What does electrical arcing look like?

Electrical arcing typically looks like a bright, erratic flash of blue, white, or orange light accompanied by a sputtering or crackling visual stream as electricity jumps through the air across an unintended gap. Unlike a clean, instantaneous spark, an electrical arc can resemble a miniature welding flash or a continuous glowing plasma streak flickering behind a wall plate, inside a junction box, or across loose terminal screws. You can troubleshoot visual arcing safely by inspecting wall plates in a darkened room with appliances unplugged. You can verify that your corrective action is successful when shutting off the circuit breaker, tightening loose terminal connections, or replacing the damaged component eliminates all visible flashing and ensures clean, uninterrupted electrical containment.