Lighting on the fritz is a common problem that many homeowners experience. These can range from bulbs burning out sooner than expected to lights not turning on at all. Getting to the root of a persistent lighting problem often requires a skilled and experienced electrician. Let’s consider how an electrician will approach the lighting issues you’re experiencing.
Visual Inspection: Receptacles and Bulbs
The first step is to examine the lights that are giving you problems. An electrician must rule out that the issue is with the receptacle itself. Something as simple as a loose or dirty receptacle can cause lights to flicker or dim. If you do have a bad receptacle, repairing or replacing it is usually a relatively minor job. If the receptacles are in good condition, it’s important to ensure that the bulbs you’re using are compatible. Incompatible bulbs may light up but can burn out faster, cause high electricity consumption, and lead to a range of odd behaviors.
Visual Inspection: Switches, Dimmers, and Outlets
Faulty switches and dimmers can lead to many lighting issues. A bad dimmer, for instance, can cause a light to dim or brighten without interaction. For table lamps and other lights that plug into the wall, the outlet itself may be the problem. Switches, dimmers, and outlets should never get warm to the touch. That indicates bad wiring or a loose connection. In some cases, you may be experiencing arcing, and burn marks on the faceplate are often evidence of that.
Smart Features
Many modern homes have smart lighting features. These may be provided through the bulbs themselves or via smart switches, dimmers, outlets, and plugs. If smart lighting is giving you issues, an electrician must rule out a problem with the software, compatibility, and programming. An inadvertently enabled feature, for example, can cause lighting behaviors you’re not expecting.
Electrical Panel Inspection: Circuit Breakers
Lighting issues in a home may be due to a problem with the electrical panel or the wiring connected to it. Inspecting the panel will reveal dead and worn circuit breakers. Dead breakers will cause lights not to turn on. Worn circuit breakers can cause lighting to trip the breaker even though there’s no problem with the bulb, receptacle, and wire.
Electrical Panel Inspection: Circuits
Beyond the panel, there are two main concerns: overloading and wear. Overloading is when there are too many devices, including lights, on any one circuit. That can cause burnouts, flickering, dimming, and many other issues. It can also accelerate wear on wires, electrical connections, and switches. An electrician will test the wires with a multimeter and identify problems through unexpected voltage readings.
If you need professional assistance diagnosing and fixing lighting issues in Rochester, MN, contact Paxton Electric online, or call us at your convenience.
