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How One Small Leak Can Spell Disaster For Your Home’s Electrical

a standard 15 amp duplex outlet and a ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI or GFI) outletElectricity is used in almost all aspects of our lives in the modern world.

It can be used to illuminate light in dark places, power necessities like hospital machines and refrigerators for food, as well as providing entertainment for you and your family.

The problems start appearing when you factor leaks into the equation.

They can be viewed as a simple inconvenience until the water starts to collect around your electrical equipment and light fixtures. It’s best to go ahead and quickly fix your leaks before it causes any harm to you and your family.

The Risk of Electrocution

Water is a very strong conductor when it’s exposed to electricity. The good news is that leaks can be very easy to spot on ceilings and floors, but not so easy to spot in the spaces you don’t normally enter.

The water can (and will) eventually collect in your light fixtures and flow down the interior of the walls into your light switches and outlets. Stay away from all switches, pull chains, fixtures, and outlets that you might see water collecting around.

Call a professional electrician to inspect your electrical system and either a roofer or a plumber, depending on if the leak is coming from the roof or the plumbing.

The Risk of Fires

When you have a leak in a part of your home that you don’t frequently enter it can be several days before that leak is noticeable in other parts of your house.

This can cause your electrical wires to corrode and promote mold growth, causing your electricity to short out or start a fire.

If you have any light fixtures that remained submerged for a period of time, it’s recommended to just go ahead and replace them. (Make sure the electrical wires are inspected as well.)

The Risk of Your Ceilings Collapsing

Leaks can absolutely wreak havoc on most residential ceilings. This happens when water begins to seep into your ceiling, causing the ceiling to expand and lose most of its structural integrity.

Soaked ceilings are extremely dangerous to be around, and when it falls — it can take the light fixtures to the ground with it. The last thing you want is for you or a loved one to be standing under it when it comes crashing down.

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A Solution to the Problem

The best thing to do in the event of a leak is to shut down all the power to that area of the house.

After that give a call to your preferred electrician to come out and assess the damages to your wiring. (If the leak persists, contact your local plumbing repair specialists.)

To minimize the amount of damage that water can cause when it comes in contact with electrical outlets,install GFCI outlets in areas where water is present — like bathrooms, kitchens, garages, etc. You can’t always protect your electrical system against leaks, but you can do something to help prevent the damage!

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Serving Lancaster County with Top-Rated Home Solutions Since 1904

When you need a reliable partner for all your home services in the Lancaster area, trust Lancaster Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical. From our location in East Petersburg, we can provide fast, professional HVAC, plumbing, and electrical services anywhere in Lancaster County and the surrounding communities. We have some of the best technicians in the business. Our company features:

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When you need the ultimate in-home comfort, choose Lancaster Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical. Call us today at (717) 207-8198 or contact us online to schedule service in Lancaster or South Central Pennsylvania.