PBA Tip of the Day brought to you by Richard Digilio with Anthem Electric, LLC (623) 533-5971.
Power surges damage electronics
You’ve probably seen it plenty of times — a small blue spark when you plug in an appliance. Most of the time, this is a normal and harmless event. But it’s worth paying attention to, because some sparks can be early warning signs of dangerous problems.
There are four types of outlet sparks that you shouldn’t ignore:
Long sparks. A safe spark will come and go in a flash, but one that fizzles and lingers is a sure sign of a problem.
Big sparks. If sparks are leaping out of the holes in the outlet cover, chances are they’re not harmless type.
Yellow or white sparks. The benign sparks you see when plugging in an appliance are usually visibly blue.
Smelly sparks. If an outlet spark is followed by the smell of smoke or melting plastic, you may have an immediate problem and should immediately shut off the outlet at the circuit panel. If you suspect you have an electrical problem, give Rich a call immediately!
