Electricity is a necessary but fickle beast, and electrical repair issues are some of the most common we see among all our services at Whipple. It’s understandable, after all: Even for seemingly minor issues, the slight danger posed by unchecked electricity causes many people to naturally be cautious about any potential problems

We’re here to help with all your possible electrical service issues, and there can be many of them. Let’s take a look at a few of the most common electrical problems.

Outlet Issues

We all know this issue – you go to plug in an item, you get a brief spark, and then the outlet is useless.

Sometimes, this is just a poor connection that may have resulted from a breaker reset. In this case, you may have to find the location of the poor connection along the circuit (or have an electrician help you do so). In other cases, half of an outlet may work while the other doesn’t, often because your use over time has loosened the holding capability of one half or the other. Finally, there are certain bathroom, kitchen, or outdoor outlets which will naturally go dead when what’s called a “ground-fault interrupter” (GFI) senses a problem that might shock the homeowner.

Light Bulbs and Fixtures

You might find your light bulbs are burning out at a high rate, or flickering and blinking. These could be due to a poor connection, or in many cases just because you’re buying the wrong kind of bulb (check this on your own before calling an electrician).

There are other light bulbs with build-in “cutout” features to stave off overheating, though again, this will often only activate as a sign that you’ve bought the wrong kind of bulb. Other bulbs may burn too brightly or dimly, which could be a sign of a bad neutral connection and may require attention.

Circuit Breaker

Most circuit breaker issues actually trace to other areas along the circuit being protected. The most common cause of circuit breaker tripping is the use of a microwave or hairdryer, items which can overload the system.

Wall Switches

Wall switches will often get warm or have basic performance issues – often when two different light switches control the same light, one or the other can go bad. Sometimes switches won’t appear to control anything at all. Usually, these issues are due to faulty replacements, but there can be other reasons.

This is just a small sampling of potential issues. Electrical wiring, breaker, switch, and other issues can crop up at any time, and our electricians at Whipple are here to serve you if you need a hand.