Dealing with minor electrical problems in your home can seem harmless until your switches and lighting fixtures deteriorate from severe damage. The wear and tear of different wiring components can cause electrical fires if you don’t understand the full extent of your home’s damage.
Snapping and cracking sounds are symptoms of a grounded light switch. This is due to electricity leaking through the damaged wiring, leading to the electrical energy escaping through sparks and heat. Since light switches regulate circuits on and off frequently, it’s not uncommon to have loose or faulty connections due to damage over time. Even though your lights are turning on properly, you may have a potential electrical fire risk in front of you.
Repairing Your Grounded Light Switch
Electricity flow always generates heat, but this energy remains within a circuit’s insulated wires. Unfortunately, the energy can escape through loose connections. Thankfully, replacing your light switch to repair the damaged wires isn’t as complicated as installing an HVAC system.
If you think you have a grounded light switch on your hands, here’s a three-step guide to repairing it:
Step#1: Turn Off the Power
First, turn off the power to the switch’s circuit and use a non-contact voltage tester to confirm that you’ll be working safely with your light switch. Next, use a screwdriver to remove the switch plate to uncover the wires inside. Inspect the wiring to assess the damage and which components will need replacements.
Step#2: Assess the Damage
Repairing a grounded light switch will require you to analyze the kind of model you have. For example, older switches have a wire loop around their terminal screws on the switch’s side. You can loosen the screws to replace the damaged wires. In contrast, newer switches’ wires are attached through holes at the back instead of around the terminal screws. To access them, insert a screwdriver’s flat blade beneath the holes while gently removing the wires.
Step#3: Replace Your Damaged Wires
A light switch generally contains hot, neutral, and ground wires, leading to different parts of the circuit. Damage to any of the three will cause electricity to escape and cause complications to keeping your lights on. When removing the damaged wires, you must have around half-inch exposed wire on hot and neutral wires to connect to screws. Keep this in mind before you cut the appropriate length of replacement wire. Make sure you properly label and attach the right connections. Otherwise, you might cause the circuit to implode on itself.
After you’re done rewiring your light switch, return it in place on the wall and replace its old screws for added security. Turn on power to the circuit and test the switch. If you do everything right, it should repair the electrical flow without making odd cracking and snapping sounds.
Conclusion
Although the step-by-step above can remedy grounded light switches, you may still experience difficulties using it if you made mistakes along the way. Additionally, you could have a deeper issue with your home’s electrical wiring preventing you from making our circuits work. To avoid doing all this work for nothing, it’s best to consult a local electrician to diagnose your home’s condition. With the right tools and proper repairs, your home will receive expert treatment without the danger of costly damage to your electrical wiring.
Underestimating your home’s electrical concerns can lead to severe consequences. At 24/7 Emergency Electricians, we provide a quick and efficient service for your home’s electrical repairs. If you need an emergency electrician in Edmonton, AB, book an appointment with our team today!
