Many of us never appreciate just how much electricity enriches our lives until our houses go dark. Whether it’s a complete power failure where nothing works at all or the dreaded flickering or dimming lights, a power outage can ruin your day’s plans, deny you simple luxuries and even cause unexpected damages. We’ve listed some of the main causes of power outage in homes, along with the practical measures you can take to avoid and solve some of them.
External Causes of Residential Power Outages
Some power outages are caused by external factors and not necessarily faults in your home’s electrical system.
Blackouts
If your whole neighbourhood has no power, then the problem is completely out of your hands. A power outage that affects a large area is known as a blackout. A blackout usually means that major power distribution lines, equipment or services have gone offline. Only the power service company can restore power during a wide-area power outage. There are several factors that can cause a blackout, such as:
- Adverse weather conditions
- Natural disasters (storms, earthquakes, bushfires, flooding, etc.)
- Wild animals
- Fallen trees
- Grid overload
- Road/motor vehicle accidents near power facilities
- Routine systems maintenance at the power plant
- Human activity (construction, excavating and drilling above underground power lines)
All these things can potentially damage power cables, poles, transformers and other critical equipment, leaving many residents without electricity. There’s really nothing you can do in the event of a blackout to get the power back besides maybe alerting the power company or emergency response services.
Overdue Power Bills
Do you have any overdue power bills? The power company can disconnect your electricity if you fail to pay your bills on time. Before you start looking for faults in your wiring, make sure that such is not the case. If you simply forgot to pay your power provider, clearing the balance and some extra fines should have the power restored in no time. If you’re having trouble coming up with the cash, it’s best to contact the power company before the due date and request an extension to avoid disconnection and late fees.
Internal Factors that Lead to Power Outages
Let’s now take a look at some of the factors within your home that can cause an internal power outage. In most cases, these are causes that you can easily avoid. They include:
Blown Fuses and Tripped Breakers
One of the most common reasons for internal power outages in homes is blown fuses and tripped breakers. Fuses and breakers protect your electrical system, appliances and house by disconnecting power if they detect anomalies such as spikes, surges, overloads and short circuits. If your power suddenly cuts out after plugging in or unplugging an appliance, you probably have a blown fuse or tripped breaker. You can simply switch a breaker ON again, but a blown fuse may need replacing.
Damaged Electrical Components and Faulty Wiring
Malfunctioning or damaged electrical components including the wires themselves, relays, breakers and switches can cause an internal power outage. Faults in the wiring system can also lead to electrical problems. Damages and defects can shut off power to the entire house or specific rooms and areas. Without a working knowledge of electrical systems, it can be difficult to identify faults, let alone try to fix them.
Overloading
Overloading your mains can cause power failure. An overload often happens after plugging too many appliances in the outlets. To prevent overloading, match the power rating of every device to the mains outlet it plugs into. For instance, don’t connect all your power tools to one power board. Besides outages, overloading can also cause damage to various electrical components and create fire hazards.
Problems Caused by Power Outage
A lot of the conveniences, amenities and utilities in our homes depend on electricity. For most homes, no power means no lights, no entertainment and no AC. What you may not know is that outages can cause more severe problems.
Without electricity, the fridge and freezer won’t work, which could lead to food wastage and food poisoning. Sudden outages are known to wreak havoc on computer systems – corrupting their memory and processes. Power fluctuations can also damage other sensitive digital electronics, such as TVs, smart home device and audio systems.
What to Do During a Power Outage
The first thing you should do after a power outage is switching OFF the main switch. Manually cutting power to the entire house will keep your electronics safe should there be dangerous power surges and fluctuations.
If it’s a blackout, you have no choice but to sit it out. But if it’s an internal problem, you can start inspecting the fuse box for blown fuses or tripped breakers. If you can’t find the cause of the outage, it’s probably a problem that you can’t fix anyway. In such a case, the only solution would be to call in an expert electrician to take a look.
Absolutely on Time Electrical is an electrical company based in South Sydney, specialising in domestic and commercial electrical installation, servicing and repairs. You don’t have to stay in the dark after a power outage – quick, professional help is only a call away.
