7 Things You Can Try If You Find Faulty Electronics In A New Home

Table of Contents

1. Faulty Electronics
2. Safety First
3. Fixing Electrical Surges
4. Handling an Overload
5. Using More Outlets
6. Cover Your Junction Boxes
7. Flickering Lights in Windy Days
8. Plugs Falling Out Again

When we find electrical problems in the house, we start blaming the bad neighborhood, the city where we are, or the electric company. But it almost never occurs to us to check for poor wiring inside our home.

Faulty Electronics

While we blame the whole world, it may be that the electrical system is just outdated. Or might not have enough power to supply electricity for the devices and lighting of our home.

The problem might be simple. In the past, infrastructure was not designed to power different types of electronic devices as it is these days. So if you’ve moved into a nice but old house, perhaps the electrical problems you are experiencing are due to that.

The problem may not be so mysterious and much more obvious. There are obvious signs like many extension cords and a single outlet. You may also have connections lurking unseen inside the walls or on the backs of ceilings.

What to do with all this? Your safety is the main goal. If you’re paying high electricity bills, experiencing flickering lights, or even electric shocks once in a while, you have to make sure that your home circuit is in proper condition. Having this doubt resolved will give you a better panorama of what to do later. In this article, we’re going to introduce you to 7 tips on what to do if you find electronic faults in your new home.

Safety First

If your entire home is out of power and it seems like your neighbors are out of power too, then it’s a massive situation and the best option is to call the power company. But if this is not the case or any part of your electrical power is working in other rooms, the problem is within your electrical system.

This means that you should check all your rooms to see if the lights or plugs are turned off. Is important to know about home electrical systems and how it works. If you don’t know about the distribution of electricity in a house, research some information about it. You have to install electrical products under local regulations about electricity. If there is a regulation in the law of your country that requires it, it’s better to consult a specialist.

There are never enough precautions when it comes to your safety. It’s very important to follow some safety precautions before starting an electrical job:

• Locate and turn off the main power of your fuse box. Remove the circuit fuse and isolate the circuit that is damaged or has a problem. Put it aside or keep it somewhere you can find it easier to avoid accidents when replacing them.
• If, for some reason, you have to go or interrupt your work, it would be useful to have a post-it or a sticker, so you can easily go, stick a note to it, and warn others and yourself about the circuit you are trying to fix.
• It would be very useful to have a voltage tester when working with electricity. They are used to detect AC voltage in an object or surface.

Fixing Electrical Surges

Poor wiring of your place, damaged devices, or power lines can be the reason for electrical surges. Power surges can last for a microsecond, but if you experience frequent surges, it will cause damage to all your electronic devices and affect their life expectancy.

Check your devices and the wiring. Try unplugging any low-quality devices from the outlet. If the surges do not reoccur, the problem is solved. But if this is not the case, it is always recommended to call a qualified local electrician for advice or to solve your problem. Finding a reliable electrician in your area shouldn’t be too hard if you ask around or look for reviews.

Handling an Overload

Sometimes it is a problem of wattage. You may have a bulb or other device designed for more wattage. Here, the level of risk is quite high.

The high heat of lights can melt, so be careful when approaching. This generates sparks from the cables and can even cause a fire. Be careful with your hands while removing hot objects, and work with gloves.

A light bulb or any other device should always match your home wattage. If an electronic device doesn’t have info about watts or volts, avoid using it. If you don’t know about watts and volts, it is always important to search for information, so you will have better tools to handle faulty electronics. Remember that knowledge about the matter you want to fix is essential for success.

Using More Outlets

There are outlets that we don’t even know about that exist in our homes. We rely on electric extensions because of the comfort and mobility they give us around the house. But small extensions (14-gauge or less) can suffer from overload, get hot, and start a fire.

The solutions are two and very simple. You can buy an extension with a thicker wire. They usually come in different sizes of gauges (10, 12, 14, 16, and 18). It is recommended to use at least a 16-gauge to avoid problems. If you need them, buy some extensions for heavy-duty. But it’s always better to use the outlets at home.

Cover Your Junction Boxes

Junction boxes are for protecting the connection between wires. If they aren’t covered, someone can get a shock or damage the wires without noticing. It’s definitely worth it to spend a little extra for a new cover and install it with the right screws (usually the ones that come with the cover).

Flickering Lights in Windy Days

If the wind is blowing and your lights are flickering, you need to replace the Weatherhead. The Weatherhead prevents water from running down the wires and into your service box. It has a high level of risk as it can suddenly start a fire. It’s advisable that you call in a professional to get this done for you.

Plugs Falling Out Again

This is a very common situation but also very dangerous. Worn contacts no longer grip. Loose contacts can cause arcing and ignite dry wood or debris. This is a very common cause of domestic fires. The solution is simple, just replace the outlets to guarantee your safety.

As you can see, there are many things we can do when experiencing faulty electronics in a new home. Don’t forget to switch off, be safe, and gather as much information as you can. Evaluate what you can solve and what is out of your capacity. And when it is above your strength, just rely on a good local expert.

Thank you for reading!