When people think about the potential signs of electrical problems in a house, they often focus on the most obvious indications. After all, you can guess something is wrong with the electrical system if the breakers keep tripping or the power goes out entirely. Not all of the signs of electrical problems will be so obvious, though. Homeowners need to keep an eye out for subtle signs of major electrical issues, too. Watch for these seven less obvious indications that something might be up.
1. Dimming or Flickering Lights
People often treat dimming or flickering lights as a minor annoyance as long as everything seems to keep working. However, a high power draw may cause dimming on at least one circuit due to a lack of capacity. If you see it throughout the house when you activate a major appliance, such as turning on the dryer, then there could be a capacity issue at the panel. Depending on the problem, you may need to remedy it with higher-capacity breakers or even a higher-capacity electrical panel.
The quality of the wire connection could also be bad. Sometimes, the wires simply degrade with age. The dimming or flickering could also occur if the initial installation quality was poor, especially if a previous homeowner did DIY work.
Voltage fluctuations and even incoming signals can also cause lights to flicker if the system isn’t designed to properly reject them. You might have a high-interference device running on the same circuit as the light. In many cases, upgrading the house’s grounding will help. Providing dedicated circuits for electrically noisy equipment like power tools and big appliances can also address the issue.
2. Warm Outlets or Switches
Ideally, a good set of circuit breakers and fault interrupts should prevent an overload from getting to the point that it heats the outlets or switches in your home. However, a small overload could pass through if the circuit breakers are compromised due to corrosion, overheating, loose connections, or other forms of damage. The energy from the electrical overload has to go somewhere, and it may dissipate through an outlet or a switch as heat.
Warmth can also come from outlets and switches if the insulation is low-quality or degraded. Many DIYers overlook the importance of matching the wiring’s amperage rating to the circuit’s amperage rating. If the circuit pushes more power than the wire’s rating, that leads to extra heat. In extreme cases, the heat could melt the insulation from the wiring and pose a fire hazard. Wires with loose connections may also heat up. The same goes for corroded wires.
3. Buzzing Sounds
Especially if you grew up in the era of noisy electrical systems, such as when fluorescent lights were more common, you may have learned to ignore buzzing sounds. However, modern electrical systems shouldn’t buzz. Loose outlets, screws, and terminals can cause the electricity to arc to form a connection. The arcing electricity often makes a buzzing sound, especially if a device is trying to pull a high load.
You may notice buzzing sounds in several parts of your house, particularly if the electrical system is old. There’s a good chance that multiple connections have loosened over the home’s lifetime. When we check for problems, a visual inspection sometimes reveals the culprit. However, we may need to track down the problem by testing the lines for signs of fluctuations.
4. Noisy Appliances
The same problems that can lead to buzzing sounds may also show up in your home’s appliances. An overload might not be enough to throw the circuit breaker, especially if the breaker is old. Consequently, the extra energy goes into your appliances. Depending on an appliance’s tolerance for extra juice, the additional voltage could simply make it run harder, faster, or louder.
Notably, none of this is good for the appliance. While most appliances have some tolerance for operating outside of their specifications, the extra energy is likely shortening the system’s service life.
5. Appliances Starting Slow
An underpowered electrical system can trigger the opposite effect. Many large appliances use big capacitors to collect enough electricity to start their initial cycle. Washers are notable examples of this kind of appliance. If insufficient power is coming into the capacitor, the washer may take longer to get enough electricity for that initial kick to get it running.
Undervolting can happen for a host of reasons. Your local electrical supply from your utility provider might be running below the expected specification. An aging circuit breaker or electrical panel may no longer pass enough juice to the circuit. Damaged wiring also may not pass enough electricity. Replacing a few components could make a big difference for the system’s operation.
6. Uneven Lighting
Uneven lighting is a tricky problem to notice. People tend to dismiss it as just an effect that happens because one part of a room or a house just doesn’t have good lighting. However, it could be that the lights at certain spots are getting more or less electricity than needed. Consequently, there will be dimmer or lighter spots in the room or even as you go through your whole house.
One possible problem is that the home’s electrical system has too much demand. Especially in an older house, there may simply not be enough amps of capacity for all of the devices that are powered on. Lighting fixtures tend to be the first electrical systems that suffer performance issues when there isn’t enough power. This effect is similar to what you see during a brownout although it could be more subtle.
Overloaded circuits could cause some lights to run brighter. Once more, the extra load has to go somewhere. Damaged wiring also can cause uneven lighting. In this case, you may need rewiring service or an electrical panel upgrade.
7. High Electricity Bills
As an electrical system ages, its efficiency tends to decline. Corrosion, heating and cooling effects, loose connections, and material degradation from electrical flow can all worsen system performance. Electrical devices tend to overcome declining efficiency by drawing more power to overcome resistance. That extra electrical draw can drive up your utility bills.
People often ignore this because they assume the electricity price went up. You should compare your consumption to previous bills, focusing on the actual kWh rate of consumption and not the dollar price. If you haven’t changed your consumption habits, the simple explanation for your electricity bill rising is system degradation.
You might also notice the electricity bill immediately when you move into a house. This could happen even if the electrical system is relatively new. Cheaper components like aluminum and steel in the electrical system could reduce its efficiency. This problem is particularly noticeable if lower-cost materials are in use in the electrical panel. A panel upgrade could pay for itself within several years if this is the case.
Bryant Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric has been in business since 1940. We’re proud to serve the residents of Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. Our electricians are happy to work on electrical panels, generators, whole-house surge protectors, and EV chargers. We perform installations, repairs, and upgrades as well.
If you’re worried there might be a hidden issue in your home’s electrical system, let us diagnose and fix all your electrical issues to keep your home running and you family safe. Contact Bryant Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric today.
