Electrical Wiring Problems and Solutions

Expert Solutions for Common Electrical Issues in Your Home

You can fix some common electrical problems in a few easy steps. However, it’s essential to take caution when performing electrical troubleshooting in the home, as some matters will be beyond your abilities. For instance, fixing an electrical short in your house is dangerous, and you should leave this task to an electrician. Also, if the electrical issue results from electrical code violations, you should contact an electrician to solve it. 

In this article, we’ll explore common household electrical problems that you can resolve through residential electrical troubleshooting. We’ll also cover issues that require contacting a service professional.

Table of Contents

• Overlamping
• Uncovered Outlets
• Overheated Light Sockets
• Light Flicker on Windy Days
• Insufficient Number of Outlets
• No GFCIs
• An Overwired Panel
• Aluminum Wiring
• Backstabbed Wires
• Ungrounded Receptacles
• Loose Receptacles
• Power Surges
• Circuit Breaker Trips Once
• Electrical Shocks
• High Electric Bills
• Flickering Lights on Non-Windy Days
• Bulbs Burning Out Too Fast
• Recessed Ceiling Light Losing Power
• Outlets Sparking
• Outlet Doesn’t Work
• Breakers Keeps Tripping
• Frayed Wires
• Call Lippolis for Electrical Troubleshooting

Common Electrical Issues and Solutions

Understanding the common house electrical problems and how to solve them is vital, as this knowledge can help prevent fires. Here are the common electrical problems you could experience at home and their solutions: 

1. Overlamping

Overlamping occurs in houses with outdated electrical systems. Homes that are 50 years or older typically have electrical circuitry that lacks the capacity for today’s light voltages and appliances. When you source an outlet beyond its level of power, the overlapping can strain your electrical system.

Overlamping is dangerous when it causes the wires behind an over-sourced outlet to overheat. This overheating then prompts the wires to eat away at the surrounding insulation. Without an insulation barrier, the wires could ignite anything they touch, leading to a fire.

Overlamping occurs when light bulbs with an extremely high wattage oversource an outlet. Likewise, this electrical issue can occur when you overdraw an outlet with extensions. For example, suppose you plug both sockets in an outlet with extension boards that power eight appliances each. In that case, that will put a tremendous, concentrated power strain on such outlets in most older homes and apartments.

Install a circuit breaker and upgrade the wiring behind each outlet to prevent this electrical problem from occurring in an old home. Hire a licensed service professional to perform these upgrades. 

2. Uncovered Outlets

The risk of overlamping is considerably more dangerous on an outlet or junction box that lacks a cover, which renders the outlet wiring more vulnerable and increases the possibility of damage and electrical shock. If you plug the outlet with an older lamp featuring a low but overdrawn wattage, the wires to that outlet will overheat. These overheated wires could ignite something flammable on contact.

It’s important to always cover outlets and repair them when their foundation comes loose. You can install simple outlet covers with a Phillips screwdriver. However, leave complex tasks, such as anything involving junction boxes or loose outlets, to a licensed service professional.

3. Overheated Light Sockets

When a light fixture overlamps, the socket becomes dangerous. An overdrawn lamp will overheat at the socket and through the underlying wires. The overheating can cause arcing, where electric sparks flow between wires. Arcing is the leading cause of fires.

If you have light fixtures that a manufacturer made before 1985, only use bulbs of 60 watts or less. When using current fixtures — 30 years or less — read the wattage limit and stay within that range.

4. Light Flicker on Windy Days

If you notice a light flicker or temporary dimming, and this coincides with loud gusts of wind outside, it’s likely no coincidence. Flickering is typically the result of frayed wiring. As wind currents move the outside electrical cables, the strain causes a short along the frayed portion of the wiring.

The dangers here are minimal as long as the wires aren’t in contact with anything or anyone. However, frayed wiring is non-compliant with the building code, and you should, therefore, call a licensed service professional to fix it.

5. Insufficient Number of Outlets

The average home has more electrical appliances than ever. Consequently, homes built before the advent of home computers, big-screen TVs and massive entertainment systems can’t power all these electronics simultaneously. If your living quarters have one or two outlets per room, an electrician might have split your outlets with extension strips.

Having few outlets is problematic if you use few appliances but have to use extension cords due to the lack of options. While the danger is minimal, be sure to use extension cords with a heavy-duty gauge. The number of the gauge is inverse to the thickness, meaning a 14-gauge wire is thicker than a 16-gauge one. If you have to use an extension cord to power a refrigerator, range or microwave, use a suitably heavy-duty extension cord.

To solve this problem, have a a licensed electrician install additional outlets.

New Homeowner Guide To Electrical Needs

6. No GFCIs

Some of the greatest electrical dangers are due to a lack of Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs). GFCIs shut down circuits to prevent electrocution, and they are essential in any situation where water could potentially come into contact with an electrical source.

In today’s buildings, GFCIs should be within four feet of any water source. Therefore, you should have GFCIs in your kitchen, bathroom, basement and garage. You should also have them near your outdoor hose and sprinkler outlets. GFCIs shut down circuits within a fraction of a second and prevent lethal shocks.

7. An Overwired Panel

If one of the panels in your fuse box contains too many circuits, your house violates the building code. Overwiring occurs when you replace a single-pole breaker with a two-circuit breaker in the same slot. While the danger is minimal, it can escalate if you put your house on the market and an appraiser notices the issue. 

Have a professional fix overwiring with a subpanel.

8. Aluminum Wiring

One of the most outdated components of old electrical systems is aluminum wiring, which is inferior to copper wire in terms of electrical conductivity. Contact between copper and aluminum wire causes the latter to corrode. A corroded wire can break and send circuits astray, which can cause fires. Therefore, manufacturers have phased out aluminum wire in electrical systems.

You should retrofit any connection that contains a mix of aluminum and copper wire with a dielectric wire nut.

9. Backstabbed Wires

Backstabbing is the process of pushing the wires that power a receptacle through the back instead of anchoring them. Though the practice is legal and common to this day, backstabbed wires are more likely to loosen up from their connecting points. At the very least, loosened wires can rob an outlet of its power source. More dangerously, a loose wire can spark a fire if it comes into contact with flammable surfaces.

Any house with one backstabbed outlet is liable to have others. An electrician can manually uncover a switch or outlet and pull it out from the wall to identify a backstabbed connection.

10. Ungrounded Receptacles

One of the most limiting electrical factors in older homes is the two-prong receptacle or ungrounded receptacle. When a wire lacks grounding, it can’t confine a stray current. As such, virtually all of today’s electronics feature three-pronged outlets. Under the modern building code, developers build all homes with grounded circuits and outlets.

While the overall danger of two-pronged outlets is minimal, you can only use such outlets with a few devices today. One thing to avoid is converting a two-prong into a three-prong with the use of an adapter, as it could destroy the connected appliance and raise the possibility of electrocution.

If your house has two-prong receptacles, contract an electrician to replace them with grounded three-prongs. 

11. Loose Receptacles

An abrupt power cut can damage an electronic device. For example, a computer might not reboot properly if it loses power before it has time to complete a shutdown sequence. Blackouts aside, one of the easiest ways for a device to shut off unexpectedly is when its power connection comes undone. Accidents like these occur if an outlet cannot hold in power cords.

A receptacle could fail to hold prongs properly if it lacks adequate tension or has become old and stripped. After several decades of use, the contacts in a receptacle can become worn to the point that the outlet can no longer hold the prongs of a power cord.

If a receptacle is loose, the internal wiring can come undone, causing arcing, which can ignite flammable materials nearby. For these and other reasons, an electronics service professional should replace worn or loose receptacles.

Whole Home Surge Protectors

12. Power Surges

Power surges occur due to lightning strikes and power line failures and may damage electrical appliances. To protect your appliances from harm, always use a surge protector. In some cases, power surges will originate from faulty electrical components, where a device is of poor quality or contains a faulty power board. Call an electronics service person to diagnose the problem if you experience a device-related surge. 

13. Circuit Breaker Trips Once

If an appliance overdraws an outlet, the breaker will trip and cut the power supply. When this happens, it means that the circuit breaker is warning you against overloading the outlet.

To stop your circuit breaker from tripping in the future, run high-consumption devices like hairdryers and microwaves for briefer cycles at lower settings. Also, do not overload the outlets you use for these devices.

14. Electrical Shocks

Electrical shocks are mild yet annoying occurrences that happen at the flick of certain light switches and appliances. The problem stems from either the power source or the device itself. If the electrical shock occurs with only one particular device, that’s likely the culprit. If a certain outlet generates shocks through the various devices it powers, the issue is probably down to the power source. In the latter case, you should have a professional electrician check the issue. 

15. High Electric Bills

Leaving dormant appliances and chargers plugged into your walls and power boards could drive up your electric bill. Other causes include a leaking hot water tank, faulty electrical wiring or a device that triggers power surges. To bring your electric bills down, unplug appliances when you’re not using them and modify your use of the oven, stove and HVAC system. If these solutions don’t work, contact an electrician.

16. Flickering Lights on Non-Windy Days

Flickering lights are one of the most common household electrical problems. First, check these basics: 

• Have you screwed in the bulb tightly? 
• Does a new bulb work properly?
• Are using the correct wattage?

If the light is still flickering after addressing these three points, you most likely have a poor connection. Your best action is to call a professional to fix this problem immediately before it becomes a broken connection.

17. Light Bulbs Burning Out Too Fast

When a light bulb burns out too fast, it means the wattage is too high, you left it on for a long time, or it’s of low quality. Another possible explanation is the quality of power your bulb is receiving. Most power companies deliver more than 120 volts of power to the average bulb, giving it a shorter life because it’s receiving too much power. To make your bulb last longer, buy the 130v option. However, remember that a 130v bulb is less bright than a 120v bulb.

18. Recessed Ceiling Light Losing Power but Then Working Later On

A recessed ceiling light will sometimes lose and then regain power as a safety measure. In most cases, this issue occurs because you’re using a bulb with a too-high wattage, causing it to get too hot. This heat prompts the bulb to power itself off. When it’s had time to cool down, it turns itself back on.

Replace the light bulb with a low-wattage one to prevent it from constantly going on and off.

19. Electrical Outlets Sparking

Electrical outlets sparking doesn’t always mean there’s a problem. They can sometimes spark, especially if you’ve just plugged in a large appliance. However, it could also indicate a much larger problem. If the sparking only happens when you turn on a large appliance, you’re probably safe. But if it’s happening for no reason, ask an electrician to take a look at your outlet.

20. Electrical Outlet Doesn’t Work

First, determine if multiple electrical outlets don’t work or if it’s just one. If none of your outlets work, consider checking with your neighbors to see if they have the same problem. If they are, the problem is with your power company. When it’s just one outlet without power, then you have a dead outlet. Locate your circuit breaker to determine if tripping is the cause of the electrical problem. One way to do this is to see if any of the switches are in the “off” position. Another way is to switch them all off and then switch them on individually to figure out what controls what. 

If your breaker hasn’t tripped but your outlet still has no power, check the outlet for black or brown stains to establish if it has burned out. Don’t touch the outlet if it has these stains. Rather, call a professional to replace it. 

If you have a GFCI, check to see if the reset button is off. In case it is, press it back in to reset the outlet. You’ll know you have a GFCI outlet if it has two little buttons in the middle of the outlet. One should say “test,” and another “reset.” 

If these solutions don’t work, call your electrician.

21. Breaker Trips Often

Several issues have the potential to cause frequent circuit breaker trips. They include: 

• A bigger problem: GFCI outlets protect you from electrical harm. If they constantly shut themselves off, your house could have a bigger electrical problem. Seek an electrician’s help to fix this issue.
• Circuit overload: Your breaker will trip frequently if you operate multiple high-wattage appliances on the same circuit. Moving some appliances to another outlet or a different room to avoid overloading the circuit. Alternatively, ask your electrician to set up a separate circuit for the appliances causing the problem. It also helps to turn off appliances when you’re not using them.
• Short circuit: A short circuit indicates that a broken wire is interrupting the electrical current’s path. You should contact a professional to fix a short circuit. 
• Weather: If your breaker trips during a storm, water might have come into contact with your electrical system. Call in a professional if this is the case.
• Power surge: A power surge occurs when a power company changes its grid or when you power off a large appliance. To preserve your appliances, always use surge protectors. If the circuit breaker trips and you have not plugged in any electronic devices, the wiring may have internal issues. Call an expert to diagnose the matter. While it’s tempting to flip the switch to reset the breaker simply, it’s important to remember that the breaker trips to keep you safe, so it’s worth taking the time to figure out the source of the problem. 

22. Frayed Wires

Using electronics with frayed wires is dangerous. You should always hire an electrician to replace fraying and exposed wires. Also, replace any wires with black or brown stains or a nasty, burning smell. 

Contact Us Today for Professional Electrical Troubleshooting Services!

While you can troubleshoot some common electrical problems in your home, a professional electrician should handle the majority of them. For example, suppose you’re unsure whether your home’s wiring or power source availability is up to date with the current New York state electrical code requirements. In that case, you should contact Lippolis Electric to inspect your junction box and receptacles. We’ve provided professional electrical services to residents of Westchester, Putnam and Duchess counties since 1984. When you contact us, we’ll respond promptly to rectify your electrical problem. 

We’re a family-owned and -operated electrical contractor with a solid reputation for superior electrical services at the most competitive possible prices. We offer quality work, safety and customer satisfaction. Whether we’re installing all-new wiring in a home or determining how to fix an electrical short, no job is too big or too small, and we always leave a site neat and clean after a project. We train our technicians often and provide a wide range of electrical services, such as upgrades and repairs for residential properties. 

Our level of experience and commitment to training equip us to handle any problem you throw our way. Contact us today if you’d like to request our commercial and residential services to learn more about what we do.