Locally Owned & Operated ยท Free Estimates

Schedule Service

Electrical Blog

lateral view of a young electrician in blue overall disassembling a electrical panel with fuses in a house

Lighting Problems That Require an Electrician

Problems with lighting are frustrating because of how difficult it is for people to enjoy activities at home with poor light. When you have lighting issues, it is important to know when to seek assistance from an electrician. Outside of the simplest remedies like changing bulbs, tinkering with lighting fixtures is far beyond the scope of the average homeowner. The activity is inherently dangerous. An inexperienced person can cause damage to the equipment, sustain serious injury, or both.

A Warm Receptacle

Warm receptacles require immediate help from an electrician. Checking for burn or heat marks is essential because this shows that damage has occurred.

Faulty receptacles could start fires, leading to severe damage or injury. If any of your receptacles are warm or hot, they must not be used.

Exposed Wires in a Fixture

Light fixtures may have exposed wires if they were not professionally installed. Exposed wires are a common fire hazard because they may ignite sparks very easily.

Another reason exposed wires are dangerous is that they can cause a shock if touched, which might be life-threatening. When a fixture has exposed wires, it is essential to avoid using it until it is fixed or repaired.

Flickering Lights

When your lights flicker after changing the bulbs, the problem might be your fixture. Sometimes, the wiring connection is faulty, impacting how much power the lights receive.

Another reason for flickering lights might be voltage problems. One way to determine whether voltage is a factor is whether there are issues with other appliances in the same room.

Mismatched Dimmer Switches

Fixtures that use incandescent bulbs might not work with fixtures designed for LED bulbs. The two kinds of bulbs feature different designs that are incompatible.

Using the wrong switch can burn out the bulb circuitry prematurely, requiring more frequent changes. Replacing your bulbs too often is burdensome.

Bent Light Socket Tab

The brass tab inside the socket pressing against the bulb’s base might become bent over time. When the tab becomes bent, there is no reliable contact with the bulb’s base.

Electricity can arc when there is poor contact between the bulb and the socket. Bulbs might burn out more quickly in these circumstances.

Overheating Recessed Lights

Recessed lights have limit switches that turn off the fixtures when they’re too hot. However, these switches fail sometimes, causing your lights to turn off and on randomly.

Consider using a lower-wattage bulb to see if this keeps the fixture from overheating. If the problem persists with the lower-wattage bulb, you might have a faulty limit switch or another issue requiring attention.

Whenever you need lighting services in Reno, NV, just contact us at Burnett Electric.