17 Apr Signs your wiring may be faulty

Faulty wiring is one of the main causes of electrical failure. It can be harmless or extremely dangerous, and for this reason, it should be approached by a professional.

If you believe that you are experiencing the symptoms of faulty wiring, here are some of the signs your wiring may be faulty to help you diagnose your problem:

Computer blips

If you have experienced a momentary loss of power to your computer (which is usually characterised by your computer’s fan slowing down and your monitor blipping off momentarily), the cause could be faulty wiring. Sometimes, the loss of power may be so fast that your computer is able to recover itself without switching off.

Dimming lights or brightening lights

If any of the lights in your home, office or commercial building suddenly dim or become brighter, there could be a problem with your wiring. Lights dim when they receive too little power, and they brighten when they receive too much. This is usually caused by an imbalance between the positive and negative wires.

Hot electrical outlets

Electrical outlets should never have a temperature. They should be cool to the touch. If they feel hot or warm, then they are faulty and they should be replaced immediately. A hot electrical outlet is usually caused by bad wiring inside or near the outlet.

The odour of burning plastic

Wires are surrounded by plastic to protect you from their electrical current. Sometimes, the plastic surround of a wire can melt. If you smell burning plastic, and you can’t source the point of the smell, then it could be that one of your wires has gone bad.

Buzzing appliance sounds

If you hear buzzing sounds coming from an appliance, 95 per cent of the time it will be caused by a fault with the appliance itself. However, the extra 5 per cent of the time it might be wiring that has become damaged or wet. This is particularly true with hard-wired appliances, such as electric ovens and hobs.

No power

Lastly, we’ll point out the obvious. If you have no power to one or more of your appliances, such as your computer and fridge, or your TV and your speakers, then the wiring might have gone bad. This could be for a variety of reasons. For example, a rat might have chewed through the wire, or the wire might have snagged. Reset your switchboard and see if that cures your problem. If not, then we recommend you call an electrician.