Should I worry about orange sparks from plugging in or unplugging my laptop charger into an outlet? It's never done this before. I'm used to the tiny blue sparks (and from what I read up those are normal?) that happen in other outlets with other things. Basically my laptop was saying my battery was dying and I went to check the cord and nudged it a tiny bit in, before it was sparking. I unplugged my fan and my laptop's charger out and into one of the surge protectors (I have two in another outlet for my aquariums) plugged into the only available outlet, and switched off the "light switch" the outlet is connected too.
Earlier there was a thunderstorm, and the power was out for two hours (mainly because we have to wait for a company out of the area to get it fixed, because area has no such company). Another thing that happened earlier is shortly after the power came back on (right around the time my dad gets home with fast food because we had no idea when it would come back on, so couldn't cook dinner), and I switch my lamp on, and while I'm eating it just stops working (there's no lights in the bedrooms, have to use a lamp, and the only light switch in the rooms affects some of the outlets in the rooms, no idea why its set up like this). I noticed the fan also plugged in that outlet has stopped working as well, so I unplugged both my fan and lamp from that outlet in case leaving them in would damage them or the outlet.
I can't get an electrician in here anytime soon, so I hope if I'm not using these outlets, and that switch is off (which doesn't effect my last available outlet), its safe. Now that last outlet I'm using has two surge protectors in them (and has for a while now), mainly to run my aquarium's filters and heaters, and rarely the lights for them, and obviously my better fan (well one of fans now, since I have 2), and my laptop charger now. Will that be anything to worry about?
Should I worry about orange sparks from plugging in or unplugging my laptop charger into an outlet? It's never done this before. I'm used to the tiny blue sparks (and from what I read up those are normal?) that happen in other outlets with other things. Basically my laptop was saying my battery was dying and I went to check the cord and nudged it a tiny bit in, before it was sparking. I unplugged my fan and my laptop's charger out and into one of the surge protectors (I have two in another outlet for my aquariums) plugged into the only available outlet, and switched off the "light switch" the outlet is connected too.
Earlier there was a thunderstorm, and the power was out for two hours (mainly because we have to wait for a company out of the area to get it fixed, because area has no such company). Another thing that happened earlier is shortly after the power came back on (right around the time my dad gets home with fast food because we had no idea when it would come back on, so couldn't cook dinner), and I switch my lamp on, and while I'm eating it just stops working (there's no lights in the bedrooms, have to use a lamp, and the only light switch in the rooms affects some of the outlets in the rooms, no idea why its set up like this). I noticed the fan also plugged in that outlet has stopped working as well, so I unplugged both my fan and lamp from that outlet in case leaving them in would damage them or the outlet.
I can't get an electrician in here anytime soon, so I hope if I'm not using these outlets, and that switch is off (which doesn't effect my last available outlet), its safe. Now that last outlet I'm using has two surge protectors in them (and has for a while now), mainly to run my aquarium's filters and heaters, and rarely the lights for them, and obviously my better fan (well one of fans now, since I have 2), and my laptop charger now. Will that be anything to worry about?
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Faelrin So, the thunderstorm wasn't the problem, but the lightning probably messed up your electric wiring. That happened to my house one time, and suddenly not of the electrical outlets on the left side of the house worked. If things were plugged in, it could have potentially damaged them too; we had to get rid of three TVs because they were plugged in and whatever the lightning did totally ruined them and they never turned back on, no matter where we plugged them in at.
Even if you can't get an electrician out, it wouldn't hurt to call one, describe the sparking situation, and they could probably give you some kind of answer over the phone. All I can say for sure is that some of your outlets are definitely fried and will have to be fixed.
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Faelrin So, the thunderstorm wasn't the problem, but the lightning probably messed up your electric wiring. That happened to my house one time, and suddenly not of the electrical outlets on the left side of the house worked. If things were plugged in, it could have potentially damaged them too; we had to get rid of three TVs because they were plugged in and whatever the lightning did totally ruined them and they never turned back on, no matter where we plugged them in at.
Even if you can't get an electrician out, it wouldn't hurt to call one, describe the sparking situation, and they could probably give you some kind of answer over the phone. All I can say for sure is that some of your outlets are definitely fried and will have to be fixed.
So I checked the outlet earlier while I was cleaning my room because my mother wanted me to check if it was still going to spark, and after hitting that "light switch" back on and plugging the charger back in, it no longer sparked (I didn't even check to see if it was charging my laptop). Even so I just removed the cord and put it back into the surge protector and hit the switch off to be on the safe side for now. Somehow I feel like that may have been a bad idea though to mess with it further, even for how brief that was, although I hope not.
I definitely do think the other outlet is fried though. Tripping the breaker for it last night didn't fix it, and the switch in my room does nothing for it either (which if the breaker didn't fix it, then I guess it makes sense that wouldn't either, though I don't really know how that's connected). I'll check with my mom to see if we can give one a call and hopefully get some answers, unless its absolutely necessary to have them come and fix them (though we're short financially right now, what with just paying the bills and rent earlier this month).
So I checked the outlet earlier while I was cleaning my room because my mother wanted me to check if it was still going to spark, and after hitting that "light switch" back on and plugging the charger back in, it no longer sparked (I didn't even check to see if it was charging my laptop). Even so I just removed the cord and put it back into the surge protector and hit the switch off to be on the safe side for now. Somehow I feel like that may have been a bad idea though to mess with it further, even for how brief that was, although I hope not.
I definitely do think the other outlet is fried though. Tripping the breaker for it last night didn't fix it, and the switch in my room does nothing for it either (which if the breaker didn't fix it, then I guess it makes sense that wouldn't either, though I don't really know how that's connected). I'll check with my mom to see if we can give one a call and hopefully get some answers, unless its absolutely necessary to have them come and fix them (though we're short financially right now, what with just paying the bills and rent earlier this month).
Mine has blue sparks. Fun stuff.
But srsly, just grab some dude from the nearest electrician school. They're always super happy to help because they get way too little practical experience -you might even have a friend who knows one :P pay 'em with cookies or something, worked every time when I lived near the electrician's course buildings XD they don't even have to visit your home, just make a video of the issue on your phone and send it.
The cookies have to be physical tho.
Mine has blue sparks. Fun stuff.
But srsly, just grab some dude from the nearest electrician school. They're always super happy to help because they get way too little practical experience -you might even have a friend who knows one :P pay 'em with cookies or something, worked every time when I lived near the electrician's course buildings XD they don't even have to visit your home, just make a video of the issue on your phone and send it.
The cookies have to be physical tho.
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faelrin
get an electrician out to look at it asap.
my parents' house had that three days before it burned down.
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faelrin
get an electrician out to look at it asap.
my parents' house had that three days before it burned down.
big orange sparks are bad. and as a note, never plug in or remove a plug thats powered. ever.
Shorts are bad and lead to fires. i would suggest an electrician as above and to get your single socket changed to a double socket.
nothing causes fires quite like stacking extension leads, draw too much power and suddenly you have a heat source surrounded by air and fuel.
Cold or hot aquariums? because heaters draw a LOT of current. and elevate the risk of the above.
big orange sparks are bad. and as a note, never plug in or remove a plug thats powered. ever.
Shorts are bad and lead to fires. i would suggest an electrician as above and to get your single socket changed to a double socket.
nothing causes fires quite like stacking extension leads, draw too much power and suddenly you have a heat source surrounded by air and fuel.
Cold or hot aquariums? because heaters draw a LOT of current. and elevate the risk of the above.
