It can be incredibly frustrating when you go to plug in your electronic devices, expecting them to work as they should, yet instead nothing happens. There are plenty of factors that may be the cause of it. As annoying as it may seem, some of the causes may be simple enough to fix yourself. The most important thing is to identify the root of the problem so that you can fix it properly. There several possible causes that may occur.
What are the causes and how to fix them?
Tripped circuit breaker
In most cases, the cause of a blackout as well as faulty electrical outlets is usually caused because the circuit breaker trips. To check if this is the cause, go directly to your electric panel and see if any of the switches are turned off. You can reset them easily by flipping them back on.
In some cases, when the circuit breaker trips, it doesn’t always flip all the way to the opposite side. Some get stuck in the middle and some stick very close to ON which can be a bit hard to see the difference.
If you have done all the above, there may be an issue with overloading appliances. Try to unplug some items that are not necessary or contact an Auckland residential electrician for more advice.
Tripped GFCI outlet
A GFCI or ground circuit fault interrupter is a requirement within all modern building codes when the outlet is located near the sink. You may have already seen them in the kitchen or bathroom within your own house. These outlets have two buttons in the center and will automatically shut off when they detect overheating.
In order to fix this type of outlet when it is shut off, you need to reset them. To begin with, unplug everything from the outlet then press the reset button. The reset button is the red one, if there is no red button on your GFCI outlet then it is usually the button on the top. Once you press the button you’d feel the click and typically your outlet should be back to normal.
Majority of the time these outlets shut down unintentionally however, sometimes the cause of the problem is because of the appliance itself. To check which appliances may have caused the problem, plug them in and see which one caused the GFCI switch to trip off by conducting a process of elimination. If you discover that a particular appliance has caused the issue, avoid using that appliance for your own safety until an Auckland electrician can inspect the appliance.
Faulty outlet
In older houses, especially where the electric outlet is quite dated, the outlet may be out of date. Problems that come with aging houses are usually loose or improper connections with electrical wires, switches or outlets. These problems may cause an arc fault where the electricity is released unintentionally from home wiring, cords or appliances due to the improper or damaged installation. The electricity released may cause the items around that area to easily catch on fire. This can be extremely dangerous but also can be prevented with the help from master electricians.
Burnt out outlets
It is important to keep an eye out if the outlet is acting differently or showing signs of problems such as scorch marks, sizzling sounds, loose contact or sparking. An occasional sparking when plugging in appliances is not anything to be worried about but if it happens more frequently, you may want to contact an Auckland electrical service for maintenance.
In addition, you can inspect the sign of having burned out outlets easily by looking at the outlet to see if there’s any scorch marks or blackening around the outlet. If there is, do not use them. Unplug anything that’s on the outlet right away and turn off the breaker for that outlet. Even if only one has the mark, the entire outlet has to be replaced as soon as possible in order to reduce the risk of catching fire.
Safety is the first priority so if you are not sure about the process of replacing the outlet, contacting master electricians to take care of these problems for you is the best solution.
There are several reasons that can cause the power outages, whether it is a tripped circuit breaker, a tripped GFCI outlet, faulty outlet, or burnt out outlet. Before you decide to call electricians for help, try checking circuit breakers and GFCI outlets as if these are the reasons, you can easily fix them by yourself, which can save a lot of your time as well as your money.
However, receiving assistance from a professional is the best solution. At Northern Lights, we offer service from experienced residential electricians in Auckland. If you have a problem with electrical wiring or any appliances in your home, get in touch with us today with our Northern Lights Lighting & Electrical team today to see how we could help you come up with a cost effective solution for your homes electrical needs. Call us on 0800 177 275 or enquire online.
