Older homes are prone to a lot of faults as a result of excessive use over the years and faulty wiring is one of them.

The tricky part is that faulty electrical wiring is not always easy to spot and you might only find out after you have sustained damage to your appliances or by someone in the family. This is because the faults are usually lingering behind the walls or in the switchboard which a layman would hardly ever open. Only upon a through electrical inspection, do these issues are detectable.

However, there are still a few things that do qualify as signs of bad electrical wiring so if you notice these, call your Geelong electrician right away.

1. Frequent circuit breaker trips or blown fuses

Circuit breakers play a very important part of keeping the properties and lives of people safe. The purpose of a circuit breaker is to prevent electrocution and fires in case of electricity leakage by cutting the power supply at the source of the leak. When this happens, the circuit breaker trips and needs to be reset once the electrical system is safe to use again. Similarly, fuses blow and cut the power supply in the event of electricity leaks.

Frequently blown fuses and tripping circuit breakers can be an important signal telling you that the wiring in your house is faulty and needs to be inspected and fixed by a licensed electrician in Geelong.

2. Flickering lights

If your lights are shaky or their brightness level keeps changing every time you plug in a high voltage appliance it means that the wiring cannot handle the load of the appliance and the lights at the same time. While occasional flickering of lights is nothing to worry, if this is happening more often then it means you have faulty and outdated wiring that needs to be replaced.

3. Discoloration on sockets

Overheating of wiring behind the switches and sockets causes the outlets to get discolored. This is one of the most obvious signs of bad electrical wiring and should be taken very seriously as a loose connection might be causing a spark in the wiring resulting in a small fire and hence the discoloration. If ignored for a prolonged period of time this fire could be potentially deadly.

4. Shock to touch or burning smell

A very real indicator that your house has bad electrical wiring is when you get a mild shock upon turning on or off a switch. This is nothing to be ignored.

Similarly, another very obvious sign is a burning smell. Burnt wiring or short has a distinct smell. If you experience either the shock to touch or a burning smell get a licensed electrician in Geelong to inspect your home’s electrical wiring in order to make it safe to use once again.

Wrapping up

Faulty electrical wiring is a serious issue and more often found in older homes. However, it could be possible that your home has been built not too long ago but the wiring was not done to live up to the safety codes.

Either way, getting your home inspected for electrical faults before you move into a new property is always advisable.

As licensed electricians in Geelong, we can help you with electrical wiring updates as well as electrical safety inspection of your home. Feel free to give us a call.