It is irritating when circuit breakers trip or fuses blow. When we experience a loss of power to a section of the home we know we have probably “popped” a breaker or blown a fuse. Most of the time we can just reset the breaker or replace the fuse and everything is OK. That being said, it is really important to understand that these symptoms may be a safety concern and it is time to call in a professional electrician to check it out. You may need a panel replacement or upgrade. Knowing when to get this looked at is critical to maintaining the safety of your home.

Here are some signs that you need to have this looked at:

 1) If you have to reset your breakers frequently. If this is occurring, then something is overloading your circuits or a short circuit is occurring, or you have a grounding problem.

2) Loose connections in your outlets may cause your breakers to trip or your fuses to blow. Sometimes a loose wire will cause this.  If this is the case you may notice sparking when you plug something into that outlet. If this happens, the outlet needs to be removed and a new one needs to be installed. By the way, if you have one outlet with a loose connection, you probably have more. Be sure to check all your outlets if you have problems with one.

3) If you can smell anything that is burned. Go towards the source of this smell and put your nose near any exposed outlets and make sure this burning smell is not coming from the outlets.

 If you have any of these problems contact an electrician to make sure that appropriate repairs are made. Remember your circuit breakers and fuses are your last line of defense against electrical fires. Making sure that these are maintained helps ensure the safety of your home.