For the most part, homeowners tend to neglect their electrical panels until they need to interact with them for some reason. That makes sense, in a way. If you’re not stumbling over to the circuit breaker in the dark, cursing softly to yourself while you try to get the lights back on after a circuit tripped, why would you bother thinking about the panel at all? Here’s the thing about that, though: Your electrical panel is susceptible to developing its own problems over time. And considering how important the panel is for protecting your electrical system, you’re going to want to get it repaired as quickly as possible if you want to keep things safe. Have a look at some of the following indications that your electrical panel needs repairs.
Constant Tripping
Most of the time, people only have to use their circuit breaker to reset a single circuit that overloaded and tripped. If you want to be careful about it, you should unplug everything on that circuit before resetting it, and plug each individual appliance back in gradually in order to make sure it doesn’t overload again. Normally, that should be enough to make sure that the circuit doesn’t overload. If the switch keeps tripping, though, or won’t even reset at all, then you probably have a much bigger problem. The issue could be located in the circuit, or in the breaker panel itself. Either way, it’s best to have a professional electrician look at it as quickly as possible.
Burning Smells/Smoking
This should really go without saying, but if you notice a burning smell or smoke coming from your electrical panel, do not touch it! The risk of serious injury through electrocution is very high if there is a short circuit or something similar going on in the electrical panel. Just call an electrician as soon as you can to come take care of it for you. This would qualify as an emergency, so make sure you have it dealt with immediately. You don’t want whatever is causing issues in the panel to cause a fire, or spread to the rest of the electrical system.
Flickering Lights
If one of the lights in your home is flickering, it’s probably just a problem with the bulb, or possibly the outlet. If multiple lights in the home are flickering, though, then you may have a problem with the circuit. It’s possible that the connection is incomplete at the electrical panel for some reason, or there might be a short located elsewhere in the system. You’re going to need to have a professional examine the system to know for sure. You might want to reset the circuit and see if the problem persists, just in case perhaps the switch wasn’t fully switched to the ON position the last time it was reset.
Sunset Air provides comprehensive electrical services throughout Olympia, WA. Contact us today to schedule an appointment with one of our expert technicians. We’ll make sure that your home’s electrical system serves you well for many years to come.
