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Power Outages: What Causes Them and What to Do About It?

Have you ever just been sitting at home, watching TV, and all of the sudden, the power goes out? An outage can be a great inconvenience, and it’s even more inconvenient if your household is ill-prepared to go without electricity for a certain amount of time. Here’s what you need to know for when the power goes out, and what should do in the event of a prolonged outage wherever you may live.

What causes a power outage?

There are a few problems that could lead to an outage in your area. An outage, or blackout, can be caused by an interruption in the flow of electricity. In certain circumstances, it could be triggering your home’s circuit breaker from overload within the household. This is usually a simple fix of getting to the breaker and resetting. Other times, inclement weather can cause the lights to go out. Lightning striking transformers or fuses in the middle of a thunderstorm is one of the greatest culprits of an outage. Ice and flooding can also lead to a blackout.

Be sure to be in touch with your power company in the event of electrical emergencies or possible maintenance in your area that could shut down the juice temporarily. This will give you at the very least of the timeframe on power returning to your household. These blackouts can spring up at a moment’s notice so it’s important to be prepared for this regardless of the time of day or the weather outside.

How do I prepare for an outage?

One way you can prepare for an outage as a homeowner is to make sure you have functioning windows. All Weather Seal properly insulates homes to make sure that heating and air conditioning stay within the confines of your home. If a power outage happens in the winter, you’ll want to make sure a weather seal and attic insulation are in place to keep hot air in. Proper siding can also help in these efforts. Be sure to reach out to trained professionals to make sure that your roofing and insulation are properly repaired prior to extreme weather seasons, depending on your area of the United States.

Beyond the help of a contractor, you may want to make sure that your outlets and home electrical system are properly functioning, having surge protectors in place to avoid any additional damage to wiring. Take inventory of your home, making sure you have items of relevance to a blackout such as batteries and other alternative power sources. If you know a weather event is imminent, be sure to stock up on nonperishable food items and water, as you need to keep freezers and refrigerators closed to avoid spoilage. Assess your medical needs and install an emergency plan to be prepared in the event of a power outage.

The lights are out. What do I do now?

If you are experiencing electrical issues and notice it’s beyond your house to surrounding areas, be sure to reach out to your utility provider immediately. This report will alert them to a need for repairs, sending out service professionals as soon as possible. If power is back in the area but your home’s electricity still isn’t flowing, you may need to reach out to a licensed electrician to assess any possible damage.

If you’re looking for an electrician in Mansfield, TX, don’t hesitate to find the best electrician to provide quality work to restore power and have you better off for future outages. In some circumstances, you may have deeper electrical problems than you may have realized before the blackout. If power surges are frequent post-outage, contact a technician immediately. Remember, outages can happen at any time. Be ready before and after.

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