Calling an Emergency Electrician Is Nothing to Wait Around For | Conway, SC

3/9/2020

Photo By Prostock-studio at Shutterstock

Electricity is one of those modern amenities that every house has. That wasn’t always the case, but for as long as houses have had electricity there have been issues with it that warrant a call for an emergency electrician. From major disasters to failures and just worries about the way things are happening in your home you should have a number for one in your phone for when things start happening or get out of hand in your home.

What may constitute an electrical emergency?

There are many things that may cause electrical emergencies and almost all of them are from man made situations. For example if you see sparks flying in your house from outlets, switches, appliances, walls, or other locations you should call an emergency electrician as fast as possible. They will come out and work on finding and fixing the problem so you don’t cause more damage to your house or valuables.

Another major issue that may require help is failed outlets, or outlets that seem to short out items plugged into them. Your outlets are more susceptible to this if they are older, especially if your house has an electrical system that wouldn’t pass a modern code in your area. The wires could also be exposed from pests in your house chewing on the wiring, a problem that isn’t unique to the area of Conway, SC but is a possibility. Improper work or inspection on your failed outlets can also contribute to this issue.

Has your lighting ever flickered? Even when the weather is sunny and not windy? It’s probably something in your house. An emergency electrician would be able to find the source of the problem and fix the issue. Whether it’s low voltage through the lines because of your power source, or your circuit breaker having issues. This may be in conjunction to greater circuit breaker issues but without the experience and knowledge of an emergency electrician you may not know.

Are there other reasons to call an emergency electrician?

There are always things that may not seem like emergencies that should be taken care of quickly to ensure they don’t get out of hand. For example if your outlets aren’t properly grounded you risk greater electrical problems and damage to your home and valuables if not taken care of.

In areas where required, if you don’t have the proper outlets you should get it corrected quickly. A residual current device, in a ground fault circuit interrupter outlet, is an important item to have in areas that are more likely to be in contact with moisture so that you decrease the risk of harm to yourself and your valuables. Areas of the house that should have these include your bathrooms, kitchens, basements with power, or outdoor outlets. These work by interrupting the electrical current by monitoring the power of current going between the connectors that complete the current. They can also be used in other portions of your house as they can reduce the chance of pets or children from getting electrocuted. Consult with an emergency electrician to ensure these are installed in appropriate areas.

If your house has extension cords running throughout it or you have power strips or splitters around just to ensure all of your devices have power it may be an appropriate time for an emergency electrician for safety. Not only do these extra cords decrease the power running through them as they get further away from your outlets or breakers, they can end up causing tripping hazards.

Speaking of decreasing power your emergency electrician can also come in to test the voltage running to your outlets. Your standard electrical voltage should be 120 volts, with a range between 114 and 126 depending on factors outside your home. However low voltage is a problem in many neighborhoods and could affect your appliances. Most of your appliances will work without any issues down to 105 volts, but under that your appliance will draw more current than it usually would, causing more heat to be created and damaging the wiring or insulation or the appliances electronic computer chips, if applicable.

What damage can happen over time to my electrical items?

We’ll start with what will happen with water damage. All electrical items can fail immediately if in contact with water unless they have been specifically hardened against damage. Water and electricity do not mix well and if an electrical item is plugged in and in contact with water that is very dangerous and you should not attempt to remove the item from the water. Over time if electrical components are exposed to water the insulation coating and wiring around the plug can become damaged and increase the risk of harm to yourself. Finally rusting of most metal compounds will begin to occur when in contact with water, leading to contact failure or reduced current feed.

Being exposed to ultraviolet light, or sun exposure, is also dangerous to electrical items. Over time plastic components used to insulate electrical cords and cover items to protect them from outside elements will start to degrade, leading to irreversible damage to the electrical items and allowing water to get inside and provoke even more damage to the device.

Extreme temperatures are also hard on electrical devices. Extreme cold is damaging to many appliances, especially those with battery backups in them or use LCD displays, as items get colder they become more dense by nature, and with that they can start having issues processing the electrical energy effectively, shortening the life of the device. Extreme heat does almost the exact opposite, the item gets overheated meaning the current flows more freely generating more excess heat and it could fail or even worse catch fire!

 

If you’re in need of an emergency electrician be sure to check out the experts at Mister Sparky in Conway, SC. They have the knowledge and expertise to go over your homes electrical system and get it functioning properly or upgraded to the standards required for you. From small jobs to whole house reworks they will work with you.