When electrical problems threaten your home, you need emergency electrical repair in Beaumont, CA. From lighting and wiring problems to surge protection and other power outage solutions, calling for emergency services sooner rather than later saves you money and inconvenience, and it even protects the health and safety of your household. At Home Team Electric, we take electrical system failures seriously and know you do too.

Causes of Electrical System Failures

A failing electrical system causes more than flickering lights and limited access to power. If your home’s electrical system experiences short circuits and frequent power surges and or if it has issues like frayed or otherwise damaged wiring, you and anyone in the household risks burns, electrical shock, and electrocution. Structural fires can also occur.

While electrical hazards cause dangerous situations, you can prevent the direst ones by knowing the factors that contribute to them.

Circuit breaker failure is a leading cause of many household electrical emergencies. By design, circuit breakers stop the flow of electricity when the power exceeds the circuit’s load capacity. The standard amperage for the average household circuit breaker is 15 amps or 20 amps, but it can only handle a load of about 80% of the specified amperage. For example, a 15-amp circuit breaker would likely trip if an appliance tried drawing more than 12 amps of electricity from the circuit. If a circuit becomes overloaded, the breaker trips and stops the electrical flow. However, if the breaker doesn’t trip, it can damage the wiring over time, leading to electrical fires.

You can tell you have circuit breaker problems if you notice any of these issues in your home.
  • Buzzing outlets or switches
  • Lights can’t maintain their normal brightness levels
  • Warm outlets or switches
  • Appliances, like dishwashers, water heaters, and washing machines, operate slower than usual

Grounding issues can also cause electrical system failure. Grounding keeps circuits from becoming damaged and electrical overloads from happening, especially during power surges. Many people erroneously believe power surges only happen from lightning strikes. However, unnoticeable power surges occur every day in households and can slowly damage your system. These surges, even tiny ones, can cause arc flashes in your home’s wiring, start a fire, and shock anyone near the outlet or switch when they happen.

The most common indication that your home’s electrical system isn’t grounded properly is the existence of two-prong outlets instead of three-prong outlets. The third prong provides the grounding. Homes built in the 1960s or before typically don’t have three-pronged outlets because local building codes didn’t require them. If your home has two-prong outlets, schedule emergency electrical repair and installation to protect your property and your household’s safety.

Have you noticed that your home’s electrical panel appears rusty or corroded? This happens when water gets into the panel during heavy rainstorms, usually a hole near the meter box. The panel might also need resealing to prevent moisture from entering it.

Situations like these can be extremely dangerous. Water and electricity should never mix, rendering the need for emergency electrical repair ASAP. An electrical fire could spark at any moment. Emergency electricians know how to handle these situations safely. The most common repair methods for a water-damaged electrical panel include replacing the circuit breaker panel and replacing the meter box. If you see water dripping from your electrical panel or water streaks on the wall where it’s attached, don’t open the box. Contact an emergency electrician immediately.