Signs You May Need Circuit Breaker Change Outs in Oakdale, CA

Your home’s circuit breakers are made to last a long time, and since they’re usually out of sight, they are often overlooked during maintenance and inspections. To avoid problems with your electricity, check your electrical service panel from time to time or call a professional to take a look. Failing to maintain breakers can put your home at risk for electrical fires or result in a malfunction that turns off all the electricity to your house.

Remember, safety first—never touch an electrical panel that looks faulty. Here are some common sources of breaker damage, and signs you may need circuit breaker change outs in Oakdale, CA.

Sources of circuit breaker damage

As you may or may not know, a circuit breaker is an electrical switch designed to protect you and your home’s or commercial building’s wiring from damage—basically, breakers are safety mechanisms:

• Overloading the system: An electrical overload happens when too much amperage flows into a circuit. This is often called a power surge, and is commonly caused by having too many electrical appliances or devices plugged into a single power source. Lightning strikes also contribute to power overloads.
• Experiencing short circuits: A short circuit is a sudden and unexpected flow of electricity through conductive materials. When you experience a short circuit, it’s because of damaged power lines or wires touching that are not supposed to.

Signs you may need to replace your circuit breaker

Though circuit breakers are strong, they still age, wear out and break, so it would behoove you to be aware of impending problems. It’s important that you don’t ignore the following signs of faulty breaker hardware:

• Breakers flip often: Although quality circuit breakers are long lasting, they will eventually need replacing. One sign that you should replace a breaker is when it begins to flip erratically. This action points to an old or worn-out circuit breaker still trying to function all the way to its end. However, it’s important to note that a flipping breaker does not always mean there are no other issues with your home’s electrical system.
• Breakers can’t hold a reset: In the event that your breaker flips, you need to check the breaker box and reset the switches that have flipped. Doing this should get your power back up, but sometimes the breaker will flip again almost immediately. This is an indication that there is likely an issue with the breaker itself.
• There’s a burning smell or evidence of electrical fires: Electrical fires are extremely dangerous and tend to occur in places that are not easily seen. They are often started when wires inside an electrical panel wear down or when your home is using more power than the system can safely support. If you notice strange burning smells, the breakers are hot or there’s charring inside your breaker box, call a professional electrician right away.

Catering to residential homes, commercial buildings and industrial facilities, Wilkinson Electric Inc. is your go-to electrical professional for circuit breaker change outs in Oakdale, CA and more. Contact us today to learn more about the services we offer!

Categorised in: Circuit Breaker Change Outs

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