Power is something we take for granted. We have it at the tips of our fingers 24 hours a day. We know it will be there when we need it. Until something happens and it is no longer there. Power outages can disrupt our lives and sometimes cause us a lot of stress. Here are some common reasons for power outages, and what you can do to prevent or fix them.

Internal Blackouts

Most internal power outages can be easily avoided or fixed, reducing power disruptions in your life. In some cases, you will need an electrician to help fix the problem. The main reasons for power disruption internally are:

Blown Fuses or Tripped Breakers

Fuses and breakers protect your home and your electrical system. They disconnect power when a spike, power surge, or other anomaly is detected. This is a good thing for your appliances and electronic devices, as it saves them from shorting out. You can tell a fuse has blown or a breaker has tripped if the power suddenly cuts out after you plug something in or turn it on. By simply switching the breaker back on or replacing the fuse, you will have power back in just a few minutes.

Damaged Electrical Components and Faulty Wiring

There are several components to your electrical system, including relay, breakers, switches, and even the wires themselves. Damage to any of these components can lead to power loss in the home. The issues may shut off power to the entire house or just a small area. This is where you will want to call in your local electrician. They can find the root cause of the problem, and get you back up and running.

Overloading

Plugging too many appliances into a plugin can result in overloading your circuit. This frequently happens with power strips, when we try to plug all of our electronics into one power board. Besides causing a power outage, overload can be a fire hazard, and it can cause damage to your electrical system. Avoid this by using different plugins throughout your house and unplugging unused devices.

External Blackouts

External power outages can be frustrating since you have no control over them. You cringe when the bad weather comes because you know the storm could knock out the power, and there simply isn't anything you can do but wait for the power company to get you back up and running again. Besides bad weather, there are a few other things that can cause external power outages.

Spikes

Tripped circuit breakers on the power grid, lightning, or a short circuit can cause a temporary increase in the supply voltage. This can sometimes result in a power outage.

Vehicles

Cars may knock down a utility pole when an accident occurs. The shifting of a pole may also cause the power lines to touch. Either of these can result in blackout conditions for that area.

Animals

Most electrical equipment is protected from animals, but occasionally, a snake, lizard, or rodent can come into contact with a transformer or fuse. If an animal short circuits the power supply by getting zapped or chewing into a component, a power outage can occur.

Fortunately, power outages are not an everyday occurrence. We live most of our lives without giving them a second thought. But when an outage does happen, stay calm, and if it isn’t something you can fix, give your power company or electrician a call.