Most people know that troubleshooting is the process of solving a problem but when it comes to electrical in electricity, troubleshooting is done when there is an electrical fault. Electrical troubleshooting can be defined as an act of determining faults in an electric circuit by analyzing the behavior and operation of the faulty circuit, after which repairs are made to the defective component.
The Electrical Trouble Shooting Process
Step 1
The first stage of electrical troubleshooting is to observe the circuit that you are dealing with. Careful observation is carried out to find faults in the circuit. Usually, in this process, there are certain things to be done to ensure standard/thorough examination is carried out. The circuit is checked for visual indications of mechanical damage, which can be seen as indications of impact, strained wires, and sometimes loose components. Also, signs of overheating in the circuit should be checked. This process requires not just visual observation but also entails the good use of the sense of smell. The temperature at which it runs should be observed, and it is important to know the history of the circuit, in case of past complaints issued, and the components to which previous problems were reported.
Step 2
The second stage is defining the problem area. This entails the application of logic and reasoning to the observations that were made in the first step. When defining the problem area, it is important to be able to draw from your observations the part of the circuit that works fine and the parts that do not and try to use your findings to isolate the fault in the area. This task will be easier if you possess a schematic diagram of the circuit so that your work would just be marking out points on the layout where faults were observed at.
Step 3
The third stage involves identifying possible causes, and this is done after you have successfully identified the problem areas. Mainly, thinking of possible causes of the problem with the components with issues in mind. It can be done by writing down the parts with possible causes to the fault in the circuit.
Step 4
In the final stage, we determine the most probable cause of the fault in the circuit. This is done by comparing the findings from visual observations with the identified problem areas and then using this knowledge to determine the faulty component. If steps one and two are correctly carried out, the possible causes identified in step three will make it easier to pick out the most probable issue.
Defective components will show the following signs:
- Signs of burning can be observed in light bulbs, fuses, switches.
- Heat may cause failure in transformers, motor coils, and other devices with windings.
- Adhesive bolts, screws should be checked; they often detach over time.
- Defective wiring should be checked.
The final step involves testing and repairing the circuit.
The basics of electrical troubleshooting
When the electrician comes to your house or business, they’ll ask you questions to try to determine the problem. They’ll do a thorough visual inspection. An inspection could include checking the circuit breaker, the condition of fuses and breakers, and for bad terminations around the problem area.
They might also use diagnostic tools to test connections, amperage, voltage, and overheating caused by electrical components. While they might not find the source of the problem on the first test, an experienced electrician will ensure thorough troubleshooting occurs to discover the root of the issue.
Providing an estimate
When it comes to troubleshooting repairs on new or existing equipment, it can be challenging to provide an accurate quote for the repair right away. It is difficult is because the electrician might not discover the true scope of the problem until the repair is underway. Parts of a wall might need removing, they might find faulty wiring they were not expecting, or other unforeseen issues might arise.
Warren Electric will do their best to provide you with an estimate before the work begins, but they will be upfront about any new costs that could come up. Be prepared for these costs and understand that it’s essential to get it fixed right. Otherwise, reoccurring electrical problems can become a serious safety hazard.
The Three Most Common Electrical Issues
- #1) You Have Circuit Breaker Problems. A home's circuit breaker is its first defense against damages caused by overloads or short circuiting. ...
- #2) Your Electricity Surges, Sags, or Dips. ...
- #3) Your Home Has Scarce or Dead Outlets.
Get Help with Your Electrical Issues
You see, you’re not alone in your experiences with these residential electrical problems. These are just a few of many common electrical problems experienced by homeowners and property managers. It’s important to remember that “common” doesn’t mean “simple” when seeking electrical solutions.
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Frequent Light Bulb Replacements
While it is normal for a light bulb to burn out after an extended period of use, you may find that your bulbs need frequent replacement. There are a number of different causes for this type of situation, including faulty wiring or the fact that you are using the wrong light bulb wattage in the fixture.
Bright Lights and Dim LightsDo you ever notice your lights getting brighter or dimmer? You may notice this happening when certain appliances are in use, like your microwave or dishwasher. This type of problem frequently happens in older homes that have not had proper electrical upgrades. We use more electricity today than ever and your circuits and main lines may not be prepared for that type of power draw. It is important for you to have your electrician come out and check your Ottawa home if you notice this type of problem. Having it corrected immediately will prevent future damage to your appliances and home in general.
Circuit Breaker Trips
If you don’t notice your lights getting brighter or dimming, you may notice your circuit breakers tripping more frequently. In some cases, they won’t reset, either. This type of situation is common in areas of the home where high-voltage appliances are used on a regular basis. You may need to have a separate circuit breaker installed so that you can split up your appliances without overloading the circuits in question.
Fishy Electrical Smell
While it sounds a bit silly, smelling a “fishy” scent coming from your outlets is a sign of a huge problem. This is an incredibly serious situation and should not be taken lightly. Immediately turn off your home’s main breaker and call Ring Electric Inc. right away. The smell of fish is an indication that your outlet is shorting and it is on its way to burning, increasing the risk of an electrical fire starting in your home. Failure to address this situation right away could be detrimental to you and your family.
It’s not just the nation’s power grid that’s antiquated. The wiring inside many houses is also out of date, straining to supply our ever-growing collection of electricity-hungry appliances, lighting, and electronics.
“The circuits in these older homes weren’t designed to power the many gadgets of modern life,” says electrician Allen Gallant, who has wired six This Old House TV project houses.
The signs of strain may be obvious—a tangle of extension cords and power strips sprouting from a single outlet—or lurking unseen behind walls, ceilings, and cover plates.
Protecting the Fuse Box
Fuse boxes, like the one above, are less common these days than circuit breaker panels, but they work just fine — unless someone installs fuses with a higher amperage than the wires can safely handle. That can cause the wires to overheat, damaging their protective insulation and increasing the risk of fire.
Once the insulation has been damaged, the danger remains even if the offending fuse is replaced with one that’s the proper amperage. To fix it, the old circuit must be rewired.
Hire a Pro & Avoid Fire Hazards
Some wiring problems are just inconveniences. But others can pose serious fire or electrocution hazards. If you’re buying a house (especially one that’s more than 50 years old), or if you’ve never had your wiring inspected, it’s a good idea to hire a licensed electrician to give your home a thorough going-over.
“He’ll look at the insulation on the wires to see if it’s dried out and fraying, he’ll look for corrosion in the service panel, and he’ll look to see if a previous owner did anything unsafe,” Gallant says. After that, he recommends getting a quick follow-up inspection every five years.
Don’t be alarmed if the inspection turns up code violations. Each time the electrical code is revised, old wiring is “grandfathered,” on the assumption it was installed correctly. Code only requires you to update wiring in rooms being gut-renovated.
To help you assess the state of your own electrical system, we’ve asked Gallant to identify the 10 most common wiring problems he sees, the dangers they pose, and his recommended solutions.
Remember: Anytime you work with wiring, be sure to turn off the circuit at the main breaker panel.
Common Electrical Problems
1. Overlamping
What it means: A fixture has a light bulb with a higher wattage than the fixture is designed for.
Code violation? Yes.
Danger level: High. The bulb’s intense heat can scorch or melt the socket and insulation on the fixture’s wires, which increases the risk of arcing — sparks that jump through the air from one wire to another — a chief cause of electrical fires. The damage to socket and wires remains even after the bulb has been removed.
Solution: Stay within the wattage limit listed on all light fixtures made since 1985. For older, unmarked fixtures, use only 60-watt bulbs or smaller.
2. Uncovered Junction Boxes
What it means: Because a junction box houses the splices where wires are connected to one another, a person could inadvertently damage the wires or get a shock.
Code violation? Yes.
Danger level: Minimal, as long as wires aren’t within reach.
Solution: Spend a few cents to buy a new cover and install it with the screws provided.
3. Flickering Lights When It’s Windy
What it means: Frayed wiring in the weatherhead (the outdoor fitting where overhead cables from the power line come into the house) is causing a short whenever the cables move.
Code violation? No.
Danger level: High. Aside from the annoyance, the frayed wiring can arc and start a fire.
Solution: Contact the electric utility, which may replace the weatherhead at no charge.
4. Too Few Outlets
What it means: Heavy reliance on extension cords and power strips.
Code violation? No; grandfathered in. (Today’s codes require receptacles within 4 feet of a doorway and every 12 feet thereafter.)
Danger level: Minimal, as long as you use heavy-duty extension cords, 14-gauge or thicker. (The thicker the wire, the lower the gauge number.) Undersize extension cords (16-gauge or smaller) can overheat and ignite a fire if loads are too heavy.
Solution: Add more outlets. Expect to pay an electrician about $100 per first-floor outlet and double that for second-floor work. (There will likely be a minimum charge.) This work requires cutting holes in walls and ceilings to snake the wires. Some electricians will patch the holes; others leave the patching to you.
5. No GFCIs
What it means: Increased risk of electrocution in wet areas, such as baths and kitchens. GFCIs (ground-fault circuit interrupters) shut down circuits in 4 milliseconds, before a current can cause a deadly shock.
Code violation? No; grandfathered in. (Codes today require GFCIs within 4 feet of any sink and on all garage, basement, and outdoor outlets.)
Danger level: High.
Solution: Replace old receptacles with GFCIs (about $12 each). This is a simple job that many homeowners do themselves. Electricians charge about $20 per outlet. (There will likely be a minimum job charge.) Note: As an alternative, GFCI breakers ($25) can be installed on the main electrical panel. But then every time one trips, you have to go down to the basement to reset it.
6. Overwired Panel
What it means: The panel contains more circuits than it’s rated to handle because too many single-pole breakers (one circuit) have been replaced with tandem breakers (two circuits) in one slot. (Tandem breakers aren’t the same as high-amp double-pole breakers, which take up two slots with one circuit.) A label on each panel specifies how many circuits the panel can accommodate.
Code violation? Yes.
Danger level: Minimal. It may become an issue when the house is being sold and an inspector looks inside the panel.
Solution: Add a subpanel with a few extra slots ($250), or, if you’re planning major home improvements, replace the existing panel with a larger model ($500 to $800).
7. Aluminum Wiring
What it means: You have a type of wiring, used in the 1960s and ’70s as a cheap substitute for copper, that is no longer considered safe.
Code violation? No; grandfathered in.
Danger level: High. Aluminum corrodes when in contact with copper, so connections loosen, which can lead to arcing and fires.
Solution: Retrofit a dielectric wire nut approved for aluminum wire (a pair sells for less than $1) onto each copper/aluminum connection in light fixtures. These nuts have a special grease that stops corrosion while maintaining conductivity. Make sure any replacement switches and receptacles are labeled AL-compatible.
8. Backstabbed Wires
What it means: On newer switches and receptacles, wires pushed in the back are more likely to come loose than those anchored around screw terminals.
Code violation? No. The practice is allowed, even for new construction.
Danger level: It depends. At a minimum, loose wires can cause a receptacle or switch to stop working. In the worst case, they can start a fire.
Solution: Check for backstabbed connections by removing a switch or receptacle from its outlet box. If one is backstabbed, there are likely to be more. Release the wires and attach them to the appropriate screw terminals on the receptacle.
9. Ungrounded (2-prong) Receptacles
What it means: Your house’s wiring has no way to safely conduct any stray current that escapes the confines of the wires.
Code violation? No; grandfathered in. (Today’s code requires grounded circuits and receptacles.)
Danger level: Minimal, as long as you don’t use an adapter to fit a three-prong plug into a two-prong receptacle. Doing so could destroy the device you’re plugging in, and increase the chance of electrocution.
Solution: Replace two-prong receptacles with properly grounded three-prong ones, if wiring allows it (Also, test all existing three-prong receptacles with a GFCI circuit tester to make sure they’re grounded. Rewire any that aren’t.
10. Plug Falls Out of Receptacle
What it means: Worn contacts in receptacle no longer grip the prongs firmly.
Code violation? No.
Danger level: High. Loose contacts can cause arcing, which can ignite dry wood and dust.
Solution: Replace the old receptacles as soon as possible. (A new one costs about $2.) Many homeowners feel comfortable doing this themselves. Electricians will charge about $8 or $10 per outlet, although there’s likely to be a minimum charge for small jobs.
Old Electrical Wiring: Is It Safe?
Today’s standard household wiring is a plastic-sheathed, insulated three-wire cable, universally known by the trade name Romex. But the vintage copper wiring in many older houses works just as well as the new stuff, as long as it’s in good condition and hasn’t been altered in a way that violates code. Here are some wiring systems you’ll find in older homes.
Knob and Tube
The earliest residential wiring system has a cloth-covered hot wire and a neutral wire, which run parallel about a foot apart. Ceramic knobs anchor the wires to the house framing; ceramic tubes are used where wires cross or penetrate framing.
Caveats: Cannot be grounded or spliced into a grounded circuit. Its soldered connections may melt if too much current flows through them. Rewire or disconnect any circuits covered with building insulation; it causes this wiring to overheat.
Armored Cable (Bx)
The successor to knob and tube. A flexible steel sheath covers hot and neutral wires, which are insulated with cloth-covered rubber. The sheath provides a ground, so grounded receptacles are easy to retrofit.
Caveats: Sheath must be anchored securely to a metal outlet box. Check condition of insulation every five years or so; it degrades over time, as shown above, or if too much current is allowed to flow through the circuit.
Two-Wire Plastic-Sheathed Cable
An early PVC-insulated (Romex) wire.
Caveats: Plastic is easily damaged. Grounded receptacles cannot be retrofitted to this wire.