When your roof collapses, you know it’s time to call an emergency builder. When your kitchen tap bursts and floods your house, you know it’s time to call an emergency plumber. What’s less obvious is at what point should you call an emergency electrician.

How do you determine whether a problem is big enough to call out an electrician on a Sunday or just wait until the following morning? Below are some of the circumstances that indicate an electrical emergency that needs to be addressed immediately.

If a tap has indeed burst and water has flooded your electrical outlets as well as your carpet, then you have both a plumbing and an electrical emergency. Water getting into your cabling can be an extremely dangerous scenario. The minerals, ions and solvents in tap water make it an excellent conductor.

If you have wiring that is exposed to water, you should switch off the power straight away and call an experienced local electrician to come investigate and resolve the problem.

Exposed wiring can damage appliances or equipment, as well as running the risk of injuring people who come in contact with it. There is also a risk of fire if poorly insulated or damaged wiring causes surrounding cables to catch on fire.

While an electrical outage is not an emergency in a lot of households, it can be if someone in the household is dependent on an electrical item for their health. If it fails to work and can cause a medical emergency as a result, then you should also consider it an electrical emergency and get it fixed promptly rather than waiting.

If you notice smoking coming from your power outlets, it is a very bad sign and may indicate a massive electrical spike or surge. Any situation that seems dangerous should be considered an electrical emergency, from smoking power points and devices to electrical panels that are very hot to the touch.

Other signs of an emergency problem include buzzing and humming sounds coming from your outlets, burning plastic or acrid smells, and severe discolouration around outlets. All of these can suggest that an electrical fire may be imminent. Always stay on the side of caution and contact an electrician in these situations.

Christchurch Electrical can help if you need emergency electrical services, property wiring assessments or assistance with any other electrical services. Our qualified electricians can quickly come evaluate your home in Christchurch and fix any problems with the utmost professionalism.

For more information, get in touch with our team today by calling (03) 659 0611 or contact us online.