Patience is a virtue – utility companies generally know when outages occur and promptly begin the restoration process. However, if you notice that you are the only house on the block without power, please call our 24-hour emergency electrical repair service immediately. In either case, safety is first and foremost. Only use a flashlight for emergency lighting, never use candles. You should always keep fresh batteries in a battery-operated radio for use in extreme weather. Turning off any electrical equipment you were using when the power went out will minimize surges in your lines. Avoid opening your refrigerator or freezer. Leaving one light on will help you know when power has been restored. If you are using a generator, never operate it inside the home or garage.
Go to your main electrical panel, usually located in a garage or carport area on the opposite side of the wall from your electric meter. If you are in an apartment setting the panel is usually in a closet or storage room. Open up the panel to reveal the various circuit breakers. The ‘tripped’ breaker will not be in either the on or off position, but rather in between. Sometimes a small red portion of the breaker will be exposed to show you the tripped breaker. To reset it, just push the switch to the off position and then back to the on position. You should hear a snapping sound and feel some resistance. In the event that the circuit continues to trip, there may be an excessive load on the circuit. Correcting the overload should solve your problem. If that doesn’t work, contact C & T Electric for an evaluation.
Many times when a breaker trips, it is because the circuit is overloaded. Things like space heaters, toasters, microwaves, air conditioners, ovens and more may all be pulling electricity at once. One branch circuit can become easily overloaded, so check to make sure you don’t have too much on one breaker.
This could happen for several reasons. Much like a breaker tripping, there could be an overload on a branch circuit meaning you need more throughout the home. You could also have loose connections, which could be somewhere in the house, in the breaker box, or even at the meter box. This is something to get checked out immediately as it could be a potential fire hazard.
GFCI stands for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter, and it monitors how much electrical current is running through a circuit and an outlet. If there is too much power or power where it shouldn’t be, the GFCI will cut off your electricity. These are now required in certain places throughout your home, such as the kitchen, bathroom, garage, outdoors and more.
There are several things to look out for before plugging anything into an outlet. Your outlets and switches should be silent, so if you are hearing any time of buzzing or sizzling sound, turn off the power immediately. This also applies if an outlet or switch is warm to the touch, sparking or emitting a foul odor. Contact an electrician as soon as possible.
The majority of house fires are caused by electrical issues, including overloading, deterioration and more. Being on Lake Martin means family is on the pier every summer, and it’s important to make sure everything is working and enabled after an offseason. With our annual inspection, we’ll ensure all your electricity circuits are up to par.
Automation is the biggest benefit of a smart thermostat because not only do you not have to remember when to change the thermostat — and you can have it set at the perfect temperature for you when you get home —but automation also means energy savings. Instead of your system running all day, you can control when to heat and cool your home.
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