When To Call An Electrical Emergency
When you have an electrical emergency in your home, it’s easy to get overwhelmed in a hurry. Do you need an immediate solution? Is the problem normal? What should you do!? All very understandable when you’re talking about something as both volatile and vital as electricity. The team at Equity Electric never wants you to be at a loss, and today we’re going to differentiate normal electrical behavior that require basic service & repairs, and things that are emergencies!
Do you have an electrical emergency on your hands, or are you unsure of where to turn for electrical assistance? Contact our team online today, or give us a call at (405) 971-4098 any time for our 24/7 emergency service!
Normal Electrical Behaviors: Debunking Myths & Alleviating Fears
There are some things that electrical equipment and systems actually do on a consistent basis, but can still sometimes give us pause. Let’s point these out, so you can spot the “normal” stuff in the future:
- Breaker trips are not always dangerous. When your breaker kicks off, what it’s doing is protecting your home from an electrical overuse that it has detected. Much of the time is is totally normal, and the odds are that you plugged too many things into a single circuit. If it starts happening all of the time, that’s when you need service.
- Flickering lights can just happen. Light flickering happens as a result of a sudden large charge moving through the home. It can sometimes happen when you turn on heavy power tools, or even high wattage appliances like space heaters. Storms can also cause it. This is not necessarily a cause for alarm, but it may indicate that a heavy-up should be performed in the near future.
- Outlets can spark a bit sometimes. Now this one’s a bit harder to define, because it can go either way. If an outlet sparks unprovoked, or sparks a lot/for an extended period of time, it is an emergency. However, the charge that generates a spark actually always happen when something is kicked on or plugged in for the first time. When it happens in this way, it’s more of an indication that you need new outlets, since you shouldn’t really see the spark happening.
Okay, So When Is It an Emergency?
Well, as a general rule, if you feel at risk at all, it’s an emergency. We take safety and security very seriously, so you should too. Go ahead and call an emergency electrical professional to alleviate any fears you may have. Otherwise, it’s wise to call for emergency service when:
- There are signs of electrical fire
- Light flickering is prolonged, consistently recurring, or is accompanied by buzzing
- Outlets show signs of burning, blackening, or melting
- Breakers are tripping all over the home or refuse to re-engage when operated
- Outlets are sparking unprovoked or for any amount of extended time
- You notice acrid, burnt wire smells in your home
- Outlets, wires, or appliances generate a mild or moderate electrical shock when touched
Contact the Equity Electric Emergency Service in the Oklahoma City Metro and surrounding areas 7 days a week.
An electrical emergency is nothing to play around with. If you’re not an experienced electrician, don’t try to handle the situation yourself. Not only could the situation become worse, but you could get injured!
In the event of an electrical emergency, contact us online or call Equity Electric at (405) 971-4098 right away. Our 24-hour electricians are ready to respond to any electrical emergency - day or night, weekends & holidays.
