Should you keep plugging things in, or was this instance not anything to worry about? These are questions that most homeowners will encounter at one point or another. Our electricians are qualified and prepared to help you and your family remain safe and sound. Maybe you plugged something in and noticed a quick jolt of light. Sparks are bad, right? They mean that something is overpowered or short-circuiting or on the verge of exploding — or do they? When outlets have too much heat built up inside them, the insulation around the wires can melt - greatly increasing the chance of an electrical fire.
When you plug something into a faulty outlet, electricity can go to the wrong area and short circuit. One of the most common reasons outlets short out is because water gets on them. Make sure to keep outlets dry, especially in the bathroom and kitchen, and don't plug in appliances when your hands are wet.
If you live in an older house, you should be even more aware of your outlets. They wear out over time and the wires loosen, increasing the risk of a short circuit. Old appliance cords can also cause an outlet to spark. If your outlet short circuits, turn off the circuit breaker that controls that outlet to avoid an electrical fire. Interestingly, even the way you plug a cord or an appliance into an outlet can determine if you see a spark.
If you have the plug at rather crooked angle when you start to plug the plug in, you may get a little sparking. In less than a split second the electricity creates a spark and heat. The plugging and unplugging of an electric cord results in metal parts rubbing; the plug prongs rub the outlet slots.
This action is like a metal file slowly wearing down the metal parts of the outlet. Eventually the connection between the plug and outlet becomes loose and the plug just falls out of the outlet. Replacing the outlet, the plug or both is a much safer solution.
These worn outlets are prone to arcing and then we see the sparking. Basically, the sparking we see is actually called arcing by electricians. When electricity runs through a wire copper or aluminum , the wire expand due to the flowing electricity creating heat and when off, the wire contracts. If an outlet is damaged then there may be metal components that are not properly insulated or bent and this may create a short circuit which then results in sparking.
Should these connections not be full and tight connections, then arcing may occur. When an animal or a mouse chews through the insulation on a wire, especially on several wires close to each other or a wire close to a metal junction box; then arching may occur. Wiring ages and as power runs through the wiring it gets warmer, if too much power, it over heats.
Over the years, wiring getting warm and then cooling takes its toll on the insulation, the insulation eventually becomes brittle, develops cracks and may fall off of the wiring.
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