Signs That It’s Time to Hire an Electrician

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Electrical work can be complicated, and it could become dangerous if you don’t know what to do in every situation. You might handle some projects on your own, but it’s sometimes better to bring in a professional.

Bad Fuses

It’s pretty standard for a tripped circuit breaker and a blown fuse to occur. Although, if you’re always dealing with tripped circuit breakers and blown fuses, it is time to hire some help.

Continually breaking fuses are a bad sign. They can be replaced, but if they’re always blowing, that won’t fix the underlying problem.

In older buildings and homes, it is quite common to have continually breaking fuses. While modern electronics are super energy efficient, they still need a ton of power to run that old wires cannot maneuver.

It’s good to know that overloaded circuits aren’t only irritating to deal with, they’re also potentially very dangerous. One short circuit could easily lead to a fire or an unexpected electrical shock.

The Home is Older Than 20 Years

We talked about homes being vulnerable to fuse issues, so it’s good to mention the importance of hiring an electrician for your older home.

Some older homes are more prone to fire and electrical issues. It could be anything from the materials used to build the house or simply that the wires are old and need repair or replacement.

You might have everything else up to date in your home, from the appliances to the TVs, but it won’t matter much if the system they’re powered by is outdated or damaged.

Some homes are still using the outdated tube wiring instead of grounded wiring. If your home has two-pronged plug outlets, you probably are using extension cords that can also present their r own safety issues.


Although your home may have passed its first inspections, when your home is older, it’s good to get an electrician to inspect things.

Outlets Acting Up

Does the outlet feel warm when you touch it? It should never feel warm or hot, regardless of how many items it’s powering or how long you’ve been using it.

A positive sign that your circuits are overloaded is a hot outlet. It may easily start a fire, or you could receive an electrical shock when you touch a loop or a switch.

This issue is easily remedied with new wiring and could be deadly to ignore. Make sure to look for other problems that indicate overloaded circuits.

If your wires looked charred or you ever smell smoke, it is absolutely time to bring in the professionals. It’s important to remember that an electrical fire has an acidic smell. If you smell anything of the sort, mention it when you’re looking for help.

Burnt or discolored outlets are signs of possible electrical issues. If you notice anything like it, replace any plugged-in devices quickly, and think about turning off the power to that section of the home.

Flickering Lights

If you see that one of your lamps or lights are flickering, you might think you need to tighten the bulb. The issue could be a loose bulb, but it could also be that your home needs an electrical inspection.

Sometimes lights flicker because the system is overloaded. It’s possible to have too many key components, all hooked up to a single circuit.

If you have any questions, call your electrician to ensure that there aren’t any significant problems.

If you need a highly-reviewed, licensed electrician in the Phoenix Valley area, call Efficient Electric at 623-900-1461. We would love to hear from you!