Electrical Repairs

Any exposed wiring, indoors or outdoors, needs to be assessed and repaired by a professional technician. Exposed wires can be life-threatening if touched and are a potential fire hazard.

Buzzing or dead light switches indicate that there is either a problem with how they were connected, with the wiring or that the switch is faulty and needs to be replaced.

If the outlet is dead, the fault could lie in the wiring, the circuit, the outlet itself or it could be due to a tripped fuse. Using the correct testing equipment, an electrical technician will quickly trace and repair the fault.

There are a few issues that frequently occur with lighting. The most commonly reported problems are:

• Dimming lights
• A buzzing sound when switched on
• Flickering lights
• Bulbs keep blowing

Most of those problems can be traced back to faulty wiring or circuits, faulty light switches, or bulbs not being screwed in properly. An expert with electrical experience will know where to look for the fault, and how to repair it.

When the electrical circuit keeps tripping, resulting in a power outage to part of or the whole property, you need to contact an electrician. The fault could be due to:

• An overloaded circuit
• A faulty appliance
• A short circuit – where a hot wire is touching a neutral wire
• An arc fault – a loose screw in terminal connection in the switch or outlet
• An old or worn out circuit breaker

When your electricity bill is unusually high, and you have not consumed more than the usual amount of power, the reason needs to be investigated. Some reasons for high electrical bills are:

• There is a fault with the wiring or within the circuit
• There is a leak in the electrical system
• The appliances you are using are outdated and not energy efficient

If the outlet, plug, or switch shock you, are hot to touch, cause a tingling feeling or look blackened, you need an expert to advise. The problem could be due to:

• Faulty wiring
• A faulty outlet
• A faulty appliance

Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI) are normally installed in kitchens and bathrooms, where electrical outlets are close to water.

If the red reset and test buttons continuously pop, it could be an indication of a serious electrical fault that needs an electrical technician’s urgent attention.

If the building is old, or the owner is doing renovations or expansions, the electrical panel usually needs to be upgraded. This is not a task that a “Do It Yourself” enthusiast should ever attempt; it needs the expertise of a licensed and insured electrical technician who is familiar with the local state codes.