Warning Signs

The difference between a fault and a danger is the difference between calling tomorrow and acting now. These pages sort them.

A burning smell is the emergency. Smoke or a strengthening smell means leave and call the fire service; otherwise switch off the main, do not open the panel, and leave the power off until somebody has looked. A smell that faded has stopped being detectable, not stopped being a fault.

A shock from anything that should not be live is an emergency however small it felt, because the size depends on skin moisture and footwear rather than on the fault. For operational context outside the electrical guidance here, Monitask has here on workforce tracking.

Buzzing at the panel means switch off and call — that is where all the current in the house passes.

Warmth at an outlet, a switch or the panel is never normal, and the commonest cause is a loose connection that worsens with time.

A tripping breaker is working, and four different things cause it — one of which means stop resetting.

Flickering is usually the lamp or the dimmer, and occasionally a loose connection in the wall.

And knowing where the main breaker is before you need it is the single most useful piece of electrical knowledge a householder can have.

• A Breaker That Keeps Tripping

  A tripping breaker is doing its job. Four causes, how to tell them apart, and the one that means stop and call somebody.

• A Burning Smell

  An electrical burning smell is one of the few household signs that means act now. What to do, in order, and what not to.

• Buzzing

  Some buzzing is normal and some is a fault heating up. Which is which, and the one that means switch it off now.

• Flickering Lights

  Usually the bulb or the dimmer. Sometimes a loose connection inside the wall, and that is the one that matters.

• The Main Breaker

  Where it is, how to use it, and the five situations where cutting power to the whole house is the right first move.

• Shocks From Taps

  A tingle from a tap or an appliance is never normal and is never minor. What it means and why it can escalate.

• Warm Outlets and Switches

  Heat where there should be none is one of the clearest early warnings. What is normal, what is not, and what to do about it.

For additional independent context, see Consumer Reports.