Common Electrical Problems that Occur in the Summer Months

We have become so highly dependent upon electricity in our daily lives that a power outage is debilitating to most of us. From the simple loss of lighting to more pressing issues like our food spoiling and suffering with the indoor heat or cold—the level of inconvenience experienced when the electricity goes out is beyond measure. It is also important to recognize that certain electrical problems can cause losses and danger to your home and family.

At Gervais Electric, Inc. we take tremendous pride in our top-rated products and services. We want to take this opportunity to offer our valued clients insight on some of the most common electrical problems that occur during the hot summer months.

The summer season certainly aggravates the many electrical issues that homeowners find themselves faced with. Here is a helpful list of common issues you may very well face this summer and some tips on how to avoid them.

INCREASED ELECTRICAL OVERLOAD

• When sparks from plugs, flickering lights, overheated receptacles, buzzing sounds, and tripped circuit breakers are present, rest assure overloading has occurred. In the summertime, your air conditioning is on a good majority of the time, if not every day. In addition, people tend to use more appliances in the summer months as well. If you find yourself faced with these scenarios this summer, then perhaps it’s time to upgrade your electrical panel, which will not only resolve the problems but keep your home and family safe.

POWER OUTAGES DUE TO SUMMER STORMS

• Although mostly beautiful weather, summer also brings with it wind, lightning and thunderstorms. Wind storms can cause damage to the electrical wires outside of your house, resulting in disruption to the supply of electricity to your home. Thunder and lightning storms often cause sudden power surges that ultimately result in overloading and can even cause damage to the electrical appliances and devices in your home. If faced with these situations, please do not attempt to resolve the electrical problems on your own, but rather reach out to our highly skilled and licensed electricians to identify problems and provide effective solutions. One ideal solution to storm problems may very well be to invest and install a surge protector device or power regulator in your home.

CONSISTENT POWER SURGES

• When power-demanding electrical appliances such as air conditioners, stoves, and refrigerators are all in use at the same time they draw a lot of power and can contribute to overloading. Surges can occur because of lightning storms as well. Whatever the source of the problem, if the power surges are excessive they can, over time, result in electrical fires. For this reason, be sure to turn off and unplug appliances and devices during a lightning storm. To minimize the risk of overload and fires, again we recommend you invest and install surge protectors in your home.

BLACKOUTS AND BROWNOUTS

• With summer storms comes blackouts. Typically, blackouts occur during these massive storms and homeowners are often left without a power supply for hours and in some cases, even days. Being proactive in this situation by investing in a backup generator will keep you out of the dark during a massive storm. Brownouts are much different than blackouts. They occur when your power supply is interfered with causing a minimized supply of power to your appliances and devices. Brownouts can cause overheating of appliances and devices which often results in a short circuit. You should make certain to turn off and unplug as many devices and appliances during a brownout and know that the backup generator you purchase for blackouts will also come in handy with brownouts.

With summer right around the corner, we thought it useful to make our clients aware of the common electrical problems that can occur and offer a few practical yet simple solutions to each. Remember, whether summer, spring, winter or fall, if you need a reliable, professional licensed electrician then we are the team for you. At Gervais Electric we stand ready to serve you with all your electrical needs. Simply give a call out to our experts today. We look forward to serving you and to providing you with the best all round products and services this side of Tennessee. Don’t delay. Contact us today!!