Better Safe Than Sorry: Knowing When to Call in an Electrician

by

Larry Winter

If you are experiencing electrical problems in your home and you are not sure whether you need to call for the help of a certified electrician, the general rule of thumb is to seek professional help whenever you feel that the job is too complicated or dangerous for you to handle by yourself.

Here are some common electrical glitches that can spell disaster if proper and timely repairs are not made by the right person:

Sometimes a floor lamp or other electrical device that does not turn on is the result of a shorted out wall outlet. Before you can arrive at this conclusion and call an electrician, there are several things to check first.

Inspect the cord of the appliance to make sure that it is intact. It is easy to damage an electrical cord and produce a short if it is run over and damaged by the brushes of your vacuum cleaner.

Check the prongs of the plug. Make sure they are straight and that they make a solid connection to the wall outlet. If they are crooked, use some pliers to bend them straight again.

Use an electrical tester to check if the outlet has power. If it does not, check the circuit box for a blown circuit.

It is easy to tell if a circuit has popped. The switch will be in the centre position and will feel loose when jiggled. Flipping it back to the on position usually solves the problem, but sometimes it can pop again. If it does, do not flip it back on again yet. Check to see if there are too many electrical devices on the circuit and unplug any unnecessary ones.

If the same circuit pops continually, this can be the sign of a serious electrical problem. It is best to call a certified electrician rather than messing about with your wiring. He will repair the problem and may suggest installing an additional circuit if your appliances continually cause overloads.

Most light flickers are caused by bulbs that are loose or about to burn out, especially if they are the old-style, incandescent-type ones. Try tightening the bulb first. If this does not solve the problem, you may have a short circuit somewhere in the wiring. An electrical problem of this sort is dangerous and should only be repaired by a professional.

If you must constantly replace light bulbs in certain areas of your house before they reach their expected lifespan or if some light bulbs suddenly grow dim or excessively bright, you may have a bad main neutral connection. A problem of this type is destructive to all electrical appliances and will get progressively worse. You must call an experienced electrician immediately.

Brought to you by Larry Winter, he recommends Mr. Electric 2446 Bank St Ottawa, ON K1V 1A8? Towngate Shopping Mall (613) 232-0800 for professional electrician in Ottawa.

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