What Causes a Partial Power Outage?
We’ve all experienced a full power outage that leaves the whole house dark and quiet. This usually happens during storms, floods, and transformer failures. However, not many people have faced a partial power outage that affects one area of a property. In this article, Mr. Electric helps you understand a partial power outage and the common causes. We are a top-rated electrical service company offering a comprehensive range of services, including rewiring, electrical panel replacement, and generator installation and repair.
What is a Partial Power Outage?
As the name suggests, a power outage occurs in certain areas of a house or commercial space rather than affecting the entire property. In other words, it is a situation where only one part of a home loses electricity while other parts are powered just fine. When a partial power outage occurs, your living room may be powered just fine, but the garage may be completely dark. Below, we look at the cause of a partial power outage and what to do.
The primary function of circuit breakers is to interrupt current when a fault is detected to safeguard against overloading and power surges. If there’s a short circuit in your home or a circuit is overloaded, breakers will trip and cut off electricity supply to the specific installation. For example, if a voltage spike affects a lighting fixture in your bedroom, the circuit breaker will likely trip and cut off power to the entire bedroom circuit. That’s why the power supply in your bedroom may go out while other areas of your house are powered. Try to reset the circuit breaker and see if power is restored. If the breaker trips again, call a professional electrician to inspect the source of trouble and make repairs.
Loose or faulty wiring is a common culprit behind a partial power outage, as it can disrupt the flow of electricity. The common causes of electrical wiring issues in homes can range from pest damage and improper installation to normal wear and accidental damage during repairs. If your wiring is compromised, you may also notice flickering lights, a burning smell coming from outlets, shocks, and discolored outlets. If you suspect that your wiring is faulty, call an electrical repair service to fix the problem and restore power supply.
An electrical panel, also known as a service panel, serves as a central hub that distributes electricity to various circuits in a building. If the panel is faulty due to a loose connection, overloading, or any other reason, it won’t distribute power to circuits as it should. This can be the reason why there’s power in some areas of a property while others have an outage. The first signs you’ll notice when an electrical panel starts to act up include flickering lights, buzzing sounds, and a burning smell coming from the panel. If you suspect that the outage is caused by a defective electrical panel, get in touch with qualified electricians for repairs or replacement.
Electrical Services You Can Trust
If you have a partial power outage and need help from a professional electrical repair service, contact the team at Mr. Electric. Having been in business for over 20 years, we understand the inconveniences that can arise from a power outage, whether it be a partial or full outage. We are on standby to dispatch a professional electrician to your home or business to help you restore power supply. Our team can also help you with generator installation to provide you with a backup source of power in the event of a power outage.
