Everyone has probably experienced the whole flickering lights phenomenon, maybe during a storm or brown out. Perhaps you’ve also had to deal with appliances seeming to lose power sporadically. When it’s just one light or appliance, this might be explained by an electrical issue inside the unit itself. If the problem seems to affect a large area of your home, however, you should be more concerned.

Widespread power fluctuations are often the result of an electrical short somewhere in the system. This is causing the current to flow in directions that it isn’t supposed to, leading to uneven power distribution. Electrical short circuits, especially in walls, are known as a leading cause of house fire. So, if you notice this happening you should call for professional repair services right away.

The circuit breaker is a very important safety mechanism for your electrical system. It’s designed to break any circuit that is carrying too much power, protecting the system from becoming damaged in the process. It’s not a big deal if your circuit breaker trips every once in a while. Typically, it just means that you’ve overloaded that particular circuit. Unplugging a few appliances and resetting the circuit is usually enough to fix the problem. However, if your circuit breaker keeps tripping after you’ve reset it, there’s probably a deeper issue that needs to be dealt with. It could be that your circuit breaker itself is having issues, or that there’s something specifically wrong with that circuit that is causing it to go off. Either way, it’s not something that you should ignore.

One of the fundamental characteristics of an electrical current is that if it meets resistance, it throws off some energy as heat. This is the core concept behind an electrical stove, where the current is run through a material designed to divert as much of it as heat as possible. This can also be a warning sign that you have an electrical problem. Hot spots on the walls, especially around light switches, can indicate that a wire is meeting resistance where there shouldn’t be any. The current is being diverted into the walls, which can spark a fire. Definitely have an electrician examine your system as soon as possible if you notice this. Please note that, in the case of dimmer switches a bit more heat is part of normal operation. Only call for repairs then if they become uncomfortably warm, or you notice them beginning to melt.

Anderson Electric Corp. offers comprehensive electrical repair services throughout Clifton, NJ. If your electrical system is acting up, contact us today for an appointment.