Cooper Electric

We frequently receive calls from homeowners for electrical problems which most people could remedy themselves. At Cooper Electric we do our best to walk our customers through these basic troubleshooting steps over the phone.

This eliminates any unnecessay expenses that would have resulted in sending an electrician out to their homes. Knowing these basic situations will help save you money.

Here are some common electrical problems and possible situations/solutions you should check before calling Cooper Electric:

Electrical Problem: A switch or outlet is warm to the touch, or “sparks”.

Situations/Solution:
1. If sparks are seen when the switch is operated, what happens is, a small spark is generated anytime an electrical connection is made or broken while current is flowing. If the switch is not warm to the touch and is not loose, the small spark is probably normal.

2. Any device being plugged into an outlet, should always be in the “OFF” mode, before plugging in or unplugging the device.

CAUTION: Remember that each year in the United States, over 53,333 fires and 400 deaths will result from unsafely modified electrical installations.

Have a qualified electrical contractor do you work. Be safe.

We frequently receive calls from homeowners for electrical problems which most people could remedy themselves. At Cooper Electric we do our best to walk our customers through these basic troubleshooting steps over the phone.

This eliminates any unnecessay expenses that would have resulted in sending an electrician out to their homes. Knowing these basic situations will help save you money.

Here are some common electrical problems and possible situations/solutions you should check before calling Cooper Electric:

Electrical Problem: Disposal or dishwasher doesn’t work.

Situations/Solution:
1. Be sure the dishwasher switch is “on”. Consult the owner’s manual for your disposal for clearing “jams” and location of the “Reset” button.

(Note: Customers have actually bought new dishwashers, replacing ones that still worked, only to realize the problem was electrical.)

CAUTION: Remember that each year in the United States, over 53,333 fires and 400 deaths will result from unsafely modified electrical installations.

Have a qualified electrical contractor do you work. Be safe.

We frequently receive calls from homeowners for electrical problems which most people could remedy themselves. At Cooper Electric we do our best to walk our customers through these basic troubleshooting steps over the phone.

This eliminates any unnecessay expenses that would have resulted in sending an electrician out to their homes. Knowing these basic situations will help save you money.

Here are some common electrical problems and possible situations/solutions you should check before calling Cooper Electric:

Electrical Problem: Circuit breaker/fuse trips or blows immediately!

Situations/Solution:
1. The problem may be in the circuit wiring or in an appliance plugged into the circuit. Unplug everything on the circuit and try to reset the breaker or fuse. If it holds, the problem is probably in one of the appliances.

To identify the defective appliance, turn the circuit “OFF”, plug in one appliance, and turn the circuit “ON”. Continue this procedure until the defective appliance shorts out the circuit. CAUTION: Be sure to plug in the appliances with the circuit “OFF”.

2. You’ve replaced the fuse but the power has not been restored. Be sure the new fuse is actually new. THROW AWAY BLOWN FUSES. Be sure the new fuse is screwed in properly and tightly.

3. You FREQUENTLY have one or more circuits blowing a fuse or triping a breaker. CAUTION: DO NOT USE HIGHER AMP FUSES. A qualified electrical contractor should be employed to run a new branch circuit.

The National Electrical Code (Sec. 210-23(a)) requires a seperate branch circuit for any appliance which uses more than 50% of the circuits capacity.

Circuits supplying motor loads, like an air conditioner compressor, require time delay fuses.

CAUTION: Remember that each year in the United States, over 53,333 fires and 400 deaths will result from unsafely modified electrical installations.

Have a qualified electrical contractor do you work. Be safe.

We frequently receive calls from homeowners for electrical problems which most people could remedy themselves. At Cooper Electric we do our best to walk our customers through these basic troubleshooting steps over the phone.

This eliminates any unnecessay expenses that would have resulted in sending an electrician out to their homes. Knowing these basic situations will help save you money.

Here are some common electrical problems and possible situations/solutions you should check before calling Cooper Electric:

Electrical Problem: Lights out.

Situations/Solution:
1. Flourescent light fixture doesn’t work after new lamp(bulb) is installed.
Double check the installation of the lamp. Did you get both pins on each end of the lamp seated? Caution: Change flourescent lamps with the switch in the OFF position.

Old style flourescent fixtures require starters and pre-heat lamps. New fixtures do not have starters and use rapid start lamps. These lamp types are not interchangeable. (We recommend that you replace the fixture with a new one which is more energy efficient and saves money.)

2. Incandescent lamps burn out quickly.
Are you using name brand lamps? Is the wattage of the lamp correct for the fixture? Using too high a wattage lamp creates more heat which can shorten lamp life and be a fire hazard!

3. Lights flicker, 1/2 power seems to be out. 
These symptoms generally occur during or after high winds. If your electrical service comes to your home overhead, the power company’s connection at the eave of your house may be the problem. If you’ve eliminated other possible causes, call your power company.

4. One light flickers. 
If only one light flickers, it indicates a bad connection, a defective switch, or a loose lamp. If you have aluminum branch-circuit wiring and the connection at the fixture is a the problem, only an electrical contractor certified by AMP, INC., can properly reterminate the connection. (Note: Amp Cop/Alum Correction is for aluminum branch-circuit wiring)

CAUTION: Remember that each year in the United States, over 53,333 fires and 400 deaths will result from unsafely modified electrical installations.

Have a qualified electrical contractor do you work. Be safe.

We frequently receive calls from homeowners for electrical problems which most people could remedy themselves. At Cooper Electric we do our best to walk our customers through these basic troubleshooting steps over the phone.

This eliminates any unnecessay expenses that would have resulted in sending an electrician out to their homes. Knowing these basic situations will help save you money.

Here are some common electrical problems and possible situations/solutions you should check before calling Cooper Electric:

Electrical Problem: Wall Outlets (receptacles) are not working.

Situations/Solution:
1. Some outlets are controlled by a wall switch.
Is the switch on? (Especially in living rooms. Note: Only 1/2 of a duplex receptacle, either top or bottom, may be controlled by the switch)

2. Has a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter tripped?
GFI’s are outlets with black and red buttons in the middle. (Especially in kitchens, bathrooms, outdoors, garages, basements)

3. Has the circuit breaker tripped or a fuse blown, in your electrical panel?
It may be difficult to visually check a tripped circuit breaker. Flip the circuit breaker handle all the way to the “off” position, then all the way to the “on” to reset it. Caution: It might trip immediately if there is a serious problem!

CAUTION: Remember that each year in the United States, over 53,333 fires and 400 deaths will result from unsafely modified electrical installations.

Have a qualified electrical contractor do you work. Be safe.