How Do I Know When I Need a New Electrical outlet?
Determining when you need a new electrical outlet can often feel like you’re playing psychic. Oftentimes, a damaged electrical outlet can keep working until one day, it suddenly fails – and you’re stuck with a broken outlet, no power to your device, or in some cases in your entire room. Find out when you need a new electrical outlet so you won’t be stuck with a massive invoice.
Electrical outlets are generally quite hardy, and can last years before they need to be replaced. However, a damaged electrical outlet can be quite difficult to fix; add years of wear and tear on top of that, and it often makes more sense just to buy a new electrical outlet altogether.
As previously mentioned, electrical outlets will only need to be replaced many years after installed in your home sometimes 10, 20, 30 or even longer. However, if you’re not sure of when you need a new electrical outlet, then this list of damaged electrical outlet symptoms should help you determine when it’s time to call in the professionals:
- You are having issues keeping things plugged in. If you have a sloppy or loose electrical outlet then you have a fire hazard. Replace only with a receptacle of the same type & value. For instance if you have a 15 amp receptacle don’t replace it with a 20 ! Your wiring might not be able to handle it. Also if you don’t have grounded receptacles don’t replace them with grounded unless you have a ground wire or plan on running new wire. Using a grounded outlet that isn’t grounded can give someone a false sense of security and could injure or seriously harm someone.
- Electrical outlets not working
- An outage from a circuit breaker tripping
- Several lights that blink strangely
- Receptacles dead because a tripping GFCI won’t reset
- Or three-way switches having trouble
- You have no power from your outlet
- If the wall outlet appears discolored, this is a major warning sign of burning around your outlet or wall. If you see a discolored outlet, you should never attempt to use this outlet. Instead, find a qualified electrician and have him examine the outlet.
- If you plug up an electrical device (such as a toaster) and you then experience a tingling sensation when you touch that appliance, this sensation could be an indication of electrical trouble.
- If you’ve had your electrical outlet for a couple of decades, you might want to contact an electrician to give your outlets and house wiring a check-up. Older outlets may properly function now, but like with anything, it can quickly break down and result in an expensive damages to your home like a fire or even . Sometimes it is better to spare yourself the hassle of repair outlets – and the cost – by replacing an old electrical outlet system with a new one.
Self-diagnosing a damaged electrical outlet can be difficult; that’s why it’s often better to leave the process up to the professionals. If you suspect that you need a new electrical outlet, don’t wait for it to completely break down before contacting your local Electrician. As greater Atlanta’s honest electrician for over 13 years, we have become synonymous with superior quality, expert installation and lighting services and unparalleled customer service. As a result, Atlanta’s residents know which company to turn to for all of their electrical installations and troubleshooting assistance. Cameron Electric provides wiring electrical outlets, outdoor electrical outlet installation, floor receptacle installation and repair, light switches, fixtures and outlet replacement to keep your home safe. In addition, Cameron Electric they specialize in commercial, business, and industrial installation and repairs. We are now serving Atlanta, Decatur, Dunwoody, Alpharetta, Roswell and Buckhead.