Do You Have an Electrical Grounding Problem in Your Home? Find Out
Electrical grounding plays a crucial role when it comes to electrical safety in your home. It’s a connection between your home’s electrical system and the ground. This physical and direct connection allows for the safe passage of any misdirected and excess electricity onto the earth, preventing electrical hazards in your home. However, a few electrical problems down the line can compromise the proper functioning of your electrical grounding system. To prevent electrical catastrophes that may result from such occurrences, it would be imperative to know when your home’s electrical grounding is faulty so that it can be rectified early enough. Below are the signs to watch out for.
Electrical Shocks
Electrical shocks are the most obvious and common signs of a grounding problem. You may experience small shocks when you touch metallic electrical fixtures such as wall outlets, switches, and electrical extensions. You may also feel these shocks when you touch metallic objects such as ductwork, wires, and water pipes that are connected to your home. The electricity that is flowing through a circuit has to find a path to the ground. If your electrical grounding is faulty, the excess or misdirected electricity will have to find a different path. Therefore, when you touch an electrical component connected to that circuit, you will act as the alternative path. While the shocks are usually not enough to do considerable damage, they can be very dangerous, especially if you are standing on a wet surface. Therefore, call an electrician as soon as possible when you experience electrical shocks around your home.
Dimming Lights
An interference in the passage of electricity to the ground can cause your lights to dim. Your lights may only dim slightly but they may become dimmer when you switch on a relatively large appliance such as a heater. However, keep in mind that dimming of lights is also an indicator of other electrical issues such as faulty wiring or electrical circuit overload. Contact an electrician immediately because you may be dealing with more than one electrical problem.
Increased Energy Bills
An increase in your energy bills at the end of the month can be attributed to a range of issues including a fault in your electrical system and faulty appliances such as electric water heating systems and air conditioning systems. However, if all your electrical fixtures and appliances are functioning properly and your energy bills are high, chances are you have an electrical grounding problem, especially if you have already noticed the above two signs. Grounding problems, especially where a short is created as a result of the contact between an exposed hot wire and the grounding wire, can allow for the continued and uncontrolled flow of electricity to the ground, causing wastage.
If you think you may have an electrical grounding problem at your home, give us a call at A to Z Electric today!