Steps To Follow If Your Power Tripped in Orlando

Pull out your flashlight! A tripped circuit breaker can leave you in the dark, but we’ve got a solution if your power tripped in Orlando. Here’s how to get the lights back on. 

Let’s say you’re at home enjoying the weekend. It’s a warm spring day, and you’ve just started the coffee pot, put a waffle in the toaster oven, and started the dishwasher.  Then, the lights go out. You pull out your phone and search for power outages in your zip code. No outages listed? That means this is all on you. 

But don’t panic, you won’t have to do this alone. Bright Future Electric is here to walk you through what to do if your power tripped in Orlando. It’s really an easy fix. 

1. Unplug any of the appliances that were operating before you lost power.
2. Locate your home’s breaker box, which is usually located in the garage or basement.
3. Check the switches in your breaker box, most of them should be in the “on” position.
4. If you see one that’s halfway between on and off, push it the rest of the way to the “off” position and then switch it all the way back to “on”. 
5. This should clear the circuit.

Now that the power is back on, you can take this opportunity to learn some quick facts about your home electrical system.

Circuit Breakers

If you were searching online for ‘power tripped in Orlando’, what you were experiencing was a tripped circuit breaker. This is a type of electrical switch that controls the wiring that leads to your home’s power outlets. As a safety precaution, circuit breakers are designed to automatically turn off when those wires are overloaded with electrical current. 

What Causes a Tripped Circuit Breaker

If your power tripped in Orlando, there are a few possible explanations.

• An overloaded circuit: Remember that waffle you were putting in your toaster oven? That appliance, combined with your other appliances running simultaneously in the same electrical zone, caused your circuit breaker to trip. 
• Ground faults: These occur when a hot wire (the wire that carries electricity) comes in contact with a grounded portion of your home’s electrical system. These can cause electrical shock and fires.
• A short-circuit: This happens when your hot wire comes in contact with a neutral wire, generating a current that overloads the circuit. This is usually a good indicator of a more serious wiring problem, and requires the service of an experienced electrician. 

Preventing a Tripped Circuit

If your power tripped and it was caused by an overloaded circuit, that’s an easy fix. You might need to move some appliances around, or rotate when you are using certain appliances. If your circuit breaker tripping was caused by a ground fault or a short circuit, this is a more critical issue that needs to be addressed by an electrician. 

If you have been having problems with breakers that trip repeatedly, it can be a sign of underlying electrical problems, or the need for a home electrical system upgrade. No matter your electrical needs, Bright Future Electric can take care of you. Contact us today!