A home owner’s eye is trained to look for certain telltale signs of wear and tear both indoors and out. If you run out of hot water 2 minutes into your shower, you notice. If your cat clawed a nice tear in your curtains or sofa, boy do you ever notice. Same goes for a muddy carpet, mold on your bathroom ceiling, and scores of other typical home upkeep symptoms.

But how do you know when it’s time to replace an outlet? More fundamentally, do you even look at your outlets other than to plug or unplug an electrical cord or appliance? If not, you should be. Because when something goes wrong to the extreme with an electrical outlet – or, for that matter, a switch or dimmer – the result could be an electrical fire.

Here are several signs that an outlet needs professional attention, and probably needs to be replaced:

Overheating – If you notice that a light switch or outlet is warm to the touch when nothing is turned on or plugged in, you could have an overloaded circuit or old or damaged wiring. Avoid using the outlet or light switch and contact a trusted electrician to have the wiring checked. If you notice that the wall around the outlet is warm, leave your home immediately and call 911 from a safe distance as that could mean a fire has already started.

Burns and Charring – A properly working outlet should never show signs of charring around it. If yours does, do not use it and have your wiring inspected immediately.

Cracks, Gaps, and Loose Plates – When replacing a wall plate, outlet, or light switch, make sure it is sized correctly and that there are no visible gaps between it and the wall. Additionally, if a wall plate is cracked, have it replaced to prevent dirt, dust, and pet hair from accumulating inside, as they could settle in and ignite a fire over time. If a plate or outlet is loose, have it repaired or replaced.

Paint – Avoid painting over outlets and wall plates, no matter how much easier it makes your job. Paint could settle in the slots and crevices of an outlet or light switch and result in a fire. Be sure to use painters tape around all wall plates or better yet, unscrew them from the wall for a cleaner finish.

Here at Excel Electrical Technologies, we run across faulty light switches and outlets all the time while performing other types of service work for our customers. And for every one we spot and are able to fix in the moment, there are probably hundreds more that home owners aren’t even aware of. So take our advice and start making outlet and switch inspection a regular part of your home maintenance routine. And should you run across one that doesn’t feel or look right to you, don’t guess: instead, call Excel Electrical Technologies for a fast response and reliable problem resolution.