Common Electrical Problems in South African Homes
If you own an older property in Cape Town you will often find that the chances are higher to encounter electrical problems. Older properties wiring is more prone to deteriorate over time and where there has been installations done electrical problems also occur.
A tripping circuit breaker, flickering light or warm plug socket may seem like a minor inconvenience. However, these symptoms can indicate faults that affect the safety and reliability of your home.
If you can identify what causes the problem you wont have to deal with the same electrical issues every time.
Circuit breakers that keep tripping
Maintaining your circuit breakers is vital as their job is to disconnect electricity when certain faults or overloads occur in your home. If a breaker keeps tripping, the problem could involve an overloaded circuit, faulty appliance, damaged wiring or loose connection.
Repeatedly resetting it without investigating the cause is not a repair.
The best thing to do is to get a qualified electrician to come out and test the affected circuit and determine what needs attention.
Flickering or dimming lights
Flickering lights are not always caused by faulty wiring.
A loose bulb, damaged fitting or incompatible LED dimmer may be responsible for the problem. However, if you see repeated flickering across several of the rooms in your home it could indicate a connection or electricity supply issue. Pay attention to when it happens, particularly when larger appliances switch on.
These details can help an electrician locate the fault.
Faulty plug sockets and switches
Plug sockets and switches can deteriorate through regular use, overheating or poor connections.
Warning signs include:
– Loose plug connections
– Discoloured outlets
– Crackling sounds
– Unusual heat
– Burning smells
– Switches that stop working
If you have a damaged socket don’t keep using it simply because it still supplies electricity.
Rather have a qualified electrician come out and inspect the outlet and connected wiring to recommend whether repairs need to be made.
Earth leakage that keeps tripping
Earth leakage protection helps reduce the risk of electric shocks. When certain leakage currents are detected your electricity is automatically disconnected protecting you from getting eletrocuated. If however you find your electricity is frequently tripping it may be caused by faulty appliances, damaged insulation, moisture or problems elsewhere in the installation and not necessarily inside the distribution board.
For this proper testing will need to to be done to identify the affected circuit or equipment.
Old or damaged electrical wiring
Older South African homes may have wiring that was designed for different household electricity demands.
With the demand of modern kitchens, home offices, air conditioners and backup power systems it places additional demands on home owners’ existing circuits. This does not necesseraly mean you need to rewire your entire.
A qualified electrician come out to your home and inspect the wiring, circuit protection and distribution board and recommend what repairs or upgrades are needed and tailored to you specific needs.
When should you call an electrician?
Repeated faults, exposed wiring, electric shocks, sparks and burning smells should never be ignored. If there is smoke or fire, move to safety and contact emergency services immediately and isolate your electricity only when safe to do so.
W.G. Dixon Electricians provides electrical fault finding, repairs and maintenance for Cape Town homes. A professional inspection can identify the underlying problem and establish which repairs are necessary. We believe that good electrical maintenance is about more than restoring power. It helps keep your home safe and your electrical installation reliable.
We also recommend keeping records of all previous repairs and to tell us when each fault occured. This information can be useful for us when problems are intermittent, particularly in homes with older wiring or recently installed electrical equipment.