Are Your Electrical Outlets Getting Hot? | Electricians in Myrtle Beach, SC

8/12/2018

We cannot imagine life without electricity, as it runs our daily lives. While electricity is a blessing, it requires great attention to detail while in use. Neglecting the safety procedures can prove to be dangerous for us and our homes. When using electricity, there are some things that you need to keep in mind. Some of them are burning smells, sparks, flickering lights and outlets getting hot.

There are several other such indicators that you as a homeowner need to be aware of so that a big problem can be prevented beforehand. Overheating of the electrical outlets is one of such problems. While some people choose to neglect it saying it is not that big of a risk, they should know that many house fires begin due to the short circuits caused by overheating of the appliances and outlets.

When you turn of an appliance and notice that the outlet felt warmer than usual, there could be various reasons for this occurring. Some of which, you might be able to look into yourself, while for others; you would need help from professional Electricians in Myrtle Beach, SC.

Now how you do you figure out the exact reason behind the outlets getting warm, regardless of whether you need help from Electricians in Myrtle Beach, SC or not. Well, the only way to find out is to call Electricians in Myrtle Beach, SC as soon as you notice the problem of hot outlets. You cannot neglect this because it can turn into a major disaster in the future.

Even then, if you want to be sure, of what the reason could be behind the outlets getting warm, we have listed a few common ones as suggested by Electricians in Myrtle Beach, SC.

Loosened Connections

While we all know that loose electrical connections are risky, we still are unaware of the hazards they may cause. What’s more dangerous is that most of the connections are hidden behind the walls, which means we cannot see when the problem arises.

When the connection loosens out over time, the gaps between the connections cause the current to jump and cause sparks. These continuous sparks cause the wires to get warmer too. This heat can melt the wire insulations as well as the electrical outlets. Most of the deformed electrical outlets are also because of this reason.

Molten wires are dangerous as they can cause sparks, short circuits and electrocution. They can also be the root cause of a big house fire. Therefore, it is important that you seek help from a professional Electricians in Myrtle Beach, SC as soon as you notice the problem.

In case you were wondering, what causes these problems? The biggest reason is homeowners trying to do the electrical connections themselves rather than hiring Electricians in Myrtle Beach, SC. This results in the untrained person to leave some of the connections loose due to the lack of training and expertise.

Whereas the experts have the relevant knowledge and equipment to ensure that, all connections are appropriately tight and safe. Therefore, even if it sounds costly to hire Electricians in Myrtle Beach, SC than to do things yourself, this is something you cannot compromise on.

Aluminum Wiring

Overheating is mostly caused by the use of aluminum in appliances. The same holds true for wires as well. Aluminum wires heat up more quickly than copper wires do. This is because aluminum has more resistance and more resistance results in the metal to heat up as the electricity passes through it. Despite this aluminum is used in most households in the wiring because it is cheaper and also lighter in weight.

This is why when you report the heating problem to Electricians in Myrtle Beach, SC they will mostly recommend you to replace the aluminum wiring with copper wires, as it is a safer alternative. Aluminum wires come with an interesting problem. They need a special paste in order to be connected with a copper connection. This makes aluminum wiring an experts job, which only professional Electricians in Myrtle Beach, SC can do.

Short-Circuiting

When an outlet is poorly installed, the wires are likely to be loose, and loose wires as stated above cause sparks. These sparks melt wires and when two exposed wires touch, a short circuit happens. If the short circuit was a minor one, you probably will not notice it, just the circuit breaker would disconnect. On the other hand, if it was a major one, it will be quite noticeable and might as well leave a black scorch mark on the outlet.

If you see a short circuit, turn off the main switch of the house, and immediately seek help from professional Electricians in Myrtle Beach, SC.

Overload

Overloading is the most common reason why the outlets in our house get warm while you are using it. Overloading is also the reason why your outlets mostly get deformed.

All wires, outlets and fixtures have a current and power rating, which is essentially the amount of current it can handle. If we put more burden on the outlet than it is originally designed to handle, the outlets would get warm. This is your responsibility to keep your Electricians in Myrtle Beach, SC informed about your needs during installation so that they can install the outlets of the rating as per your requirements.

If you have never used a heavy appliance on an outlet before and now you plan to install one, it is important to get an inspection done by Electricians in Myrtle Beach, SC.

It is important that we never neglect symptom as the one discussed above. You should call Mister Sparky Electricians in Myrtle Beach, SC for immediate help if you ever notice this problem occurring to your outlets.