Electricity has become a part of our daily lives and as long as everything is working properly, we probably aren’t paying much attention to it. But when load shedding occurs or our DB board trips, our reliance on electricity for pretty much everything we do is very readily apparent. 

Over the years, we have been called out to fix many electrical faults, and we have noticed that some problems crop up far more often than others. Here are the five most common faults that we see in homes around the country, and why you shouldn’t just leave them alone.

Common Electrical Faults

Plugs not working

If a power outlet in your home isn’t working properly, this can be very dangerous! An outlet that doesn’t work could be caused by a problem in several areas, from the outlet itself to the wires in your walls and ceiling, or it could be a problem with that whole circuit. Even if you unplug everything from that wall socket, a damaged cable in the wall could lead to problems, from tripping your Earth leakage, to causing a fire in your wall or ceiling! This type of electrical fault is often left ignored, until it creates a major problem. Rather get the plug disconnected completely if you have no need for it.

Lights not working

Do you have a light fitting that feels unlucky compared to the others? If you have downlights that you keep replacing the bulbs, or one room seems to need new bulbs faster than all the others, this can indicate a loose connection. Downlights are sensitive to several things, including temperature changes, vibrations and any change in voltage. If you are replacing bulbs in a specific fitting more often than the lights nearby, you should have an electrician check for loose connections that could be causing the problem.

Earth leakage tripping

This is a serious problem that should be addressed as soon as possible! Your Earth leakage circuit breaker is a safety mechanism, and if something is happening that is causing it to trip, then it could indicate that something dangerous is happening inside your home. If your Earth leakage is tripping, this could indicate a short-circuit, an overloaded circuit, or that a circuit is leaking electricity https://www.energymatters.com.au/marketplace/do-you-have-an-electricity-leak-heres-your-guide-to-find-out/. Contact an electrician to find the fault, as you could be putting your family at risk.

Geyser not working

Geysers require a fair amount of power and are often somewhere hard to reach! They have their own dedicated circuit, and there is a breaker near the geyser to make sure that they can’t be turned on by accident while someone is working on them. As useful as geysers are, they involve water, and water and electricity are a dangerous combination! A leaking geyser could drip water onto wires or electrical components, which will cause the system to trip. If you have a geyser that stops working properly, be careful about trying to find the problem and fix it yourself!

Circuit breaker tripping

If a circuit breaker is tripping, there is a good chance that you are demanding too much power on that one circuit! Many houses weren’t built with modern technology in mind. Bedrooms were converted into home offices, or entertainment areas. If a circuit has too many devices drawing power, it could exceed the Amps that the circuit is designed to provide. A circuit breaker tripping could also be due to bad wiring on the appliances connected to that circuit. Continued use could be dangerous, so contact us about this problem.

If any of these issues sound familiar, contact us today and get it fixed before it becomes a bigger problem.