Here is some advice on common electrical problems that may not necessarily need professional help. But we’re here when you need us.

Garbage Disposal Jams

No one is happy when a plumber arrives at your home and takes two minutes to finish the job, present the invoice and ask for payment for his one-hour minimum house call.

This is why I’m always reluctant to send a technician out on a service call for a garbage disposal that’s stopped working.

Most under-the-sink disposals have a push button style circuit breaker reset button located on the bottom face of the motor casing, and simply pushing this button back in usually solves the problem.

Disposals frequently jam when something like a bottle cap, a coin or a citrus rind gets wedged in the rotor. The manufacturer saves you the trouble of walking outside to your circuit breaker box by installing a reset button on the disposal unit itself.

When the rotor jams, it causes a power spike that could possibly start an electrical fire if the motor was not quickly shut off by the circuit breaker tripping.

When your disposal stops working, turn the wall switch to the OFF position, feel for the unnoticed spoon, coin or rind inside the disposal chamber; make sure your hands are dry and you are standing or kneeling on a dry floor; and then run your hand over the bottom of the disposal feeling for the button and push it back in.

Now turn the wall switch back ON and, if the disposal starts up, flush it clear with cold water.

If it doesn’t start but makes a buzzing noise, it’s still jammed, and the switch needs to be turned back OFF.

Assuming you have already checked the disposal chamber, and nothing appears to be lodged inside, take the wooden (not metal or plastic) handle of a mop or squeegee, put the end down into the chamber and try to spin the rotor free from whatever may be blocking it. Don’t try this with a wooden spoon or spatula, which will likely break.

Most disposals also have a hex fitting on the bottom of the motor that is connected to the motor shaft that can be turned with the correct sized hex wrench if the jam is minor.

If you can force the rotor to turn, you have broken the obstruction free, so remove the wooden handle from the chamber and turn on the wall switch again.

If the rotor was bound up by a rind, celery fibers or something similar, it should work fine now after running the water with the disposal grinding away.

If after all this it still doesn’t work, your disposal has probably come to the end of its useful life and it’s time to call for a professional to install a new one.

GFIC Electrical Plugs

Since that historic day when Benjamin Franklin went kite flying in an electrical storm, our quality of life and many of the creature comforts that we take for granted have been brought to us by a force that is really a bit of a mystery for most people.

On those infrequent occasions when our power service is disrupted, we begin to appreciate how much we rely on electricity at home and work.

One of the most common electrical service calls we go out on involve GFIC (Ground Fault Interrupter Circuit) outlets, which are those rectangular power plugs with a red and black button in the middle that we find in our kitchens, bathrooms, garages and patios.

These are a somewhat recent addition to our homes that have prevented thousands of injuries and deaths from electrical shocks and accidental electrocutions.

Electricity is always seeking ground as a way of burying itself, in a sense, into the giant mass of the Earth. If you are unfortunate enough to provide your body as a conduit between an existing electrical current and the ground, you have accomplished what electricians call creating a short to ground that can cause severe burns where the current enters and leaves your body or, in the worst-case, heart failure if the current heads to ground via your cardio cavity.

When such a ground short occurs, a spike occurs instantaneously in the amount of electricity passing through the circuit, which will trip the breaker in your circuit breaker box or trip the GFIC outlet.

The GFIC outlet has a small transformer that detects very tiny imbalances in electrical amperage between the hot and neutral wires, and shuts off the power in just a small fraction of a second before it can reach dangerous levels.

You should check the outlet periodically to make sure it is working effectively by pushing its test button. You should hear a click as the outlet shuts off the power, then press the reset button to restore power.

GFI outlets can wear out over time and should be promptly replaced if they fail a testing. A new GFIC outlet can be purchased at any hardware store for around $25 and can easily be installed by many home owners or your contractor.

Even if your house has older wiring without the third ground wire, the GFI outlet will still work properly, protecting you from electrical shock.

Most GFI outlets on the outside of your home have a spring-loaded cover that seals with a rubber gasket to protect against moisture from rain or sprinklers.

Over time this gasket can become brittle or damaged and, if no longer providing an effective weather seal, can be the cause of the GFI outlet tripping during bad weather or when sprayed by sprinklers.

A new cover and gasket can be purchased at the hardware store and is easily installed. If you have a fountain or exterior timer that needs to remain plugged in, then a weather shield cover can be installed over the GFI outlet that covers the plug and outlet, keeping both dry.

The weather shield is a sort of domed clear plastic or metal cover that attaches to the face of the GFI outlet that hinges open to allow a cord to be plugged in and is notched at the bottom to allow it to close over the cord.

Resetting Circuit Breakers

Another call we regularly receive and try to talk the homeowner through over the phone is resetting a tripped circuit breaker.

All the plugs, switches and light sockets in your home are protected by circuit breakers that will “trip” to interrupt the electrical current if it detects a short or accidental ground in the circuit.

The circuit breakers are arranged in a metal box that is usually on the outside of the house where your power meter is located. Always approach the breaker box with caution, making sure your hands are completely dry, you’re not standing in the rain and your shoes are on dry ground.

If you can tell by just looking which breaker is in the OFF or tripped position, then with moderate force push it back into the ON position quickly without holding it in place. This requires a bit more force than just turning on a light switch to get the breaker to reset due to the mechanics of the switch.

We’ve gone out on numerous service calls in which the homeowner has turned the breaker off and on repeatedly with no result, and our technician resets it on the first try.

Do not start down the line tripping and resetting all the breakers looking for that single one that is off since it’s not unusual for 40-year-old-plus circuit breakers to fail when manually reset, which can then become an expensive and avoidable service call.

It’s ideal to have all the breakers labeled so you know in advance which one powers the bathroom, kitchen, etc.

Always respect the power of electricity, take caution when trying to solve any home electrical problems and don’t hesitate to call an electrician if you need assistance.