The days are getting shorter, the cold air is drawing closer, we’re taking the blankets out of the closet and turning on our heaters. It’s also a time of year when certain electrical problems become apparent as the elements assail our houses. Rain has a tendency to creep in and strong winds can wreak havoc on roofs.
Here are a few common problems you may face during the winter months.
Flickering lights
As time passes, wiring problems can become gradually apparent as wiring ages. This can become even more noticeable in areas with thunderstorms and strong winds. Houses in areas without underground power can notice this more than others too. The wiring in your home can end up being exposed to the elements and degrade faster than usual. Flickering or dimmed lights are usually a sign that your wiring should be checked.
Circuit breaker tripping
Days of temperature extremes can often stress our electrical systems as we turn on reverse-cycle airconditioners, space heaters and other power-hungry appliances in the home and office. With even a typical small space heater drawing up to 2400W as well as other appliances with heating elements such as kettles (1400W), ovens (1000–3000W), it’s no wonder that homes and offices can experience RCDs being tripped.
Torrential rain has a tendency to completely overwhelm gutters, downpipes and your house’s drainage systems if enough falls within a short period. Outdoor lighting with wiring inside affected eaves can be affected by strong downpours and can also cause short circuits.
These issues can be alleviated by being mindful of energy usage and attempting to spread your energy load throughout the day.
Installing a smart energy monitoring device can help keep an eye on your energy usage during the day and help you avoid breakers tripping. For systems that can’t sustain high energy usage, there may be another problem that requires an electrician’s attention.
Power outages
It’s always a frustrating experience to have an electrical outage and it’s quite common in winter as well as summer. There are many factors that can lead to power outages and these can be due to faulty wiring, ‘load shedding’ from your utilities provider, power surges, power spiking from inefficient or faulty appliances, and others. The effect of power outages can be reduced with whole-home solar-connected batteries or if you work from home, by using a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) for your internet modem/router and your computer. Frequent power outages certainly point towards a problem somewhere in the home and these should be diagnosed by your electrician.
When in doubt, talk to a licensed electrician
Have a chat with Peter at Auspower Electrical about what can be done in your home to prevent and fix any electrical problems you’ve been facing.
Call 0418 912 451 for a free quote today.