Flickering lights, tripped breakers, strange burning smells… Is your home trying to warn you about your electrical panel? Every home is different, so you might detect some of these signs but not others. You might need to call Morris-Jenkins for circuit breaker replacement if you notice:
1. Tripping Breakers
Have you ever turned something on or plugged something in, only to trip a breaker?
“Tripping a breaker” is a term for when there’s too much electricity flowing through a circuit and your circuit breaker shuts the power off to that line in order to protect it from damage. This can happen for a number of reasons!
If you live in an older home, it may not have been built to supply as much electricity as you and your family wanna use. Nowadays, we rely on electricity a LOT. We have tons of devices and appliances running off electricity, and not all homes can keep up with that. When that’s the case, sometimes you’ll trip a breaker just plugging in certain devices that your home wasn’t built to handle.
Even if your house isn’t old, you can still trip a breaker if you don’t get enough electricity for what you need. It might even be problems with the wiring in your electrical panel that need a professional to look them over.
Tripping a breaker once in a great while is fine, but if this is happening often, don’t flip the breaker back on! Call a professional. Your breakers trip as a way of protecting your home, and if they’re tripping repeatedly, take that as a sign to get someone out to make sure things are safe to use. It might be time to replace your circuit breaker.
Tip: Are all of your outlets full? Do you often have trouble finding an empty outlet to plug something into? This could be the cause of your tripping breakers. You might be demanding too much electricity from your home! It could be time to look into an electrical panel upgrade.
2. Flickering Lights or Dimming Lights
Do you have problems with just one light that flickers sometimes? Or do you have lights flickering throughout your house? If it’s just one, it’s probably safe to say the problem is with the wiring for that specific light (we can help with that too!). If it’s multiple lights flickering in your home, there’s something bigger at play. The same goes for multiple dimming lights! Lights in your house can dim when the electrical load on a circuit increases. Have you ever noticed your lights dimming when you use another appliance like a vacuum, hairdryer, or microwave? These appliances are pulling a lot of electricity that your home may be struggling to provide. This can overheat your electrical system, including the panel itself, the wires, or even the receptacles, putting your home at risk of a fire.
3. Signs the Circuit Breaker Is Damaged
Unless you’ve been having problems with your home’s electricity, there’s likely no reason you’d be looking at your circuit breaker. But if you’ve been noticing problems with tripping breakers, flickering lights, or other electrical issues, you should take a peek at it. When you go out to your circuit breaker, check it for things like:
- Rust
- Burnt areas or black spots (these may appear on outlets as well)
- Buzzing sounds
- Temperature (does it feel hot to the touch?)
- Discolored outlets
- Burning smells or fish-like odors
Any of these symptoms could be a sign that something’s wrong with your circuit breaker, so don’t ignore them! Call Morris-Jenkins to have a professional electrician come inspect your electrical panel as soon as possible to make sure things stay safe in your home.
4. Your Electrical Panel Is Outdated
Back in the day, people didn’t need so much electricity in their homes. But now, we have all kinds of gaming devices, fancier appliances, and just generally more things we plug in around the house. If your home is older, it might not be able to keep up with the high electrical demands. Not only that, but your electrical panel might not even be up to modern code standards—it could be defective or even dangerous!
5. You Have One of These Electrical Panels
Certain circuit breakers are dangerous! If your home has any of these brands, we strongly suggest you consider replacing your electrical panel:
- Federal Pacific Electric (FPE)
- Stab Lok
- Zinsco
- Sylvania
- Challenger
- Eaton/Cutler Hammer
Some of these electrical panel brands have even been involved in class action lawsuits against them because of their track record for failing. An electrical panel that’s prone to failing isn’t just annoying, but it puts your family and your home in danger. These electrical panels all have their own issues, but overall, they’re at a higher risk of failing and catching on fire. Not only that, but some of them put electricians who work on your home at risk of shock as well!
Wanna learn more about these dangerous circuit breakers? We’ve got an article with everything you need to know! Click here.
Ready to Replace Your Circuit Breaker?
Even if your circuit breaker isn’t causing major problems, if you’ve been noticing any of these warning signs, it’s worth calling a professional to inspect it. It’s better safe than sorry! Some of these problems may start small, like dimming lights, but over time, they could cause damage to your circuit breaker or even risk catching fire. Don’t ignore the signs that your circuit breaker may be dangerous. Electricity is something your family relies on every day—let us help make sure it works right.
