Common Home Electrical Issues and Questions

Electrical problems in your home can be frustrating and sometimes dangerous. From outlets not working and circuit breakers tripping to flickering lights or burning smells, these are all signs that something isn’t right.

At a glance: we’ll walk through the most common home electrical issues, what causes them, and when it’s time to call a licensed electrician.

Why Are My GFCI Outlets Not Working in the Kitchen or Bathroom?

Most homes these days are equipped with Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter, or GFCI for short, in the kitchen and bathroom. Well, that may sound weird, but they are there to make sure you don’t end up zapped like one of those cartoon characters in the Looney Tunes.  These are specialized outlets that detect changes in the current flowing through the outlet. When the flow changes, usually because of moisture (and sometimes wiring issues or circuit overload), the GFCI “senses” it and shuts off the current.

There are two main reasons your kitchen or bathroom GFCI outlet is not working:

GFCI sensed a problem and shut off

In this case, make sure the appliance or tool you are using is not in contact with moisture. Dropping your electric mixer into a sink of water, for example, would trip the GFCI and stop the electrical current. Old or damaged appliances may also cause this. Remove the source of the problem and then press the “reset” button on the outlet.

Keep in mind that the outlet turning off is a sign of a problem. Unless you know exactly what caused the problem, like putting an appliance in contact with water, always call a licensed electrician. They are trained to safely examine and repair electrical problems.

GFCI shut off accidentally

Occasionally, the GFCI will turn off on accident. If pressing the red reset button does not fix the problem, call an electrician. Many GFCI outlets are programmed to shut down completely when they wear out or malfunction. If your electricity in the outlet is not restored after you have reset the outlet, or if you experience continued electrical failures, call an experienced electrician.

Note: If the outlets in your kitchen, bathroom, garage and yard are not GFCI, they need to be. Your risk of electrocution is greater when using non-GFCI outlets. A GFCI outlet could save your life or the life of a family member.

Why Are Some Electrical Outlets in My House Not Working?

There are several reasons the outlets in the rest of the house might not be working. For GFCI outlets, they are the weird-looking ones that check for moisture and have added protection. First, check and see if they are tripped and try to reset them. If the outlet does not reset or keeps tripping, a professional should inspect the outlet for any major issues. For non-GFCI outlets, it could be improper wiring. Do not try to check for this issue yourself because an exposed wire could electrocute you. Always hire a professional.

Also, check the circuit breaker. If it is tripped, reset it. But if you continue to have problems, have an electrician look at it.

Why Does My Circuit Breaker Keep Tripping?

The electrical panel in your home controls the electrical flow throughout the house. Flipping the breakers, which look like switches, turns electricity on or off in different areas of your home. When an area of the house, say, the kitchen, uses more electricity than the circuit is designed to handle, the breaker that controls that room will “trip”. When a breaker “trips”, it automatically switches to “off”, interrupting the electrical flow to the room. Breakers can also trip if there are problems with any electrical wiring in the home.

This is an important function because overloading the circuit or faulty wiring can lead to fires. If manually resetting the breaker, or turning it back on, does not fix the problem or it continues to trip, call an electrician for an electrical inspection. Something more serious might be going on.

How to Tell If You Have an Old or Unsafe Electrical Panel.

Your electrical panel keeps your family safe from many of the dangers that come with electricity running through your home. We all know they don’t make things like they used to, but that doesn’t apply to your electrical panel. Old panels are meant for an older electrical world that we don’t live in anymore, and can be a serious safety hazard.

If you are not sure how old your panel is, look at the brand name. Zinsco and Federal Pacific (FPE) panels are very old and often do not trip when they should. You need to replace a panel like this because it may fail to interrupt the electrical current in the event of a problem. When it fails to trip, it can electrocute you or cause a fire in your home.

Why Is My Light Fixture Not Working?

There could be a few reasons that your lights don’t work. If half of your new chandelier just plain won’t turn on, or is acting all weird, there are a few things to check.  First, check whether the lightbulb is the source of your troubles. Make sure the bulb is screwed in correctly, and if it is, try replacing it. That may be the easiest solution.

When the lightbulb isn’t the problem, check your electrical panel to see if the breaker tripped. If it has tripped, turn it back on. The light fixture should start working again if this is the problem.

If the breaker trips again or the light fixture still doesn’t come on, there might be something more happening. It could be that the light fixture is just old and needs to be replaced. Or it could be wired incorrectly. At this point, we recommend calling for help to troubleshoot the problem. If you decide to take apart the light, make sure your breaker is turned off; you don’t want to get shocked!

Signs of Loose Electrical Wiring in Your Home.

Loose wiring happens pretty often and can be the cause of many electrical problems. First, you may be thinking, ” How does wiring just get loose on its own? Well, over time, wiring does expand and shrink as electricity runs through it. This can cause the screw in the outlets to loosen over time, especially if your home has aluminium wiring. It could also be the last person who put in the outlet did it wrong, and that is ok, we all make mistakes. If the wiring does get loose, it increases the chances of fire danger.

Loose wiring can sometimes show up if you feel the outlets getting warm, your lights are flickering, or you hear buzzing or humming behind the wall. If you haven’t had the wiring in your home checked in many years, or it’s never been done, it’s always a good idea to have an electrician come and check it all out to make sure everything is nice and tight.

Why Are My Lights Flickering?

Another common problem is lights flickering. Which can be super annoying when you want to light up a room and end up starting a rave. Sometimes the issue is as easy as a loose light bulb or another faulty fixture that has just shorted out. Here are a few more complicated reasons.

• Incompatible dimmer switches- It’s great to add a dimmer switch in your home, but they aren’t made to work with everything. Most commonly, the bulb and switch are from different eras and don’t work together. If you update the bulb or the switch, it can solve your problem
• Overloaded circuit or Faulty Breaker- Sometimes, if your circuit or electrical system is drawing too much power, it can cause lights to flicker. If your circuit is overloaded, you might need an upgrade. If the breaker is faulty, you should have it replaced. A breaker that is not tripping is no good and a safety hazard.
• Old or loose wiring- If your wiring is old or loose, it might be flickering due to the old wiring not being able to keep up with a modern-day electrical load. Or the old connections have gotten loose over time. If you have an older home, this is a more common reason.

Why Do I Smell Burning or Fishy Odors from Outlets or Lights?

If you smell a fishy or burning odor coming from your lights, outlets, or other fixtures, this is a serious concern. Fishy smells are the rubber coating of the wires starting to burn, which means that the wires are heating up way too much. If you experience this, turn off the power and contact an electrician right away. It is better to be safe than sorry when it comes to the potential of electrical fires.

What Causes Electrical Buzzing or Humming in Walls or Panels?

Trust us, your house is not being infested by bees. Sometimes, inside your home, the electrical system is pulling more power than it should, or wires have gotten loose or crossed, and you can hear buzzing. It’s important to get this diagnosed since it can turn into something more serious. We recommend having an electrician look at it.

If the buzzing is coming from your breaker box. It can mean there’s loose wiring inside, the panel is overloaded, or, as we talked about earlier, it’s out of date. Sometimes the issue can be resolved by switching a few breakers and tightening loose connections, but other times it might need a full upgrade.

Whether you are experiencing a simple electrical problem or a complicated issue, TLC’s team of experienced electricians are ready to help. If you have a question about an electrical problem, you can “Ask A Pro” or schedule service today.