Electrical Problems You Can Solve Before Calling an Electrician
Feb 03, 2021 | Residential Electric, Smart Home
We are always here to troubleshoot electrical problems. But, you’d be surprised at the number of times we’ve gone out to troubleshoot and simply plugged an appliance back in. Before you spend $175 to invite us out to your home, try these things first!
1. The Outlet Isn’t Working.
You go to plug in your hair dryer one morning and it suddenly doesn’t turn on! This happens in bathrooms often. And, since bathroom outlets are usually not isolated, a triggered GFCI in the bathroom might affect outlets and lights throughout your home. GFCIs (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) work like mini-breakers, tripping when too many things are plugged into outlets that share the same wiring. The first thing you want to do when an outlet doesn’t appear to be working is check for signs of heat damage like smoke or burn marks. If the outlet looks ok, reset it by pressing the button in the center of the outlet. If your appliance still won’t turn on, try plugging it in a different outlet in your home - just to make sure it’s not the appliance! If the appliance works in other areas of your home and resetting your GFCI outlet didn’t fix the power, it’s time to move to the breaker panel.
2. The Power Is Out In Part of the House.
Maybe you’re having an issue with an outlet or maybe you find the light switch not working. One of the first things we check is your breaker panel to see if anything has tripped. You can easily check this too! Locate your breaker panel (usually in the garage, basement, or next to a utility closet). All of the switches inside should be “On”. If one looks to be “Off” confirm that it’s in the same area where your electrical problems are and switch it back to “On”. If that breaker keeps tripping, do NOT tape it down. Check that your outlets aren’t overloaded. Unplug some devices and see if that stops it from tripping. If that doesn’t work, give us a call.
3. The Smoke Detector is Beeping.
If your smoke detector is still beeping after you press that handy little reset button, there are still a few things to try. First, change the battery and make sure it’s clear of dust and cobwebs. Next, you’ll have to manually reset your detector. We recommend reading your manual or visiting your brands website for specific instructions, but in general, the process will look something like this:
1. Turn off the power to the smoke detector at your circuit breaker.
2. Remove the detector from its mounting bracket and unplug the power supply.
3. Remove the battery from the smoke detector.
4. With the battery removed, press and hold the test button for 15-20 seconds. Once reset, the smoke detector should chirp one more time.
5. Replace the new battery in the detector and plug in the power supply.
6. Restore power to the circuit breaker.
7. Reattach the detector to the mounting bracket.
If these Do-It-Yourself fixes don’t solve your problems, just give us a call! We will be out to help ASAP!
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