Building Your Dream Apartment

Two Electrical Repairs That You Should Never Investigate On Your Own

3 September 2019

Julian Caldwell

Many a homeowner tends to think that as long as they fix things around the house here and there, then they can tackle any issue that crops up in their house. But while this can fly when working on minor issues, such as replacing a lock or perhaps painting a wall, it should never be your approach when it comes to issues with your electrical system. Although electrical systems are designed to be resilient and reliable, some issues are bound to crop up, more so if you reside in an older home. Thus, anything that may seem suspicious to you should have you call an electrician immediately rather than trying to tinker or work on it on your own. The following are just two electrical repairs that you should never investigate on your own. 

Open wires are close to moisture

An amateur should never handle any situation that involves water and electricity! And even when you think that all you need to do is try to push the wires away from the moisture, you are merely putting yourself at risk of electrocution. So how do wires get close to water? Perhaps you have old wiring in your kitchen that has steadily come loose and is now inched away from your kitchen sink. Alternatively, perhaps you have old wiring in the bathroom and it is close to the tub or the shower. Whatever the case, you should keep in mind that these open wires are not only a health hazard, but a fire hazard, too. It is crucial to call an emergency electrical contractor immediately so that they can get the situation under control and prevent the risk of any water conducting the electricity. 

Sparks, smoke or scorch marks on outlets

Sparking can happen on occasion on your outlets, more so if you have daisy-chained extension cables on one outlet. While this may seem like a convenient solution to ensure all your devices receive the electricity they need, in reality, all you are doing is exerting an excessive electrical load on a singular outlet. As a result, you may find the outlet itself or those in the extension cable spark when you plug in a device. The simplest solution to this is to stop daisy-chaining. However, if the sparking is coming from an outlet that is being used for a singular device, then you need to hire an electrician to investigate the issue. This sparking could manifest on its own, or you may also notice smoke coming from the outlet. These two signs are definitive indicators of an electrical fire that should only be tackled by a professional electrician — or you stand the risk of an electrical fire in your home. 

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