Insight From Your Electrician: Signs That Your Home’s Wiring Is Outdated | Myrtle Beach, SC

7/12/2021

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Home electrical systems are vital to the convenience and comfort of your Myrtle Beach, SC, residence. They allow you to brighten, warm, or cool your indoors as well as clean and cook without much hassle. However, many homeowners rarely give much thought to the wiring, which is responsible for supplying electricity to your home. Each time you flip a light switch or turn on an appliance, the energy produced is drawn from the wiring. Therefore, if the wiring is old or damaged, the chances of a home electrical fire may drastically increase.

The US Fire Administration claims that firefighters respond to approximately 25,900 home electrical fires yearly. It also acknowledges that an estimated 39 percent of these fires occur due to problems with receptacles and outlets as well as appliance and interior house wiring issues.

With that in mind, take a look at some of the signs that show you may need to contact your local electrician so that they can replace your home’s outdated wiring.

Flickering or Dimming Lights

Based on the variables at play, flickering or dimming lights can be a minor issue that your electrician can easily remedy or a sign of an underlying major electrical issue. For instance, if the flickering or dimming is limited to one fixture or lamp, it’s probably because the bulb isn’t fitting properly into the socket.

Under such circumstances, replacing the bulb may work. However, if the flickering continues, it could mean that there’s a problem with the cord or outlet. In that context, you may need to request professional assistance from a certified electrical company near Myrtle Beach, SC.

If the flickering is predominant throughout the premises, it could be due to outdated, loose, damaged, or inadequate wiring. To prevent unexpected disasters that can be costly and life-threatening, you should consider asking a professional to help replace your residential electrical wiring.

Frequently Tripping Circuit Breakers

Since they’re designed to cut off the flow of electric current into your home, it’s natural for circuit breakers to trip whenever they sense danger, which is often an overload in the circuit. Circuit overloads often happen when a socket tries to draw more power than the circuit can withstand. This can occur when there are too many electrical appliances working in your home simultaneously. Therefore, the breaker trips and if it continues to do so regularly, your home’s electrical wiring may get damaged after a while.

Besides that, if your circuit breaker trips regularly, it’s often a sign that the wiring is outdated, making it incapable of handling your residential electrical needs. Fortunately, an experienced local electrician can help you upgrade the wiring to avoid further damage to your property.

Frayed or Damaged Wires

There are many reasons why your wiring may become frayed or damaged. For starters, rats and mice can gradually chew on it, causing the wires to be dangerously exposed. Wires can also fray or crack due to prolonged exposure to heat and as a result of corrosion, aging, or bending. Additionally, electrical wiring can become frayed due to the wearing out of the plastic coating with time. In such cases, your local electrical professional can provide an aluminum coating to guarantee long-term protection.

Past that, wires can also fray as a result of piercing or pinching by the screws and nails that hold the ceiling or drywall in place. Regardless of the cause, you should never let damaged wiring remain unattended for too long. Exposed wires can be a fire and electric shock hazard. Since the damaged wires may be disrupting the flow of electric current, your valuable appliances may end up getting damaged.

If your home wiring is frayed or damaged, you should also expect to experience overheating switches and outlets as well as occasional sparking. These scenarios can significantly affect the electrical safety of your home, so requesting timely solutions from your local electrical company should be a priority.

Burning Odor

A burning odor is often one of the main signs that your home’s electrical system may need to be serviced by a certified electrician near you. The distinct odor of burning plastic or rubber can surely grab your attention. This smell may be due to the heating or burning of the plastic wiring insulation or the melting of the plastic on the sockets and switches. The area affected can easily be recognized by scorch, burn, or smoke markings.

You can use a fire extinguisher if the need arises. However, if the odor and smoke persist, contact your local fire department and electrician to avoid costly damage to your residence.

Buzzing Noises

A constant humming or buzzing noise coming from behind the walls of your home is another obvious indicator that the wiring might need inspecting by a qualified electrician.

This noise is usually produced when there’s an excessive flow of current in the circuit breaker. If the wiring is outdated or damaged in any way, it may not be able to sustain the high amounts of energy. In turn, the wires may begin heating up, and by doing so, they may start creating the buzzing sound.

During such scenarios, the circuit breaker can also produce a loud thud due to the failure to trip effectively. When the wiring is loose, sizzling sounds may occur, accompanied by sporadic sparks. Whenever any of the above happens, you should immediately contact your trusted electrician for timely and comprehensive solutions.

Electrical Shocks from Switches and Outlets

Since your home electrical wiring is responsible for transporting the electricity you use, it should be well-maintained to avoid life-threatening consequences. If the wiring network is old or damaged, it may loosen, thereby destabilizing the flow of electric current. This can consequently result in electrical shocks whenever you touch the affected outlet or switch.

Besides the loosening of the wiring due to wear and tear, wiring-related electric shocks may also happen due to grounding issues or exposure to uninsulated wires. Therefore, to maintain electrical safety in your home, you should ask your local electrician to replace the outdated wiring if you begin experiencing electrical shocks.

Contact Mister Sparky of Myrtle Beach When You Need a Professional Electrician in Myrtle Beach, SC

Mister Sparky of Myrtle Beach excels at installing, repairing, and maintaining wide-ranging types of electrical equipment. Whether you need minor repairs done to your home wiring or a full-scale rewiring service, we’ve got you covered. We’re also ready to help you get past your home electrical system emergency. Contact us today.