Common Electrical Problems & Electrical Troubleshooting

Common Electrical Problems

Some of the most common electrical problems at home can be remedied with minor adjustments. However, home electrical troubleshooting can often be dangerous. If an issue is due to one of the common electrical code violations, you will need to have the problem fixed by an electrician.

Common household electrical problems are discussed in the following examples, some of which may be solved with residential electrical troubleshooting, but most of which will necessitate a call to a service professional.

Table of Contents

Common Electrical Troubleshooting

1. Overlamping

Overlamping occurs in houses with outdated electrical systems. In homes that were built 50 years ago or more, the electrical circuitry will typically lack the capacity for today’s light voltages and appliances. When an outlet is sourced beyond its level of power, the overlamping can put a strain on your electrical system.

Overlamping becomes dangerous when it causes the wires behind an over-sourced outlet to overheat. Once overheated, the wires can eat away at the surrounding insulation. With no insulation barrier, the overheated wires could ignite anything they touch, which could lead to a fire.

Overlamping is liable to occur when an outlet is over-sourced with light bulbs of too high a wattage. Likewise, overlamping can occur when an outlet is overdrawn with extensions. For example, if both sockets in an outlet are plugged with extension boards that power eight appliances each, that will put a tremendous, concentrated power strain on such outlets in most older homes and apartments.

In houses with outdated electrical capacities, overlamping can be prevented with the installation of a circuit breaker and with upgrades to the wiring behind each outlet. However, such upgrades should only be performed by a licensed service professional.

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 the outlet is plugged with an older lamp of limited yet overdrawn wattage, the wires to that outlet are bound to overheat. When exposed, these overheated wires could ignite something flammable on contact.

For obvious reasons, outlets should always be covered. If the outlet is loose within its foundation, that should be repaired as well. Simple outlet covers can easily be applied with a Phillips screwdriver. Tasks of a more complicated nature — such as anything involving junction boxes or loose outlets — should be performed only by a licensed service professional.

3. Overheated Light Sockets

When a light fixture is overlamped, the socket can also be a source of danger. An overdrawn lamp is bound to overheat at the socket and through the underlying wires. The overheating can cause arcing, where eclectic sparks are sent through the air between wires. Arcing is a leading cause of fires.

If you have any light fixtures that were made prior to 1985, only use bulbs of 60 watts or less. With any fixture manufactured during the past 30 years, read the wattage limit listed on it, and stay within that range.

4. Light Flicker on Windy Days

Electrician Working on Power Lines

What causes lights to flicker in a home? If you notice a light flicker or dim momentarily, and this coincides with loud gusts of wind outside, it’s likely no coincidence. Flickering is typically the result of frayed wiring. As the outside electrical cables are moved by the wind currents, the strain causes a short along the frayed portion of the wiring.

Providing that the wires are not in reach of anything or anyone, the dangers here are minimal. However, frayed wiring is non-compliant with building code and should, therefore, be fixed — but only by a licensed service professional.

5. Insufficient Number of Outlets

The average home is full of more electrical appliances than ever. Consequently, homes that were built before the advent of home computers, big screen TVs and massive entertainment systems are often ill-equipped to power all these electronics simultaneously. If your living quarters are limited to one or two outlets per room, chances are you have been forced to split your outlets with extension strips.

A limited number of outlets can be a problem if you use few appliances but are forced 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 runs inverse to the thickness. Therefore, 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, be sure to use a thicker-gauge extension cord only.

In today’s buildings, receptacles are supposed to be in place every 12 feet from one another. Furthermore, each room is supposed to have an outlet within four feet of the entryway. Additional outlets can be installed by a licensed electrician. The going rate on first-floor installations is reasonable. Installations on upper floors will generally cost a bit extra.

6. No GFCIs

Some of the greatest of all electrical dangers are due to a lack of ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs). The purpose of GFCIs is to shut down circuits to prevent the possibility of electrocution. In any situation where water could potentially come into contact with an electrical source, GFCIs are essential.

In today’s buildings, GFCIs are supposed to be in place 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 is in violation of building code. Overwiring occurs when a single-pole breaker is replaced with a two-circuit breaker in the same slot. While the danger is only minimal, it can become more of a problem if you put your house on the market and an appraiser takes note of the issue. Overwiring can be fixed with the addition of a subpanel, but it should be installed by a service professional.

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, aluminum wire has been phased out in electrical systems.

Electrician Using Wire Cutters

The use of aluminum wiring peaked during the 1960s and 70s when it was seen as a low-cost alternative to copper. Consequently, appliances that were manufactured during this period often have this outdated wiring, which has been found to be responsible for electrical disasters. Any connection that contains a mix of aluminum and copper wire should be retrofitted with a dielectric wire nut.

9. Backstabbed Wires

When the wires that power a receptacle are pushed through the back instead of anchored, the practice is known as backstabbing. 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 contact is made with flammable surfaces nearby.

Any house with one backstabbed outlet is liable to have others. A backstabbed connection can be identified manually by uncovering a switch or outlet and pulling it out from the wall. This task, however, is best performed by a service professional.

10. Ungrounded Receptacles

One of the most limiting electrical factors in older homes is the two-prong receptacle — also known as an ungrounded receptacle. When a wire lacks grounding, a stray current cannot be confined. As such, virtually all of today’s electronics feature three-prong outlets. In accordance with modern building code, all homes are built today with grounded circuits and outlets.

While the overall danger of two-pronged outlets is minimal, not many devices can be used in such outlets today. One thing you should never do is convert 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 any two-prong receptacles, they should all be replaced with grounded three-prongs. Contract an electronics service professional to inquire about having your two-pronged outlets updated.

11. Loose Receptacles

Charging Tablet

An electronic device can get damaged if its power source cuts off without notice. A computer, for example, might not reboot properly if it loses power before it has time to shut off properly. Blackouts aside, one of the easiest ways for a device to shut off unexpectedly is when its power connection comes undone. Accidents like these are more liable to occur if an outlet is unable to hold in power cords.

There are two ways that a receptacle could fail to hold prongs in properly. If a receptacle becomes loose and tilts forward from a wall, a heavy, three-prong power cord might just slip out. An even more likely possibility is a receptacle becoming 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 and cause arcing, which can ignite flammable materials nearby. For these and other reasons, worn or loose receptacles should be replaced by an electronics service professional.

12. Power Surges

Power surges can have a damaging impact on electrical components. Most frightening is the fact that surges can stem from a variety of sources, only a few of which can be brought under your control. While there is nothing you can do to stop lightning strikes or power-line failure — apart from the use of a surge protector — some causes can be isolated from the equation.

In some cases, a faulty electrical component causes surges. If a device is poorly made or contains a faulty power board, it could cause a surge in the outlet. If you’ve recently experienced a string of surges, the problem might be down to a recently added electronic device. In any case, the issue should be diagnosed by an electronics service person.

13. Tripping Circuit Breaker

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

Two appliances known to trip circuit breakers are hairdryers and microwaves. In your bathroom, the reset button might snap out if you run a hairdryer on a hot, high setting for too long at a time. Likewise, a microwave could trip a circuit breaker after several minutes, especially if the outlet is overdrawn with a daisy-chained power board.

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, be sure not to overload the outlets you use for these devices.

14. Electrical Shocks

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

15. High Electric Bills

Unplugging a Cord from a Power Strip

If your monthly electric bills are starting to climb, there could be any number of contributing factors. If you leave dormant appliances and chargers plugged into your walls and power boards, unplug them when they are not in use. Some of the more serious causes might include a leaking hot water tank or faulty electrical wiring. A device that causes power surges could also be the culprit. If your bills remain high after you unplug various unused devices and modify your use of the oven, stove and HVAC system, contact an electrician.

Lippolis Electric Is Who To Call For Troubleshooting Electrical Problems

Some of the more common electrical problems and solutions are possibly matters of home electrical troubleshooting. That said, the majority of electrical problems should be handled by service professionals. If the wiring or power-source availability in your home have issues, your house is likely not up to date with current New York state electrical code requirements. If in doubt, you should have your junction box and receptacles inspected by an electrician.

The team here at Lippolis Electric has provided professional electrical service to residents of Westchester, Putnam and Duchess counties since 1984. We’re a family-owned and operated electrical contractor with a solid, earned reputation for superior electrical services at the most competitive possible prices. We’re committed to quality work, safety and customer satisfaction.

If you are having a problem with your household electrical supply, don’t wait to get the help that will keep your home safe and convenient. Put your trust in a leader in the electrical industry — contact Lippolis Electric right away.

Please note that your appointment is not set until confirmed by Lippolis Electric shortly after you've submitted the form.

Dates in blue qualify for special rates.

SunMonTueWed ThuFriSat

To schedule a FREE estimate or service, call 914-738-3550

Request Estimate Request Service