Nothing is more disconcerting than a sudden power cut. When all the lights go out, some innate fear creeps up into the darkest recesses of your mind. It is important to stay methodical during a power cut. Most power cuts usually last less than an hour, and there are some pretty simple ways in which you can diagnose whether a loss of power is caused in your own home or within your electricity provider’s jurisdiction. Here are some steps you can take to grab hold of the situation during a power cut.
Check Your Trip Switches
Most sudden losses of in-home lighting can be very easily diagnosed and remedied yourself. Simply locate the switchboard or switchbox in your home. This is the switching hub that controls the distribution of mains electricity. It also contains either fuses or automatic circuit breakers. These safety devices protect your home by cutting the power when there is a surge in electricity. During a blackout, your first port of call should be the switch box. Make sure to turn most of the light switches off in your home. If the switches are tripped to the ‘off’ position, simply turn them back on one by one.
If this has no effect, switch them back off again and walk outside.
Walk Outside
Once you are outside, take a look around. If all your neighbors have also experienced power outages then you most likely have been subjected to a network failure. These are usually only temporary.
Phone Your Network Distributor
If the blackout is shared by more than one house, there is a very good chance that your power network distributor will be able to tell you why there is no power. Give them a call to ascertain whether the problem is on their end.
Call an Electrician
If the power cut is completely local to your house and none of your trip switches have triggered, then you might have a malfunction with your house’s power supply or wiring. Water damage, a short circuit or corroding wires can all cause sudden dropouts of power. You’ll need to call a trustworthy electrician to come and diagnose your problem. There are plenty of great 24-hour contractors that can come rushing to your aid when you find that you have no power.
Don’t Worry
It is important not to panic, even if the cause of the power outage isn’t apparent. If the outage is caused by a network failure, the chances are high that the network will be able to get power back up and running within a few hours. In extreme cases, such as the power outages faced by Texans during this Winter’s freeze, there really isn’t much you can do. Instead, cozy up as well as you can and just try and see the night through. Running around tripping over things in the dark won’t help a bit.
If the problem is with your home’s wiring, an emergency electrician will be able to diagnose your problem relatively easily.