More information
In addition to our normal services, Electrician Seattle also provides a list of common household electrical problems that can hopefully provide you with more information about what we do and if there are some easy fixes that you can do at home! Here are some of topics that may be of interest to you:
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Circuit breakers
If a circuit breaker has tripped off, there are three possible reasons: a short circuit, broken circuit breaker or there is an overloaded circuit.
A short circuit occurs when two wires touch and allow the current in the wires to travel along a path that has very little resistance. When this occurs, there can be a large amount of heat being generated as current travels along its resistance-less path and an electrical component can blow. If nothing plugged in is causing the problem, it can be wise to call an electrician for finding where the short circuit is appearing.
Usually circuit breakers wear off which age and usage and a fix usually requires a homeowner with some knowledge or an electrician.
Overload occurs when a wire is experiencing too much power trying to make it way through. A good and quick fix is to remove some of the appliances that are feeding off the wire.
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Dimmers
It is normal for dimmers to feel warm to the touch; however, if the dimmer is feeling hot, there can be a few problems with it. Always make sure that the dimmer is not connected to devices like paddle fans which require a low voltage since these need a different type of dimmer. Also make sure that the dimmer is not connected to a wattage that exceeds the recommended amount. Most dimmers have a maximum limit of 600 Watts.
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Smoke Detectors
If your smoke detector alarms for no reason or starts "chirping," there may be some easy fixes for you. A common issue is a low battery and usually a quick battery switch can fix the problem. If not, then the smoke detector may have to be replaced. If the smoke detector is not battery powered, it is recommended that you find the circuit breaker that is controlling the smoke detector, turn it off and replace the smoke detector.
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Fuses
If a wire has too much power running through it, a fuse might break and resist all current from running through the wire. The easiest way to fix a fuse is to just replace it.
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Surge Protectors
Whenever the power comes back on after a power outage, there is always a possibility of a power surge and extreme damage to any electronics that are plugged in. A surge protector can be extremely useful in preventing damage during a power surge and may be a good thing to contact an electrician about installing.
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Lighting
There are a huge number of problems related to lights. If a light bulb does not turn on, it could be that there is no power, the bulb is broken, the switch is broken, a photo-cell is broken, or if the electrical ballast used for energizing light bulbs like fluorescent or mercury-vapor needs to be replaced. Most of the problems related to lights can be fixed with replacing a switch, bulb or ballast and problems with bulbs burning out quickly, not enough light, or lights that are too bright are caused by incompatible wattage.