5 Steps To Troubleshoot Electrical Issues (And When To Call A Pro)
If you own a home for any length of time, there’s a good chance you will run into an electrical issue of some variety, be it a light not working, outlets cutting in and out, or entire sections of your home losing power, it’s only a matter of time before you’re going to have to tackle one of these problems. So what do you do when you run into one?
The good news is, you can do a few things to try and find a solution to your problem at little to no cost, and still stay safe. Of course, if at any point in the troubleshooting process you feel that you can’t proceed safely, it’s best to call a professional. However, here are a few things that you can try before writing a check to your local electrician:
- Unplug EVERYTHING on the circuit. This one might sound odd, but it can save a world of trouble. Just like the electrical system in your home, appliances can have electrical issues too. Lamps, surge protectors, even your TV can cause a whole circuit to short out or overload. Even if you are pretty sure something is on a different circuit, it can’t hurt to unplug it anyway. Doing this step will ensure that whatever problem you are having really is a problem with your home’s system, and not just a lamp you had plugged in.
- Test all of the outlets on that circuit. Ideally you would use a plug tester, which you can purchase from your local hardware store for just a few dollars. Using one of these is useful because, if there is an issue, it can identify what type of issue is occurring and help narrow things down, and that’s the name of the game! If you don’t have a tester though, take something simple like a lamp and just plug it in at each outlet to ensure that it has power.
- Check the breakers in your electrical panel. Honestly, this should probably be the first thing you do. If a breaker is off, or in the tripped position, that will definitely cause a loss of power. It doesn’t hurt to reset a breaker too. Especially if you home has an old, or dangerous brand of breaker installed, it’s possible for a breaker to be in the on position, but still not be fully engaged to allow power to flow on the circuit.
- If you have a voltage meter, you can check the voltage between the hot wire (black) and the neutral wire (white). If the voltage is somewhere between 110-130 volts, you are in good shape, but anything outside of that range and you likely have a wiring issue. If you decide to do this step, use extreme caution, as power must remain on as you are testing.
- If you have some items working, and some items not working, continue to test and narrow down which devices are not working. Whatever is causing an issue on the circuit is most likely taking place at the first device that isn’t operating correctly, or at the last device that is working properly. It might seem counter-intuitive to look for a problem in a working device, but do to the nature of circuits, just because a device works, doesn’t mean it’s passing power to the next device!
Hopefully performing the above steps helped you find the issue causing trouble in your home. If not, it might be time to call a professional who should be able to resolve whatever issue is causing trouble in your home. It’s also possible that you did find the issue, and that you just need help fixing it! Most electrical service companies will be able to come in and not only fix the issue, but make sure it never happens again. Even then, it never hurts to make sure they offer you a warranty! If you are experiencing electrical issues in your home and would like help resolving them, don’t hesitate to reach out to your local resident(ial) experts! 816-588-9701