Remember the northeast blackout of 2003?
It affected an estimated 10 million people in Ontario and 45 million people in eight U.S. states.
People were struggling to sustain themselves.
This clearly shows how dependent everyone is on electricity.
All this technology and all these inventions have made human race dependent on them.
Electricity is a basic necessity, not even a luxury anymore because these days almost everything works on power.
That said, it literally takes seconds for a boon to turn into a bane.
Electricity has it’s importance no doubt, but it’s also the cause of many deaths, and house fires due to short circuits.
You’re probably thinking…
It rarely happens.
Your home is all secure since you get it checked by the electrician always.
Agreed, but there is always a rare possibility that accidents can happen anytime.
Let’s take a look at some quick tips to find an electrical short in your house and maintain general safety.
This is extremely helpful because instead of calling the electrician once in six months, you’ll know exactly when to call them.
4 Ways to Find Electrical Short Circuit in Your Home and How to Prevent It
Short circuits occur when a hot wire touches any of the other wires in your fuse box.
This results in an extra current flowing through the circuit, which causes the fuse to blow up.
Other reasons are the problem in circuits like switches, cords, overload and faulty wiring in the house.
Short circuits happen in direct as well as alternating current.
1. No Power
If you want to find a short circuit, turn off switches, lights and unplug appliances.
Look for a tripped circuit breaker. If it’s tripped, reset it.
However, if the fuse has been affected, then replace it.
2. Examine Switches
There’s a chance of a short circuit in a switch or receptacle if the breaker trips again after the reset.
3. One Step at a Time
If you want to figure out which switch is the breaker tripping, you can turn on the switches one by one.
When the breaker trips on a specific switch being turned on, you’ll know that it’s probably been short.
4. Electrical Appliances
If you’ve turned on all the switches, but the breaker doesn’t trip, then it means the problem could be within the electrical appliances.
You’ll also need to check them one by one. And the moment the breaker trips, you’ll have your culprit.
However, apart from the appliance, it could also have a faulty plug or cord.
5 Preventive Steps to Avoid Short Circuits
1. Don’t Use Many Sockets at a Time
Don’t overload one plug by connecting those cords with multiple sockets.
If it’s overloaded, then it can cause a fire.
2. Check Circuit Protection
If you are moving into a new house, always check the fuse box or hire an electrician near you.
Fuse boxes can have insects which damage the wires.
3. Condition of Wires
The layer of rubber protecting the wires can break over time, there by exposing the wires.
Keep checking on and off to ensure they are not worn out.
4. Check the Manual of the Appliance
Always look at the manual of your appliance and see its load adhering capacity.
This is important because if you overload your appliance, there will be a short circuit.
5. Earthing
Make sure you get an electrician to check whether the earthing is sufficient or not.
The electricity is supposed to be channelled towards the earth to save a short circuit.
4 Quick Tips to Avoid Electric Shocks
- Don’t touch any electrical appliance bare feet or with wet hands.
- Make sure when you get the wiring done, none of them are exposed or semi-exposed. All of them should be covered.
- Never use water to extinguish fire formed by electricity. Always use extinguisher or soil. Water will only increase the flames.
- Never overload the extension cord with too many appliances because it’s dangerous.
In case, anything goes wrong, don’t forget to call a licensed electrician near you to fix it.
If you are looking for a licensed electrician already working in your neighborhood, visit Same Day Pros.
There’s an exhaustive list of professional electricians that you can hire.
Alternatively, you can also download the Same Day Pros app, available on Android and iOS.
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