How to repair a smoking socket outlet

Have you ever looked at an electrical outlet in your home and seen plumes of smoke coming from it? If so, that’s a sign that you most likely need to call your electrician for immediate electrical maintenance. Even though a smoking outlet isn’t always harmful, electrical contractors recommend that you still fix it as safely and quickly as possible.

Take the necessary precautions in the event of a fire

The first thing you should do is keep your pets and family members safe by asking them to leave the house. Electricians consider this important because sometimes a smoking socket is a sign that there is a fire behind the wall. Basic safety measures take precedence over any electrical maintenance.

Next, watch for excessive smoke or visible flames. If there is a fire near or in the outlet, you should extinguish it first. If you cannot extinguish the fire, forget about electrical maintenance, call the fire service and get to safety.

Switch off the electrical circuit

If there is no immediate risk of fire, you should have your socket serviced, electrical contractors advise. Switching off the circuit breaker is a good start to ensure the smoke problem doesn’t get worse. If you don’t know which breaker is connected to the socket in question, switch them all off until your electrician arrives at site.

If you can successfully switch off the breaker, remove all plugs from the socket. Remember that the appliance may be hot, so be careful. Inspect the wires for damage or corrosion to find out why the outlet is smoking. Any electrical service provider worth their name will warn you not to plug anything into the outlet until it has been properly serviced.

Find the cause

Once damage limitation is complete, you can set about finding the cause. According to electrical experts, these are some major issues.
To find the cause of the smoke, you should remove the outlet cover and look inside. Sometimes dirt or dust is the cause of the short circuit. However, over time, heat can build up until smoke rises from the dust.

Another common cause of smoking sockets is an overload, according to electrical contractors. This can be checked by looking at the amperage required to operate the plugged-in appliances. More than 15 or 20 amps is not recommended.

There are other common causes of smoking sockets, such as loose and corroded connections, unsecured electrical wiring and faulty earthing.

Call a qualified electrician

In most cases, smoking sockets can be easily fixed by cleaning them, replacing the wiring or making sure they are not overloaded. However, it’s better to play it safe and contact a professional electrician. The Emergency Electrician in Birmingham is your right contact partner. After your call, our customer service sends in a short time an electrician to your place. Furthermore, we are 24 hours available. Call us now, 01217900686.