Signs That Your Breaker Box Needs The Help Of An Electrician
The breaker box is an important piece of the entire electrical system. If it is not functioning properly, you could lose electricity throughout your entire home. Take a moment to review the following signs that there might be something wrong with the breaker box so that you can get it fixed as quickly as possible. This way, you will have a smaller chance of finding yourself without any power in the house.
Breakers Keep Turning Off On Their Own
Having one breaker constantly flip into the off position might just be a problem with the breaker itself. Simply replacing the breaker might solve the problem. However, when you have several breakers always flipping off, it might be a deeper problem with the main wiring that comes into the home. Then again, all of your breakers might be extremely old and will need to be replaced. A licensed electrician will be able to figure out the problem and suggest the best course of action to repair it all.
You Smell Something Burning Or Melting
Do not make the mistake that you are not in danger of a major fire as long as you do not see flames and smoke pouring out of the breaker box. A bad electrical connection or chewed wires could smoulder and melt the wire coating for a while because any flames begin. Therefore, it would not hurt to occasionally check out the breaker box and take a quick whiff of air once you open its little door. If you smell anything that reminds you of fire or plastic melting, you need to take immediate action. Flip the main power off, evacuate the house, and call emergency services. Once emergency services has made sure that there is no immediate danger of fire, you will want to call an emergency electrician.
The Box Feels Warm To The Touch
Open the door to the breaker box. Gently touch the metal plate between the rows of breakers to see if you feel any warmth. The breaker box should be cold or no warmer than room temperature. If it appears to be warmer than that, you might have a serious problem that could result in a house fire.
As you can see, knowing when your breaker box needs a little professional attention is all about paying attention. You also have to make sure that you are taking immediate action by calling for a skilled and properly licensed electrician like RDS Electric.