Electricity is such an important part of our lives, but it isn’t all good. Sometimes power can put us in danger and cause us a massive loss. And often, we just face severe inconvenience when the electricity turns its back on us.
Summer season aggravates all the electrical troubles homeowners can face. If you have suffered a minor electrical issue during the winter or spring and haven’t got it fixed, get ready for it to haunt you in the summer. Moreover, the sheer inconvenience is overwhelming.
That’s why I have put together this post on the major electrical issues you can face in summer. As bonus content, I have added some tips you can follow to avoid such situations.
Typical electrical problems that occur in summer
1. Increased electrical load
Buzzing sounds, overheated plugs, flickering lights, sparks from plugs, and tripped circuit breakers are all signs of overloading. In summer, the air conditioner is always on, and the use of appliances, in general, is more in the summer season. If you’re facing this situation, you need to get your panels upgraded. That should fix it and keep you safe.
2. Issues with aluminum wiring
If your house has got wires made of aluminum, you need to read this. Now, aluminum is a metal that faces the wrath of all seasons. It expands & contracts in heat & cold respectively. This constant expansion and contraction causes problems like faulty and rusty wiring, loose connections and overheating. If you’re facing any of these troubles, you need get the installation inspected by a trained electrician.
3. Electrical problems due to storms
There are two types of storms that are very common in summer – windy storms and lightning storms. Windy storms can damage the electrical wiring outside your home and may result in disruption of electricity supply to your home. Lightning storms can cause sudden power surge leading to overloading and damage to the electrical appliances in your home. Both of the situations require a professional electrician. If your area receives frequent lightning storms, you must get a surge protector device installed in your house.
4. Excessive power surges
Power surges happen because of heavy electrical appliances like air conditioners, refrigerators, and ovens. These devices draw a lot of power and can sometimes cause you trouble due to overloading or excessive use of big appliances at one time. These can also result due to lightning storms. The recent spike in the power can cause damage to the devices and sometimes, even cause an electrical fire. As I mentioned in the previous point, there are surge protectors to help you avoid this situation. It’s also a wise move to turn off the expensive big appliances in your home during a storm.
5. Blackouts and brownouts
Blackouts usually happen because of massive storms. You get stuck without power supply for hours. A backup generator is a must-have in a situation like this, unless and until you’re ready to live with just candles for so many hours.
Brownouts are situations when the power supply is disrupted, and the appliances get less supply than usually required. These can cause overheating of devices and can even result in short circuit. Therefore, you should switch off your devices until the brownout end. A backup generator will come handy in this case as well.
How to avoid these common summertime electrical problems?
1. Keep the number of an electrician in your emergency contacts list
You need a reliable and licensed electrician. It might be some damage due to a power surge or just a tripped circuit breaker you can’t fix yourself; all these problems happen much more often in summer. If you haven’t already got your electrician’s number in your emergency contacts list, you need to do it immediately. In case, you need to find a new electrician, just use our service pro finder services.
2. Install surge protectors
We have already talked about it before. Surge protectors can save your appliances and electrical fitting. But keep in mind that rightly installed surge protection equipment is crucial. If you install a surge protector, and it isn’t done right, it’ll not work at all to tone down the power surge. In fact, it may worsen the situation. So, be careful with the installation.
3. Get a backup power supply
If you’re working from home or if you totally cannot survive without electricity even for a minute, you need backup power supply options. If not that, you should at least have a set-up to install a temporary generator which you can bring in during an extended blackout.
4. Maintain proper electrical infrastructure
During summer, the electrical wiring in your house goes through massive stress. The humidity, heat, and usual wear & tear can lead to malfunctions which can be deadly. Make sure you address the issues of overheating, loose wiring, sparks, etc. very thoroughly. There shouldn’t be any delay in getting these issues fixed.
There you have it. You have got the list of electrical problems you’re most likely to face in summer and also, four effective steps to avoid such situations or just tone down their impact on you. What do you think? Did these tips seem helpful to you?
