Skilled electricians are aware that interruptions in the flow of electricity can be caused by numerous factors, including severe weather events or failures in equipment.
And there are no one-size-fits-all solutions for the causes of power outages because they come in so many shapes and sizes.
There are, however, five main causes behind most power outages and In this article, we will discuss all you need to know!
Storms Causes Power Outage
Among the main reasons for a power outage are storms.
It’s not uncommon for a large storm to knock down power lines and cause outages because of the high winds, heavy rains, or strong gusts that can do so much damage in such a short amount of time.
The aftermath is widespread with downed trees often blocking roads while electricity poles are toppled over on their sides due to being hit by lightning or just old age.
Power may take days to be fully restored as workers clear away debris, make repairs at damaged substations, and head off new storms brewing up on the horizon!
If you’re caught without power during a storm: stay indoors! Do your best not to use any appliances that require electricity until you know if it has been restored- especially something like an oven since this might lead to electrical shocks.
Equipment Failure Can Trigger Power Outage 
There are many reasons why an individual power line can go down, and one of them is equipment failure.
This could be as simple a thing as tree branches brushing against the wire during high winds knocking it out or something more complex like switching gear that cannot handle load shedding properly when there’s too much demand for electricity in some areas.
The result is still the same: no electricity! There may not even be any warning before this happens- sometimes cables just fail without so much as a sound to let you know what happened.
The best way to stay safe here is by keeping your eye on the sky since storms or other weather conditions often precede an outage from happening.
Power Outage Due to Overloaded Circuits or Transformers
The third main cause of power outages is overloaded circuits or transformers.
Sometimes the load put on a circuit, whether from too many appliances being plugged in at once or other factors like lots of people using their dishwasher and clothes dryer at one time- just exceeds what it can handle.
This overload causes spikes that are sent down to the ground where they’re picked up by nearby homes as an electrical surge.
While this isn’t usually enough to knock out all electricity for everyone, those without the proper protection may end up with fried electronics or worse!
To stay safe: always unplug your appliances when not in use and install surge protectors throughout your home (including ones near computers).
This will lessen the chances of power outages from occurring.
Excessive Use of Electricity Causes Power Outage
If you suddenly experience a power outage then too much use of electricity could be the culprit.
This can happen in one of two ways: either there’s too much demand for electricity on a circuit, or the circuits are simply overloaded from being used so frequently.
In some cases, this may be due to heavy appliances like fridges and washing machines running at high speed- but it could also come as a result of other factors such as lots of people using their dishwasher all at once.
Regardless, if you’re not careful your family will soon find themselves without any lights!
To protect yourself against these types of a power outages: always try to do laundry during off-peak times (like evenings) and unplug anything that isn’t currently in use when not using it.
Lightning May Result in Power Outage
Lightning is another cause of power outages.
While lightning strikes can happen at any time, they’re most likely to occur during large thunderstorms when heavy rain and strong winds have an effect on the ground below- which then causes electricity in cables to surge!
The result may be that a spark jumps from one cable to another (or even back down onto the same cable) causing them all to fail in an instant.
Since this type of outage only happens for about 30 seconds or less it’s not something you need to worry too much about if you take proper precautions like unplugging your appliances, so there’s no chance of being shocked while waiting it out until everything comes back online again.
In a Nutshell
Understanding the causes of power outages can go a long way in protecting your business and its assets.
By taking these preventative measures, you’ll be able to better plan for any emergencies that may come up.
If you want more information on how to prepare for an emergency like this or just want some advice from top professionals about what they do before a storm hits, contact us today!
We offer free consultations so there is no risk when contacting our team.
