Have you ever heard sizzling or buzzing noises when you are switching an outlet on or off? If you have, you should be wary of an undiagnosed problem with your home's electrical system. In typical cases, electrical arcing causes these suspicious noises. Arcing, in essence, means that electricity is jumping from one connection to the next, yet this is not supposed to be happening. If the arcing is left unchecked, your house is at an increased threat of an electrical fire since the heat from the jumping electricity could end up frying your home's insulation. Therefore, you must know how to detect this issue and have it addressed immediately by a professional electrician. Read on for four indicators of the need for electrical repairs due to electrical arcing.

Multiple outlets are either malfunctioning or out of service

When you have a pesky outlet in your home, chances are the issues lies with that specific outlet rather than your home's electrical system. But the moment you notice that multiple outlets are either acting up or have mysteriously stopped working altogether, you should be concerned about electrical arcing that is being overlooked. Constant electrical arcing will cause an outlet to die since its connection is put under excessive strain. Any outlets that are signalling the possibility of electrical jumping should not be used until a professional electrician fixes the issue or you stand the risk of an electrical fire.

Your outlets feel warm or emit whiffs of smoke

Another telltale sign indicating that your electrical system could be experiencing arcing is when the outlets feel warm or hot when you touch them. Your outlets should never feel hot, whether they are in use or not, as this is a clear signal of an electrical fire occurring behind them. In some instances, you may even notice whiffs of smoke coming from the outlets, which is also a stark indicator of electrical fires occurring inside the outlet. While warm outlets and even scorch marks could be caused by faulty appliances plugged into the outlet, you should never risk your safety by overlooking the importance of hiring an electrician immediately.

You are routinely changing your light bulbs

Light bulbs are typically fragile. Thus, burning out is not always considered an emergency by some homeowners since the bulbs are easily replaceable. It is also worth noting that the frequent burning out of your bulbs can be attributed to a host of underlying electrical issues, most commonly loose electrical connections. Nonetheless, this does not mean that the constant burning out is not caused by electrical arcing, too. To be on the safe side, an electrical inspection will be imperative to determine if your system is experiencing arcing or not.