Documentation
Learn more about Residential Electricity
With electricity, you can never be too careful! The Electrika team has gathered some important concepts about residential electrical installations that you should know. Our goal is to summarize the points we consider most important to help you understand and respond to certain situations.
Electricity Documentation
- Troubleshooting Common Electrical Problems
- The Importance of Electrical Safety
- Electrical Panel Basics
In Montreal and Laval, you can count on our experienced electricians for any electrical installation project, from lighting to home automation, electrical panel upgrades and rewiring. Contact us also for any repairs.
Troubleshooting Common Electrical Problems
Electrical gremlins can be frustrating, especially if you can’t determine where they are coming from. the Montreal and Laval areas are prone to a few common electrical problems due to a combination of climate and aging wiring.
Lights that flicker when it’s windy
Often when electricity usage is high or on windy days, you will see lights flickering or dimming. This frequent phenomenon is usually caused by one of these 3 reasons:
- The cables in your home are connected to incoming Hydro-Québec lines through compression crimps. These crimps wear out over time and the connection slowly deteriorates. Blinking is a sign that these connections are faulty.
- There is a problem with the equipment that Hydro-Québec provides for your home.
- Your service wiring is old, damaged or frayed.
In all cases, the procedure is to call Hydro-Québec at 1-800-790-2424. They will advise you to call a master electrician such as Electrika, if necessary.
Lights dim when an appliance is turned on
This is often due to a circuit that provides more current than its capacity allows. If your fridge is on the same circuit as your kitchen lights or outlets, you may see the lights flicker when the compressor is activated- particularly in older homes. Other causes of randomly dimming lights are improper wiring, loose/damaged/corroded wiring, or problems with the power grid beyond your control.
Circuit Breaker is constantly tripping
Many people reset their circuit breaker when they jump and continue to go about their business. However, you should never ignore this situation! A circuit breaker trips when it is overloaded. If this happens, evaluate the circuit to make sure this is not the case. An overloaded circuit with no breaker can overheat (especially seen with old wiring, very common in Montreal and Laval), which constitutes a real fire hazard. If you can’t find what overloads the circuit, call us!
Plugs fall out of Outlets
This is likely due to one of two reasons:
- The prongs on the plug are bent or damaged. Damaged prongs should never be put into an electrical outlet.
- The outlet is damaged. If so, replace the outlet as soon as possible. This is a relatively simple and inexpensive process. We would be happy to help you if you prefer us to take care of it.