Electrical, Lighting and Power Problems in a House
Electrical symptoms split cleanly into nuisance and hazard. Dimmer or LED incompatibility is a nuisance. Heat, burning smells, buzzing, scorch marks and whole-house flicker are signs of arcing or a loose service neutral, which the CPSC links to residential fires. Treat heat and smell as an emergency.
Lights
Flickering, dimming and buzzing lighting.
Outlets
Dead, warm, buzzing or sparking receptacles.
Breakers
Tripping breakers and GFCI/AFCI devices.
Power loss
Partial outages and half-house power.
Electrical smells
Burning plastic, fish odor and ozone smells.
More electrical, lighting & power problems
Electrical, Lighting & Power questions homeowners ask
Is a flickering light dangerous?
One bulb flickering on a dimmer is usually a compatibility issue. Flicker across multiple rooms, or flicker paired with warm outlets or a buzzing panel, indicates a loose neutral or arcing connection and needs a licensed electrician now.
Why does my breaker keep tripping?
A breaker that trips instantly on reset indicates a short or ground fault. One that trips after several minutes of load is usually an overloaded circuit — a 15A circuit carries 1,440 watts of continuous load, and space heaters alone draw 1,500.