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It’s not always clear that you have an emergency electrical problem rather than a nuisance you can schedule services for. If you’re unsure, give us a call, and we can help diagnose your situation. You are not alone. Some of the common indicators of an electrical emergency include:

Unidentified Burning Smell

Does the smell linger or come and go? Are your smoke detectors being set off? Check your appliances, all your outlets, ducts, and your breaker box to see if you can find the source. An unidentified odor may well be an electrical hazard, especially if you smell plastic burning.

A Buzzing or Humming Sound in Breaker Box

Overall, a slight humming sound coming from your breaker box is normal as it runs an electrical current. However, if you notice the buzzing or humming getting continuously louder, address it quickly as it may mean the circuit breaker is overloaded. An overload heats the circuit wiring and can cause a life-threatening fire hazard.

Circuit Breaker Keeps Tripping Repeatedly

There are a few reasons for a circuit breaker to keep tripping, including:

• The circuit breaker box is going bad
• A circuit overload the breaker box cannot accommodate
• A ground fault is occurring, meaning a hot wire is touching the ground
• An appliance or wire is short-circuiting, meaning the electrical flow has gone outside the intended circuit

Lights Continuously Flicker

If your lights occasionally flicker, it’s likely a minor problem with your lightbulb or a faulty switch. When they persistently flicker this signals a more substantial problem such as a circuit overload, excess voltage, or loose wiring. These are dangerous and should have an inspection immediately.

Someone Received an Electrical Shock

There are many situations where one can experience electrical shock, such as:

• Old outlets that are two-prong and therefore have no ground wire as a safety barrier
• An outlet or switch with loose screws or wiring makes the electrical current unstable
• Faulty appliances, including frayed wiring or broken cords that shock you when you plug them in
• Water sources near electricity, or touching outlets with damp hands

Smoke Coming from an Outlet

A common issue with outlets is when debris builds up within. Electricity transfers to the dust and/or dirt, which causes arcing. Arcing creates heat, which is an immediate indicator of an electrical emergency that may start a fire. Other problems that can cause outlets to smoke include wiring issues, loose plug-in connections, and connecting too many devices to one outlet.

Loss of Power

It’s normal to experience loss of power from storms or when everyone on the block loses power due to a problem with the electrical company. But when you’ve paid your monthly bill, and you’re the only one in the vicinity to lose power, it could be a hazardous problem with your breaker box that needs immediate diagnosis.

Wet Electrical Panel

When water mixes with electricity, there is a high potential for electrocution. Water can get into your electrical panel through an improper seal on the box or soak through older cables of a meter box and through to the panel. If this has been happening for a longer period, corrosion can ruin multiple components of your electrical panel and increase resistance in the circuits causing more heat production, thus also creating a fire hazard.

An Electrical Fire Occurred

If a fire is actively burning, you’ll first need to call 911 and get the fire put out immediately. Once there is no longer an immediate threat to your home or family, call your local emergency electrician. We’ll inspect and diagnose the source of the fire before performing repairs and putting preventative measures in place or replacing the system if it has been fully compromised.