Electrical circuits consist of wires that run throughout your home. The organization of these wires is strictly controlled by wiring regulations, these are designed to improve safety for you at home. The wires can be hidden in your walls or run in trunking along your walls. You should know where your wiring is to ensure you don’t accidentally screw or drill into them.
Every electrical circuit is rated. For example, a lighting circuit generally uses a 1.5mm cable with no more than eight lights on a circuit. If you have too many lights on the circuit then the electricity draw will be too high, potentially causing issues.
The Danger Of Overloading
If it’s working you may not feel it an issue. However, all electrical circuits generate heat, an overloaded circuit will generate excessive heat. This can simply result in your circuit breaker tripping, depriving you of power to part of your home.
However, the heat can also cause the wire casings to melt, allowing the exposed wires to connect with each other. This creates a spark which can, with the aid of nearby flammable material, cause a fire to start in your home.
The result is a damaged home or even the loss of life. If you spot one of the following three signs that your electrical panel is overloaded you should contact a reputable Sydney electrician straight away.
1. Tripping Circuit Breakers
The circuit breakers in your home are designed to shut the power off if there is a fault in the circuit. In most cases, they are very effective. If your circuit breaker trips then you can turn it back on. However, if it keeps doing it you have a fault.
The most common faults are a bad appliance or too many items on the same circuit.
Unplug everything, and turn the breaker back on. You can then plug the items in one at a time. Repeat the process, if the same item causes the breaker to trip you probably have a bad appliance. But, if it’s a different item each time the circuit is probably overloaded. You’ll need to plug some of the items into a different circuit or upgrade to one of the Cutler Hammer Circuit Breakers.
2. Dimming or Flickering Lights
Another common sign that the circuit is overloaded is when your lights dim by themselves. If this happens regularly or they flicker you are probably drawing too much power on the circuit. You’ll need to shut the power off and get expert assistance.
You don’t need to have increased the number of lights on a circuit for this to happen. Bulb changes can increase the current draw and old wiring is less capable of delivering the necessary power.
3. Burning Smells and Buzzing Noises
Electrical burning gives a very distinct odor, you’ll recognize it as soon as you smell it. This shows the cables have got too warm and the rubber coating is starting to melt. You need to shut the supply off to the affected circuit, it’s almost certainly overloaded.
Buzzing noises when you operate switches or sparks from the switch also suggest the same issue.
The sooner you get it fixed the better.
