Getting electrical repairs taken care of immediately is important for maintaining the safety of your home. Electrical problems can cause fire hazards and other safety issues that compromise the health and well-being of your household.

You can prevent electrical hazards in your home by being able to recognize the following five signs that your home may need repairs on electrical wiring, circuit breakers, or other important components of your electrical system:

Lights that flicker or work erratically

Flickering lights could indicate that lights are not being supplied with enough power. Also, lights may flicker if your electrical system is experiencing power surges. Flickering lights are an especially problematic sign if they are seen in numerous rooms at the same time or if they are seen in both light bulbs and LED lights on large appliances.

A power surge can damage your appliances and lighting fixtures. Also, flickering lights that are occurring because of an overall shortage of power could indicate that your home has bad circuits. 

Circuit breakers that trip frequently

Circuit breakers will normally trip occasionally when you are drawing on abnormally high amounts of power from your system at once. However, if circuit breakers are tripping on a regular basis, you could need to have your panel serviced by an electrician.

Outlets that overheat

Heat emanating from your outlets indicates a severe risk that needs to be evaluated immediately by an electrician. Overheating outlets could continue to heat up until they reach a high enough temperature to risk an electrical fire.

If you notice that an outlet is starting to heat up, you should unplug any electronics you had plugged in it and stop using it until it is looked at by an electrician. Don't attempt to examine or fix an overheating outlet yourself. 

Outlets or circuit breakers that make a buzzing sound

Properly functioning electrical wires should not give off any sound at all. If you hear buzzing from connections, outlets, wires, or your breaker panel, your electrical system may be experiencing malfunctions like fraying wires and loose prongs. These issues need to be repaired by an electrician to ensure the safety, efficiency, and functionality of your electrical system.

Outlets or breaker panels that give off strange odors

Unusual odors coming from an outlet could indicate that wires or electrical components are overheating and burning. If you smell something unusual when you plug in to an outlet, unplug everything from the outlet and stop using it until it is looked at by an electrician. 

For more information, contact AAA Home Services or a similar company.