Month: January 2019

Sparking Outlet – Should You Worry About?

should you worry about a sparking outlet

You’ve just unplugged a lamp from an outlet, but something out of the ordinary happened. This time, a little blue spark jumped out from the plug when you removed it from the wall – and now you’re worried. Is your home in trouble? Are you one lamp-removal away from catching something on fire? Should you avoid plugging anything in for the foreseeable future?

Lots of questions! They’re understandable since electricity is so volatile and can present legitimately dangerous problems in the blink of an eye. If your outlet is sparking, though, it might not always be something you need to worry about. To help whittle down the possibilities, here is a quick and easy guide to when a sparking outlet is something you can ignore, and when it’s more serious.

When It’s Not a Problem

Most of the time, if you’re seeing a sparking outlet, it’s nothing to worry about. After all, this is the point at which electricity connects to your device, so when a current is present, it’ll understandably jump from the plug to the outlet sometimes.

This spark, which is blue in color, isn’t anything to worry about if it’s happening every now and then. But if you notice it happening more frequently, then we recommend putting in a call to an electrician you trust.

When It Is

But there are times when sparking is out of the ordinary. If you notice one or more of these indicators, don’t run the risk of causing greater damage – stop using the plug immediately and call a professional.

  • Longer sparking: Normal sparks don’t last very long – they’re gone in the blink of an eye – but sparks that last longer are ones you need to take more seriously.
  • Charred/burned smells: If your nose picks something up that smells like this, then something has melted. This is obviously a sign that something is wrong and should prompt a service call as soon as possible.
  • A strangely colored spark: Like we mentioned earlier, normal sparks are blue. But when you unplug a device, sometimes the color is white, yellow, or something else. This indicates a problem as well.

Why Sparks Occur

Sparking isn’t just limited to one cause. Things like water damage can lead to sparking, as can normally wear and tear that your electrical system undergoes over the years. Or, it could even be because a previous electrician installed wiring or an outlet incorrectly or didn’t repair something the right way.

It’s tough to tell why your outlet is sparking without taking a look at your specific situation. When you’re worried about whether the sparks you’re seeing are something to be concerned about or not, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

Weeks Service Company is the League City and Houston-area service provider you can count on. We’ll figure out why your wiring is acting up and work with you to develop a solution that makes sense and will prevent this issue from popping up in the future.

Give us a call at 281-738-1362 to speak to a member of our team today!

What to Do About a Loud Furnace?

Noises of any kind that come from your furnace are usually not-great signs, but some tend to be worse than others. Depending on what you hear, you could have a serious problem on your hands – or it could be something you don’t need to worry about at all! Unfortunately, it’s tough to tell sometimes.

To help make that distinction a little bit easier, we’ve compiled a few reasons your furnace might be making certain sounds, and whether you should do something about it – or whether you can sleep easy. No matter what your furnace questions are, Weeks Service Co is here to help!

Blower Belt Issues

Some furnaces run with a blower motor, and that in turn operates by having a blower belt keep the pieces moving. Even though the belt is designed to work constantly without issue, it can eventually become loose, which will produce some strange noises.

Most often, it’ll sound like rattling. Although it’s a simple problem to diagnose, you’ll need a professional to come help you out. They’ll lubricate it if that’s all that it needs, but otherwise it might call for a whole-unit replacement depending on what caused the belt malfunction.

Loose Parts/Panels/Components

Furnaces are made up of tons of small, intricately arranged parts that all work together in conjunction to operate efficiently. Over time, these parts can become detached or loose as the furnace whirs to life over and over again.

When these parts are loose, you’ll probably notice a rattling noise coming from the furnace. It’ll likely be coming from one specific part of the furnace, and unless you know how to take your unit apart and re-assemble it, you’ll probably need an expert’s touch to help correct the issue.

Normal Contracting/Expanding

Some sounds are totally harmless. For instance, although you may hear some cracking or what sounds like a crash coming from above, there’s a good chance it isn’t anything to worry about. As heat travels through your metal ducts, the gases will expand and contract them – and the ducts will make sounds as they adjust.

So, for the most part, you don’t need to worry if you hear these sounds. But if they happen repeatedly, it might be helpful to have someone come take a look to make sure nothing’s wrong. It very well may be harmless, but the peace of mind you’ll get is extremely reassuring.

Dirty Interior

If your unit hasn’t been cleaned in a while, there’s probably a significant amount of dust or other material laying around. This affects how the hot gas in your furnace combusts and travels through the ducts, which will lead to some suspicious sounds.

Like the previous point, this usually isn’t anything you need to worry about too much. Just give someone a call if it gets to be too consistent! Of course, Weeks Service Company is here to answer any furnace-related questions or concerns you have. We can inspect your unit to ease your worries or help diagnose anything that might be troubling it. Just give us a call at 281-738-1362 and we’ll be there before you know it!