Electrical warning signs: a room-by-room walk-through

Most electrical faults give some warning first. The trick is noticing. Pick a quiet time, go room by room with the lights and main appliances on, and use your eyes, ears, nose and the back of your hand on switch plates and power point covers. Touch the plastic face only, never anything behind it.

Sort what you find into two groups: stop using it now, and raise it at the next electrician visit. Energy Safe Victoria lists old switchboards, old or broken switches and power points, flickering lights, and sparks from switchboards, switches or power points as tell-tale signs of faulty wiring.

If something is in the first group, switch it off at the wall or unplug the appliance if that's safe, and switch off that circuit at the switchboard if you can reach it safely. If there is smoke, fire or immediate danger, get everyone out.

The kitchen has the heaviest loads in the house, and the kettle, toaster, microwave and coffee machine often share one double power point. Look at the points behind them for brown marks, or a cover that has gone soft or warped. A plug that feels hot after the kettle boils, or a point that plugs fall out of, has worn contacts.

Listen too. A buzz from a power point with a heavy appliance running, or lights dimming when the oven or kettle starts, is worth noting. An oven or cooktop that trips the power when one element comes on usually has a failing element leaking current to earth. Our help pages on an oven that trips the power and plugs that fall out of a power point cover both.

Water and electricity meet here, so signs in these rooms deserve quicker action. Look for condensation or rust inside light fittings, an exhaust fan that runs hot or smells of burning dust, and a heat lamp that switches itself off. A washing machine or dryer that trips the safety switch mid-cycle is often an appliance fault, but it can also be a damp power point behind the machine.

Laundries collect power boards. A board that's warm to touch, or one running a dryer, iron and heater together, is overloaded. Lint around a dryer and dust in an exhaust fan add fuel to any heat. Clean them, and give heavy appliances a wall point of their own.

These are the rooms where power boards and chargers pile up. Check behind the TV, the desk and bedside tables for warm boards, boards plugged into other boards, cords pinched under furniture or rugs, and chargers that run hot. A charger that is cracked or swollen should go in the bin.

Look up as well. A brown ring on the ceiling around a downlight, a light that buzzes, or a globe that keeps blowing early in the same fitting suggests heat or a poor connection. A dimmer that hums or feels warm may not suit the globes on it. One light that flickers deserves a look. Lights flickering through the whole house when a big appliance starts may be a supply issue for your distributor.

Garages and sheds collect the most home-made wiring: a lead through a window to the shed, flex stapled along a wall, a light hanging off a power point. That's where many real hazards sit. Look for leads that are permanently plugged in and doing the job of fixed wiring, and tools with damaged cords or plugs.

Outside, check outdoor power points and garden lights after rain. Water inside a light lens, a cracked weatherproof cover or a point that trips the safety switch on damp mornings means moisture is getting in. Look at the line from the pole or pit to the house too. If it's sagging, rubbing on a tree or pulling at its bracket, keep clear and contact your electricity distributor.

Finish at the board. With the door open and your hands off, look for scorch marks, melted or discoloured plastic and anything wet, and listen and sniff for buzzing or a hot, fishy smell. Check there's at least one safety switch, which Energy Safe Victoria says always has a test button and '30mA' printed on it, and that it isn't the only modern device on a board of old fuses.

A safety switch or breaker that trips again and again is telling you something. Reset once. If it trips again, leave it off and write down the date, the time, the weather and what was running. Energy Safe Victoria advises calling a licensed electrician if a safety switch won't reset.

Some signs mean a connection or fitting is overheating or leaking current right now, and every extra minute of use adds risk. Others are early warnings that can wait for a booked visit, as long as they don't get worse. The list below sorts the common ones.

If you rent, tell your rental provider or agent in writing about anything in the stop-now group straight away. A dangerous electrical fault is on Consumer Affairs Victoria's legal list of urgent repairs.