Circuit Breaker Warning Signs

Your home’s circuit breaker is a valuable line of defense in protecting your home. All your electrical appliances rely on your home’s circuit breaker, which makes it that much more important. Replacing your circuit breaker can be such an economical investment in protecting your home. Dealing with flickering lights, poor performance from your appliances such as your stove or microwave, and a smoking scent from your panel are just a few of the warning signs when it comes to your circuit breaker. Learn more about the warning signs so you can avoid a catastrophe and replace your circuit breaker before it’s too late.

We care about maintaining the value of your home, so make sure you’re aware of these circuit breaker warning signs:

1. Burning Smell in the Electrical Panel

One way to tell if you need a circuit breaker replacement is to sniff around and see if you smell a burning odor coming from the panel. If so, that means the wires and insulation have become overheated. Ultimately your circuit breaker is failing to protect your home from an electrical short elsewhere. Shut off the main power to the house immediately and call an electrician for an emergency service before it’s too late.

2. Breaker Will Not Remain Reset

After several months of resetting your circuit breaker, it might seem like it won’t stay on for a period of time. Boom, warning sign number two. This means the circuit breaker has failed, so hire an electrician to check the entire circuit. He’ll be able to diagnose it and ensure no further damage was done to the wiring.

3. Physical Damage

Seeing scorch marks around your circuit breaker, outlets, or other electrical appliances? Then that means the wiring has melted and failing. There’s a good chance your electrical panel breaker needs immediate service. A melted wire is one bad step away from your whole home lighting on fire. Call an electrician immediately and unplug all fixtures from that circuit breaker.

4. Breakers Tripping Frequently

If it seems like every time you turn on an electrical appliance, your circuit breaker starts tripping, then you’re dealing with an outdated breaker. Circuit breakers are designed to trip when too much power is being drawn through them. It’s very frustrating dealing with a tripping circuit breaker. Each time you turn on your microwave or vacuum, you’ll find out immediately whether your breaker is tripping and if it’s ready to fail. Call an electrician who will determine whether it’s a bad breaker or if you need to add a circuit to your home.

5. Old Age

Another warning sign of a failing circuit breaker is simply if it’s too old. Circuit breakers are supposed to last for decades. However, if you’re regularly checking your breaker or haven’t had it inspected in a while then it could very well be failing without you knowing it. Having an electrician inspect your panel is a wise investment, especially for those of you who haven’t done so in the past 10 years…

Why You Should Upgrade Your Circuit Breaker

A circuit breaker should never be working more than it should, otherwise catastrophic problems will arise. When too much power draws through a power cord, the breaker could overheat and cause an electrical fire that could severely damage your home. Additionally, if an electrical fire were to happen to your home, then your properly value will dip. No matter how small of a fire it is, the value of the property will lessen due to a fire. This is why it is so important to upgrade your circuit breaker and the electrical appliances of your home. If you ignore the warning signs and try selling your home, potential buyers are going to be hesitant to put down an offer. Everyone wants to purchase a home that is safe and secure, which is why an upgraded breaker is that much more valuable.

Ready to upgrade your circuit breaker? Contact Beacon Home Services today for immediate assistance!