Your home can experience various electrical problems such as electrical surges, dead outlets, frequent burning out of light bulbs, and high electric bills. It's a bad idea to try to solve any of these issues on your own. You can put yourself and others at risk of electrocution, trigger a fire hazard, incur costly repairs, or find yourself in legal trouble.

Electricians are adequately trained to handle all kinds of electrical problems safely and have a permit to do so. So, what are the most crucial signs you need to call your electrician promptly?

Tripping Circuit Breakers

When your circuit breaker trips, the current flowing in your home exceeds the breaker's capacity. The tripping can be due to an overload of current or a short circuit. There are many reasons why an overload or a short circuit can occur.

When you operate too many appliances at once, you will exceed the breaker's capacity due to excessive power draw. The sensor in the breaker will detect the abnormal current flow and trip to protect your electrical system. 

Also, using appliances that draw a lot of power, such as refrigerators, microwaves, cookers, and hot showers, can cause the circuit to trip. These appliances need dedicated circuit breakers to avoid frequent blackouts caused by other tripping breakers.

A faulty circuit breaker can also cause frequent tripping. Just like other electrical appliances, breakers will eventually become worn out and malfunction.

Flickering Lights

Flickering lights can be due to harmless causes such as faulty light bulbs or a faulty light switch. But they can also indicate a bigger problem, such as an overloaded circuit. When your lights flicker every time you start up a major appliance, this could mean the machine or device has malfunctioned.

The appliance could have a bearing issue, which overwhelms the motor and forces it to pull more power during start-up. This anomaly will then trigger a circuit power overload, leading to a fire hazard.

Fluctuating electrical voltage can also cause flickering lights. There could be many reasons for the fluctuation, but it's probably due to a fault such as poor wiring in your electrical system. You should call your electrician to inspect your wiring.

Electrical Shocks

If you experience electrical shocks from your outlets or switches, it's probably due to faulty switches. The switches could have loose wires or screws that interfere with the current flow, triggering the shocks.

You may also have faulty appliances due to damaged circuitry that causes an imbalance in current flow. Poor current flow will cause electrical shocks and damage your other machines, such as the refrigerator and microwave.

Contact a residential electric service for more information.