common electrical problems and solutions has helped you.
Stillorgan Electrical Services are always only 1 call away!

083 0158233