How can you tell if an electrical emergency is serious?

In the TV show “Murphy Brown” – as in real life – even professional crises sometimes come with the occasional comic misstep. Unfortunately, in real life some people really do experience real, imminent danger because of a faulty light switch or a frayed extension cord. Thankfully, most electrical emergencies are not nearly as hilarious as Murphy’s mishaps. When faced with a real emergency, your first priority should be assessing its seriousness and getting yourself and your co-workers out of harm’s way. The following are examples of some common electrical emergency situations and the best ways to deal with them:

If you smell burning wires

If you smell burning wires, that’s your first indication that something is likely wrong with your electrical system. The source of the smell might be coming from an outlet or socket on a wall, or it might be in the wall behind an appliance such as a washing machine or electric dryer. In either case, the smell is typically an indication that the problem is somewhere else in your home and not directly related to the item emitting the smell. However, you should still report the smell to the authorities immediately in case someone else is working on something nearby that could cause a fire. If you smell burning wires, shut off the breaker at the main electrical panel to prevent further damage.

If your appliances aren’t working

If you have a home that’s equipped with an automatic water dispenser, a coffee maker, an electric oven, a microwave, a toaster, or any other number of appliances that are plugged into an electrical outlet, it’s possible that one of them has gone out. If that’s the case, you can try unplugging the appliance and plugging it back in to see if that fixes the problem, or you can call an electrician to check out the issue. If all the appliances in your home have gone out, it’s likely that the breaker at the main electrical panel is tripped. You can reset the breaker at the main panel or call an electrician to come out and fix the problem.

If your kitchen appliances suddenly go off

If one of your kitchen appliances suddenly goes off – such as your fridge, microwave, or dishwasher – the most likely explanation for that is that the circuit breaker tripped. If you hear a loud banging noise and see a light bulb illuminating the area where the appliance is, that’s a sure sign that the circuit breaker tripped and the appliance has been shut down. If the banging continues, you might want to call an electrician to come out and fix the problem since it’s possible that it could represent a fire hazard. If the banging is coming from your fridge, microwave, or dishwasher, it’s probably because the circuit breaker has tripped and the appliance has been shut off. As long as the banging doesn’t continue for more than a couple of minutes, the problem should resolve itself.

If you see sparks or arcs flying out of your outlets

If you see sparks or arcs flying out of your outlets, that’s an indication that your electrical system has been exposed to a significant amount of voltage. This is most often the result of an electrical fault in your house, and it can cause serious harm if you aren’t careful. If you see sparks or arcs flying out of an outlet, shut off the breaker at the main electrical panel as quickly as possible to prevent yourself from being exposed to any more voltage. If you see sparks or arcs coming out of a light switch or any other electrical device, shut off the breaker at the device itself.

If your alarm sounds and the fire department comes knocking

If your smoke or carbon monoxide detector goes off, you should shut off the breaker at the main electrical panel and call the fire department. If you don’t, you could risk a fire. Even if your smoke or carbon monoxide detector isn’t working properly, you should still shut off the breaker at the main electrical panel. If your alarm goes off, the fire department will be coming to your home with the express purpose of checking out the alarm and its source. They will likely be shutting off the breaker at the main electrical panel, so it’s important that you do the same. If you shut off the breaker at the main electrical panel and the fire department doesn’t, you could be held liable for any fires resulting from the faulty alarm.

Conclusion

As you can see, electrical fires and related hazards are no laughing matter. If you experience a real electrical emergency, the best thing you can do is shut off the breaker at the main electrical panel and call the fire department as quickly as possible. Once the fire department has the situation under control, you can resume normal work activities once the danger has passed.