If you own a laptop or smartphone, have you experienced having your charger adapter heat up while you’re charging the device? Most people dismiss this phenomenon as normal, but this may be a sign of something serious.

Reasons Why A Device Charger Adapter May Heat Up

Let’s run down some of the reasons why some adapters heat up as you plug them.

Normal phenomenon

Most causes involve a standard warming up of the adapter’s resistive components.

Incompatible charger adapter

A charger with a terminal that’s compatible to a device port (say, a micro USB cable and port) doesn’t necessarily mean that the charger may be used to charge the device. In some cases, this may cause an increase in temperature on either the adapter or the device itself.

Cheaply made devices

Some devices are dirt-cheap and may not have gone through strict electrical or electronic evaluation to clear them from potential risk. In the same sense, some third-party adapters may not be built with the proper safety precautions as those coming from big-brand or OEM companies.

Placing connected chargers on heat traps

Have you noticed that your charger or smartphone heats up during a charge? When you put it on the bed or a cushioned surface? That’s because this kind of surface restricts air flow on the device or charger. This essentially traps the heat and thereby increases the temperature.

A quick fix would be to place the device or charger away from a cushioned surface and onto a flat table. You may also put it on a rack or platform where air can flow freely to remove the heat off the device.

Device malfunction

When the smartphone, laptop, or any electronic device has an electrical malfunction, this may cause a short circuit. It surely heats up either the device itself or the connected adapter.

Electrical system abnormality

Although this is a rare occurrence, an issue with your power outlet or the electrical loop may cause a heat-up of your device charger adapter. This is difficult to diagnose, especially if you’re not well versed in terms of electrical stuff.

Are You Suspecting Something Amiss in Your Electrical System?

There’s nothing wrong with being too careful, especially when we’re talking about home electrical concerns. If you think that your charger adapter is heating up, you can reach out to us.

Let our electrical professionals at Wire Craft Electric troubleshoot the source of the problem before something untoward happens. Whether you are in Bothell, Seattle, or Bellevue, we have you covered. Call us today!

Anytime you’re inviting someone into your home, it’s natural to be a bit nervous and want to prepare. This is doubly true when you’re bringing in someone for an inspection. Having an electrician come in and look at your wiring and outlets can be a bit nerve wracking leading up to it, but it doesn’t have to be a pain at all. Follow these key ideas to make sure your house is ready for an inspection and make the process go quick and easy from your end.

Know Where Everything Is and What to Expect

It may sound simple, but before your electrician comes to your house, make sure you have a plan. You can even call them beforehand and ask exactly what they’ll want to see. Once you have this information, go through your house and make sure you know where everything is. Everything from the circuit breaker to the individual outlets – including exterior outlets –around your home will likely be looked out, so ensure you know where each thing is. You may live in your house day in and day out, but little things like these often aren’t thought about regularly. Give yourself a little refresher course of your own home and you’ll make the process go by faster once the electrician shows up at your door.

Clean-Up Around the House

Now that you know where everything is, it’s time to make sure it’s all accessible. Chances are you don’t live your life anticipating an electrician poking around your house. You might have shelves in places covering certain outlets or maybe the circuit breaker is blocked in the garage by some storage boxes – or both. In any case, you’ll want to make sure everything is moved and ready for when the electrician arrives. You don’t want to be shuffling things around and slowing down the process.

Have Your Own Questions Ready

Just because the electrician is the expert doesn’t mean you have to standby idly. The more you learn from the electrician and the inspection, the better you’ll understand the changes to make. The more questions you ask, the more productive it will be for everyone involved. If the electrician ends up working on your home, you’ll have a clear understanding of everything. You won’t have to worry about where your money is going.

Are you in need of a home inspection and want an electrician you can trust? The Wire Craft team is located in Shoreline, and services various cities in Snohomish, King, and Pierce County. We would be happy to send one of our expert electricians to your home. They will help you identify any issues that need to be addressed. Give us a call today.

Introduction to Spotting Faulty Electrical Switches

Electrical problems are unavoidable; any homeowner can attest to this. Newer home have the luxury of avoiding many of the electrical problems that happen when homes are older, but that doesn’t mean newer homes are entirely in the clear. We’ve learned more than our fair share about electrical issues from personal experience, and one thing we wanted to share with you today was that you can spot faulty electrical switches pretty easily if you know what to look for. You should look for the following signs so you can avoid possible unfortunate circumstances. Share this information with those you know, as well – an informed homeowner is a safe and happy homeowner.

Look for breakers and fuses going out.

To help protect your home from fire, you should take note if your breakers and fuses go out. Fuses need to be replaced whenever they “go out”, so it’s important to pay attention to them. If too many higher amp applications are plugged into a single circuit, the fuse will probably blow out, because the number of amps that’s plugged into the breaker is too high for it to handle. If you spot this in your home, or in anyone else’s home, you are a step ahead of the game. You can easily prevent a fuse from blowing by unplugging something.

Look for dimming or flickering lights.

Both of these are signs of a circuit overload. If you see this on a regular basis in your home, you may want to call in an electrician to check it out. This might be something that only a professional can handle, and you don’t want to put yourself at risk.

Look for charred or discolored outlets and switches.

If you spot either one of these, you definitely need to call in an electrician. This is a sign that there is faulty wiring in the circuit, or a loose connection on the switch that is causing a short. This can cause a fire and can be very dangerous.

Be aware if there is a burning smell.

If you smell burning, it might be best to step out of your home and call a professional right away. This is always because of some kind of short, but you won’t know where’s its location unless you call in a professional. In some cases, the short might be in one of your outlets, but that’s not something that you should investigate on your own. You should always put your safety first in a situation like this.

Be aware of shock effects by faulty electrical switches and outlets.

If this happens, that’s a definite sign of a faulty electrical switch. Sometimes, the solution might just be something simple, like fixing a wire in the circuit shorting.

If you have any questions, you can contact us a Wire Craft Electric. We’re happy to help.

Electrical problems are really common, no matter where you live. There are some problems that are more common than others.

Problems with light bulbs and fixtures

Light bulbs can flicker and blink, which means that there is a poor connection somewhere along the circuit line. If the blink happens through a lot of the home, then there might be a bad connection in a main wire. Don’t worry, if you need someone to tell you if this is the case, we’re glad to help – just reach out.

Back to bulbs. Some lights get extra bright, while others run really dim. Bulbs might even be popping, which means that an electrical appliance could have died recently and maybe you don’t know about it. This is a condition that will continue to have negative effects in your home, so it’s best to get this checked out right away. Again, we’re happy to help and address issues like this all the time.

If a recessed light goes off sometimes, and it later works again, then this probably means that the wrong style or wattage of bulbs is being used, and that ceiling-space insulation is too close around the light.

Dead outlet problems

If a set of lights simply just went dead, then you probably have a very poor connection along a circuit. This is only a minor problem.

If half an outlet works and the other half doesn’t, then this probably means that one half might be energized by a wall switch. The other common cause of this is that that usage of this plug over time has loosened the hold that one half has on the cords you plug into it.

Tripping-breaker problems

When the microwave or hair dryer is on, then these high-wattage items are too much for the circuit. You might have to put these kinds of products on lower wattages in order to keep using them.

Home Electrical Problems with switches

If a wall switch gets really warm, this might be normal. It’s normal for them when running  600 watts worth of bulbs or less.

If a switch doesn’t seem to control anything at all, then you might have to replace some of the receptacles. They might have been disabled by how they were replaced at one time. This applies mainly to bedrooms and living rooms, though.

Say goodbye to home electrical problems. We hope this was helpful. Keep this saved so you can refer back to it when necessary. We’re also ready to answer specific questions if you still need something addressed, so contact us and let’s get started.