Frequently asked questions.

Why are my lights flickering?

There can be a number of reasons the lights in a building can flicker. Some of those reasons are from a normal operation, but some are signs of a dangerous situation.

For example, when a large electrical appliance turns on it often draws a lot of power to start up. That large draw can cause a brief flicker in the lights as that electrical load comes online. That is something that is what we consider normal operation.

On the other hand, you may have only certain lights in the house that flicker. They may do it at various times, even when there are no large electrical loads being used. This is often an indicator of a potential serious problem, or at least a problem that can become quite serious if not addressed early.

A common source of flickering lights is a loose connection somewhere along the electrical pathway. This can be caused on the utility provider side, but often it is inside the home. If you have flickering lights, it is best to call an electrician to quickly diagnose and resolve the issue.

How come my circuit breaker keep tripping?

Circuit breakers are designed to be a safety mechanism for a buildings wiring. Wiring is designed to handle a certain amount of power, and in that process the wire itself will naturally heat up. If a wire gets too hot from an overload, then a breaker is designed to “Trip”, turning off the power to the wire and safeguarding the wiring from overheating and causing a fire.

Breakers are also designed to trip in a fault situation. This can happen when a wire or possibly an appliance gets damaged. The damaged wiring can cause whatever it is touching to become “Live”, creating a dangerous electrocution hazard. In a properly designed and installed grounded electrical system, a circuit breaker serves again as a safeguard to “Trip” and turn off the power to eliminate the possibility of electrocution or damage to the appliance.

Most often a circuit breaker “Trips” from overloading the circuit. This might happen in the kitchen when using the toaster and coffee maker at the same time. Or in the garage using too many tools at once. A simple solution is to only use one thing at a time, but that doesn’t always allow us to use our homes in the manner we need to.

Another alternative is to install an additional circuit, to allow more items to be used simultaneously. Switched Electric would be happy to go over the details of installing additional circuits in your home where you need them.

How do you reset a circuit breaker?

Resetting a circuit breaker is a relatively simple thing to do. It isn’t common knowledge to most homeowners, but a circuit breaker actually has three positions, not just “ON” and “OFF”.

The third position of the circuit breaker is the “TRIPPED” position, commonly caused by an overload of the circuit. The “TRIPPED” position most often causes the breakers handle to go to a center position, but it can often still visually appear to be “ON”. To reset the breaker one needs to turn the circuit breaker firmly to the “OFF” position until you feel or hear the breaker click. That means you have reset the breaker.

Once it is reset you can then turn the breaker to the “ON” position. If the circuit and breaker stay on, then likely the overload situation is gone. If the breaker trips again either immediately or after just a few minutes, it would be best at that point to leave the circuit breaker off to avoid damaging the wiring, appliances, or other components of the electrical system. At that point it is time to bring in an electrician to troubleshoot and evaluate the solutions.

What is a GFCI?

GFCI stands for “Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter”. They are a device employed to provide protection to people and electrical equipment. They prevent things such as shocks and electrocutions by turning the power off in a hazardous situation.

Currently the National Electrical Code calls for GFCI’s in a variety of places, such as kitchens, bathrooms, garages, basements, and the exterior of a home. Pretty much anywhere where water and electricity are likely to mix, the code requires the circuit to have GFCI protection.

GFCI protection can be provided by the circuit breaker, a GFCI receptacle, or even the appliance itself. Most commonly the protection is provided by a receptacle. They are the ones you see that have a little “Reset” and “Test” button on them. If you have an older home, or older GFCI devices, it is a good idea to look into adding and/or replacing them. Many changes have taken place with the technology over the years, increasing the GFCI devices ability to provide protection.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to Switched Electric with any questions you may have about installing GFCI protection to your home.