Home Electrical Basics 101: Home Electrical System Explained And Signs You Need An Electrician | Conway, SC

10/24/2021

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Electricity plays a huge role in how your home runs. Whether cooking, heating, and cooling systems or lighting the house, your home’s electrical system produces power anytime and anywhere, you need it.

With the constant use and need for electricity in homes, electrical issues will arise. Still, many homeowners will manage to keep their electrical system running safely and efficiently by understanding how electricity is administered.

However, this should not be a call to handle electrical problems by yourself. As outlined by the Health and Safety Authority, some dangers of electricity are pain and trauma caused by electric shock and the overall malfunctioning of the nervous system.

Therefore, whenever you notice any irregularities in your electrical system, call for professional help immediately. Besides understanding how your home electrical system generally operates, you’ll also learn about some of the signs that you need an electrician in this blog post.

Your Home Electrical System

An electrical system is a series of equipment and conductors responsible for carrying, distributing, and converting electrical power safely from its delivery point to the numerous loads around the building that use the electrical energy.

Your home electrical system has an electric meter, service head, incoming power lines, electrical boxes, household wiring, a service panel, and the lights and appliances that generally put the power to work.

Service Head

Electricity gets into your home from a power company through a service head with several powerlines or an underground connection. A typical service head has two wires, each carrying 120 volts and a neutral power, which collectively distributes power to the lights and electronic appliances in your house. However, heavy appliances like a dishwasher and dryer need a 240-volt circuit created by combining the two 120-volt wires and a neutral wire.

Electric Meter

The electric meter is usually mounted outdoors and is the channel that electricity uses to get into your home. It is used to calculate the amount of electricity you receive and consume in your home.

This meter is surveyed by your electric utility company and offered high protection by the law. Tampering with an electric meter in Conway, SC, and other states is highly prohibited and extremely dangerous.

Service Panel

The service panel is the leading distribution point of electricity into appliances, switches, and outlets throughout your house. It is situated close to the electric meter and has fuses that shut the power off to the circuits in case of any electrical hitches.

The electrical problems may result in disruption or failure of the connections along an electrical path. Such losses require electrical repair and services that can only be done efficiently by a qualified and certified electrician from a competent electrical company.

Circuit

A circuit is a path that an electric current follows towards or from an electric source. It is a circular journey that usually starts and ends at a similar place; a current begins at a power source, powers the appliance along the circuit, then goes back to the power source.

Any form of interaction within this path will declare the circuit “dead.” A circuit has hot, neutral, and grounding wires that play individual roles within an electrical system.

Grounding

Grounding refers to the method of connecting an electrical system to the earth using a wire. It usually adds necessary protection against electrocution and electric shock by using a grounding rod that offers a third path for electricity production in an overload or short circuit. Grounding will also protect any electrician repairing the electrical system, the system itself, and any electrical appliances linked to the system.

Once you understand your home’s electrical system, it becomes easier to identify faults that could eventually cause problems in different ways. An electrical system that functions ineffectively may be a source of embarrassment, especially with guests around. Wiring-related issues could also cause severe effects such as automobile accidents, burns, and fires to you and your family.

Therefore, if you notice any troubles or faults with your home electrical system, you should immediately contact a licensed electrical company.

At Mister Sparky of Myrtle Beach, we promise to provide you with skilled and highly professional electricians who will ensure that your electrical problems are repaired competently.

Signs That You Need an Electrician

Before hiring an electrical company, whether you are in Conway, SC, or any other state, you must first note that your home has electrical issues. Here are some signs that you need the help of a professional electrical company today:

Flickering Lights: Numerous reasons could cause a light to flicker. For instance, a light could flicker due to wiring issues in a particular light fixture. If a fixture buzzes and flashes simultaneously, this could indicate a wiring fault. Contact an electrical company that will fix the wiring problem and look into any additional issues in such an instance.

Uncontrollable Extension Cord: Overloading a circuit may happen if you plug in many extension cords in one outlet. Having several extension codes in a room or using cords as a permanent fixture in your home could imply that it is time to have more outlets. If you live in the area, contact a Myrtle Beach SC electrician to have more outlets installed in your home.

Sparking: It should be an immediate red flag and a call to action whenever you notice a spark in the breaker panel or damage in an appliance fixture. Calling an electrical company will be way cheaper than attempting to fix the spark on your own.

Weird Smells: If you notice any awkward smell coming from an outlet, turn it off and unplug any electrical appliance connected to it. Avoid using the outlet until an experienced electrician comes over to determine the issue.

Outlets Heating Up: A hot outlet indicates that the inner part of the outlet is heating up, which normally results from overloading the circuit. If you realize that your outlet becomes hot whenever you pug in an appliance, contact an electrical company to have it checked.

Contact a Reliable and Competent Electrician Near You Today!

Are you located around or in Conway, SC, and looking for an electrician? Search no further! Reach out to Mister Sparky of Myrtle Beach today to take care of all your electric needs. We will inspect and repair all your wiring challenges and any other underlying problems. Don’t risk your life or safety! Give us a buzz.