5 Common Electrical Issues and What to Do If They Happen to You
Electrical issues in your commercial building can become serious problems. Educate yourself about these top issues and what to do if they occur.
In older office buildings, it’s easy to think that the walls must contain ghosts. Lights go out on their own, noises and chirps permeate the place. Is it haunted or is it riddled with electrical issues?
It’s probably got more to do with the wires than the supernatural. Though, a fair cross-section of ghost hunters are former electricians and plumbers…
Most often strange occurrences are the product of electrical systems slowly decaying. They don’t tend to go all at once and while the energy flow fades, strange things happen.
Get on top of your office woes by learning to identify and repair some common power problems.
Electrical Issues and Solutions
The following issues can occur at any time in any place. Even a brand new building can have connections that weren’t thoroughly tested.
Don’t attempt to fix most of these yourself. Be safe and contact an emergency electrician to prevent fire and injury.
1. Surges
The most common kind of electricity problems are surges. These ultra-fast jolts of too much power cause overloads and heat bursts.
You normally notice them from lights getting really bright for a moment and then calming down. In the worst cases, you will hear a bulb pop as it overheats.
Infrequent surges can happen from fluctuations in the grid. If you notice them happening frequently, best to call for help to get the connections looked at.
2. Bulb Burnout
Is maintenance replacing a set of bulbs practically every week? Does it seem like your dumpster is filled to the brim with nearly new tubes and spirals?
Frequent bulb burnout happens when the bulbs are getting too much voltage, are fixed too tightly, or have improper cooling. All of these issues put too much heat into the element, causing the bulb to burn through material.
3. Smoke and Scroches
Smoke and scorch marks coming from around outlets and connections are signs of cheaply constructed wires in the fixtures. Older buildings are rife with aluminum wires which oxidized easily and spark frequently.
Replace these wires with higher-grade copper writing to keep the power in the lines and reduce the risk of electrical fires.
4. Sags and Dips
Working on that big report when suddenly the screen flickers and the computer resets? It seems like you only lost power for an instant but now everything is back on.
When the power regulator switches, which you normally know as surge protectors, are going out they can permit too little power through, causing dips.
Replace powerstrips and power controllers to keep the right current flowing.
5. Surging Bills
The most vague but most pressing of all electrical troubleshooting comes from irregularly high power bills. When average power consumption shoots up, it’s a sign of problems in the walls.
Multiple things can be wrong to cause excess consumption. The most common causes are inefficient systems, system leaks, and damaged wiring.
Tracking down the problem requires voltmeters and testing. A good place to start is doing some math on your devices and comparing that to the total cost of your bills.
Get Powered Up!
Most electrical issues have simple solutions and simple signs. some get more complicated and come from an interlinked source.
When in doubt, contact a powerful power professional to solve your energy troubles.
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(509) 290-6950 Fax
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