What Are the Signs of an Overloaded Circuit?
Watching a house go dark as soon as someone plugs in the Christmas lights might create the perfect iconic movie scene. But, our professional electricians know that something more sinister is occurring when the power instantly shuts off.
Electrical circuits play a valuable role in your Tampa home’s safety by shutting off the power once they detect overloading. Since overloaded wires can spark or get hot enough to cause a fire, it’s important to find out what caused the problem when you plan a circuit repair.
Our expert electricians want to help you protect your home from serious electrical fires by making it easier to detect the signs of an overloaded circuit.
Watch Out for These Signs of a Circuit Overload
Dealing with a power outage isn’t the only sign that it’s time to call for a circuit breaker repair. Noticing these issues can help you catch overloaded circuit problems early enough to reduce the risk of fires in your home.
1. Noticing the Circuit Breakers Keep Tripping
In some cases, a circuit replacement might be necessary to fix an old, worn-out component. But, you could also see the circuit trip when it detects a heavy power load.
This might happen during a power surge that occurs during a storm. If the circuit trips again after resetting it, then you can suspect that overloading could be to blame.
2. Flickering or Dimming Lights
Sometimes, the circuit doesn’t trip right away. Instead, you may notice the lights dimming slightly when one electrical device draws too much power and the system tries to compensate.
3. Feeling Warmth or Seeing Discolored Outlets and Switches
Noticing that a circuit feels warm is a serious sign that you need to call our electrician for an inspection. This means that overheating is already occurring.
While the circuit breaker should trip to shut off power, discoloration around outlets and switches means the wiring could be getting hot enough to cause a fire or burn.
4. Detecting Burning Odors or Buzzing Sounds
Buzzing often indicates that the circuit is struggling with demand. Smelling burning, especially like plastic, is a sign that you may need to shut off the main breaker before calling our electrician.
5. Relying on Extension Cords and Power Strips
Most electrical outlets are designed to have enough places to plug in the normal amount of appliances to match the load availability. Once you start using power strips and extension cords, it’s likely that you’re exceeding the capacity.
6. Finding That Appliances Run Hot
When appliances have to work harder to draw the power they need to operate properly, they’ll quickly get warm and start overheating. If you’ve recently installed a new appliance, then our electrician can help to increase the capacity during a circuit breaker replacement.
Know What to Do When You Suspect an Overloaded Circuit Breaker
Being proactive can help you avoid house fires and be able to enjoy using your favorite appliances. Following these steps will help you figure out the cause of tripped breakers and identify solutions that improve your safety and comfort at home.
Unplug All Non-Essential Devices
Reducing the load on the system can help you use your appliances while you wait for our electrician to repair circuit problems. If you aren’t using the toaster or coffee maker, then unplugging them for now can temporarily resolve the issue long enough to manage essential needs.
Try Spreading Appliances Across More Circuits
It’s possible that you just have too many appliances plugged into an outlet. This is especially common in home offices where you might be charging multiple electronic devices, running lights and other equipment such as printers.
Call a Licensed Electrician
Most of the things you can do to address an overloaded circuit are temporary fixes. At some point, you’ll plug in a device that causes the breaker to trip again. Giving our Tampa plumbers a call helps you find long-term solutions to frustrating power outages.
Upgrade Your Home’s Electrical System
As technology brings more smart appliances into your home, it’s common to need to upgrade the electrical system. When our electrician inspects your home’s system, they might recommend replacing circuit breaker components or doing a full panel upgrade. Either way, you’ll be able to sleep peacefully at night knowing you’re house is less at risk of having a fire break out.
Why Can You Trust Tampa Mister Sparky?
When you call Mister Sparky, you’ll be in touch with professional electricians who know the electrical codes by heart. If we find that the load on a circuit exceeds the recommended guidelines, then we’ll offer options that may include redistributing the load or installing new circuits.
You can also rely on us to provide these services that make it easier to trust the results of our work.
- Inspect all outlets and appliances that are impacted by the overload
- Recommend solutions to reduce energy use, such as installing LED lights
- Perform accurate load calculations
- Replace circuit breaker components or upgrade the wiring
Pro Tip: Avoid exceeding 80% of the circuit breaker’s maximum rating, especially with continuous loads. We can explain how to calculate a load when we visit your home.
Don’t Feel Overloaded by Electrical Issues: Call Our Friendly Electrician
Realizing that your essential appliances won’t work can instantly spark a bad mood. Plus, it’s sometimes frustrating trying to figure out which parts of your house are on the same circuit. When you’re struggling with an overloaded circuit, don’t put up with any malarky, just call Mr. Sparky.
Our trusty electricians can quickly identify the cause of circuit overloads, and we can find permanent solutions to tricky problems. Replacing or upgrading a circuit can help you avoid breaking the 80% rule. When time is of the essence, give us a call to find the perfect solution to your Tampa home’s electrical issues.