A full power outage can be very inconvenient. It can disrupt your daily activities, cause food spoilage, and contaminate water. Sometimes, it can be life-threatening too, especially when temperatures reach freezing or if you rely on medical devices. So being prepared, knowing what to do, and when to call a 24-hour electrician is crucial. To help you out and to make sure you are always ready, here’s a list of things to do when a full power outage strikes.
1. Unplug electronic devices and appliances
When the power goes out, unplug your appliances and devices, including TVs, computers, and microwaves. You should also turn your home’s heating system to a minimum. This will prevent damages from power surges when the electricity is restored. Also, power can restore easier if there’s no heavy load on the electrical system.
When you get your power back, wait a few minutes before turning on all the appliances you unplugged. This will reduce demand on your utility company’s electrical system.
2. Check your neighbors
To know what steps you will need to take next, it will help if you can determine if you are the only one experiencing the problem. So when you lose power, check your neighbors to see if they are affected.
3. When the power outage affects your neighbors
If your whole street lost power, the problem is within your community. You can call your local utility company to report the issue or ask if there are problems with their service. Also, try to see if they can give you an estimate of how long they can restore the power.
4. When the power outage is limited to your home
On the other hand, if you are the only one affected and you are sure your energy bills are paid, then the outage is likely caused by an electrical problem in your home. In this case, you may try to troubleshoot the electrical failure through your circuit breaker, main breaker, fuse box, or GFCI receptacle.
Check whether your breaker tripped or if your fuse has blown. If so, reset the circuit breaker or replace a fuse. For the GFCI outlet, simply push the reset button. If resetting your breakers causes your main breaker to trip or if you can’t reset one of your branch breakers, this means you have a problem with your circuit. Thus, you’ll need to schedule a repair with a licensed electrician.
5. Call a 24-hour electrician
If the power outage is limited to your home, a better course of action is to call a 24-hour electrician as soon as you can. An electrician can help restore the power in your home and determine what caused the outage in the first place. The problem can be minor like faulty wiring in one of the rooms. Or it can be serious, such as a damaged breaker box, which puts your whole electrical safety system at risk. See, knowing what caused the isolated power outage is vital to ensuring you and your family’s safety. It will also help prevent bigger and costlier electrical issues in the future.
Need a 24-Hour Electrician in Sydney?
While losing power is considered more of an inconvenience than an actual emergency, it becomes a huge problem if your home is the only one affected. This could mean you have an electrical issue that may or may not require immediate attention. So don’t take the risk and call Electrician to the Rescue. They are ready to help you, no matter when a full power outage strikes. With their 24/7 service, they can restore your electricity any time and any day, even on weekends and public holidays.