Research has shown that most houses don’t follow the recommended
safety measures to prevent electrical shocks and fire danger.
The problems that are found are usually related to poor
electrical installations and a lack of monitoring. Luckily, some
visible signs can help us figure the problem out before things
get out of hand.
1. The electrical outlets are warm to the
touch.
It’s common for some devices to get hot while they’re being
used, but it’s not a good sign if the outlet itself gets heated
up as well. When a plug or outlet is loose, more power must pass
through the plug to the appliance, and that elevated power turns
to waste heat, making the outlet hot. If that ever happens to
you, remove the wires from the outlet right away and don’t put
them back on until the outlet is fixed. |
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2. Your lights blink for no apparent reason.
No, you don’t live in a haunted house. Flickering lights can be a sign
of a loose electrical connection. To find the problem, check to see how
many lamps are suffering from the same issue. If you find just one bad
light, the problem should be in your wiring. But if more blinking lights
appear, the problem could be farther back in the circuit, and you should
check the breaker box or the service drop outside your home. |
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3. The electrical outlets aren’t fixated to the
wall.
Apart from looking trashy, a loose outlet can be very dangerous. If
they’re not tight enough, they can jerk its wires out, leading to
sparks, short circuits, and can even pose a fire risk. |
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4. There are rats around the house.
Despite their small size, rats can be intimidating to many people. And
if you care about your electrical wiring, you have every reason to be
scared. These tiny rodents can gnaw on your circuits and leave the
hazard of a shock or a spark behind. |
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5. The wiring is made of aluminum.
Aluminum was used in a lot of electrical wiring in the past, likely due
to a shortage of copper in the mid-’60s. But a national survey conducted
in the United States showed that this kind of installation posed a fire
hazard to many homes. The aluminum oxidation can overheat when the wire
is connected to splices, outlets, and light fixtures. Because of that,
any excess current can lead to a fire. |
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6. A burning smell around the house
Whether you’re worried about your electrical circuits or your cookies in
the oven, a burning smell is usually a bad sign. The wiring shouldn’t be
heating up to the point that it could melt its plastic cover, but if
this happens, you must identify the source right away to prevent a fire
hazard. |
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