Do you trip a circuit breaker every time you turn on your hairdryer? How about whenever you plug in your vacuum cleaner?

Yes, the circuit breaker is supposed to “trip” in order to safeguard your home’s electrical system. They’re designed to keep the appliances and electronics you plug in from drawing too much power or from short-circuiting. However, tripping the circuit breaker too much can actually cause some damage over time. A constant setting and resetting of the circuitry can put a lot of strain on your home’s wiring and could lead to an unsafe situation.

Regular electrical services check to make sure that all your wiring, outlets, circuit breakers and other components are in order. Here’s why electrical services should be on your to-do list on a seasonal basis.

Why are regular electrical services so important?

In short – and most importantly – without regular electrical services, you could have a potentially dangerous situation at home.

Approximately 50,000 home fires were caused by electrical failures or malfunctions between 2010 and 2014. Out of the top 5 causes of electrical fires in the home, faulty outlets and outdated wiring are two big culprits. Especially if your house is more than 20 years old, the electrical system may not be able to handle the large number of appliances and electronics that the average family plugs in. The best way to keep your electric system safe is to make sure that these elements are inspected and to have the appropriate electrical services performed to address any problems.

Since most of the electric system in your home is out of sight, you may not even know that there could be a problem lurking beneath the walls, which makes regular inspection even more important. There are some important signs to look for if you think you may be experiencing electrical issues. If you get a shock when you touch an appliance or see a slight spark when plugging one in, these could be warnings that the wiring is off. If you’re experiencing this, contact a home maintenance team right away.

The best electrical services for proper home electrical safety

HomeSquare electrical services focus on general upkeep of your home’s electrical components – both visible and not visible – as part of your regular home maintenance routine. What do these electrical services entail?

• Outlet inspection – When we inspect your outlets, we make sure that all circuit and plug covers are in place and are in acceptable condition. We’ll also replace the outlet or faceplate if any of the components are cracked, burnt out or otherwise broken.

• Exercising GFCI outlets – GFCI stands for Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupter, which protects you from electrical shock by constantly monitoring the electricity flowing in a circuit. These are the outlets that you’d find in your bathroom with the “reset” button in the middle. Our electrical services plan calls for periodic tests that they are operating properly, especially important after lightning storms.

• Testing circuit breakers – After the circuit breaker trips a certain number of times, the system can wear out or it’s possible that it didn’t reset properly. This part of our routine electrical service makes sure that the circuit breakers are functioning properly in your home.

HomeSquare licensed and insured electrical services provide a thorough inspection and testing of all the outlets, wiring and circuit breakers, and we provide replacement as needed. Contact us to connect with a qualified electrician!