Common Electrical Concerns in the Winter

Today, we'll go over some common electrical concerns people have in the winter and demonstrate how to handle them.

Every winter, we get calls regarding electrical items not functioning the way they should be in the home. Today, we will go over what a few of these electrical items are and how to handle them if they malfunction.

The first item we’ll talk about is a ground fault circuit interrupter, or a GFCI. These outlets are unique because they sense moisture or water and shut off automatically when in contact with them. These outlets can be found in almost every room of your home. A GFCI will have a test and a reset button on the main outlet, and there might be a series of other outlets tied to that. For example, if you have your reset GFCI in the master bathroom, all of your other bathrooms are tied to that outlet. If an outlet isn’t working in a hall bathroom, look for the reset in the master bathroom. If you are outside and have no power to an outlet, the reset for that is generally found in the basement, storage room, or utility area. You can see an example of a GFCI reset in the video above.

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 Your Christmas lights might be causing your breakers to trip.

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The second item we’ll go over is an arc fault circuit interrupter, or an AFCI. The purpose of an AFCI, which is required by code, is to detect any arcs or sparks in the circuitry. So, if there is anything cut or nicked and it arcs or sparks, the AFCI will cause that breaker to trip, or shut off, before a fire or any hazards appear. A potential problem we run into is that some devices use the arc or spark effect to run, such as a corded drill which has brushes that turn and cause the arc to spark. That is an intentional part of that device in order to propel the motor, but the breaker doesn’t have the recognition to determine if that’s good or bad, so it just shuts the drill off. So, when using different items in your home, you can experience the breaker randomly shutting off. Some of those items are vacuums, blenders, and of course, the electric drills.

As we move into the holiday season, we see a lot of people installing lights on their house. Those lights have a tendency to trip the AFCI breakers, so keep that in mind over the next few months. If you see a trip with those breakers, there’s a good chance the Christmas lights are causing it.

If a breaker is tripped, you need to know how to reset it. Of course, you’ll need to go down to your control panel and find the AFCI breakers. These typically have green on them. To test one, push the white button, and it will trip the breaker. To turn it back on, push it all the way off, and then pull it back all the way on. It’s important not to just try to flip it back on. You need to push it all the way off first and hear the rest click, otherwise it will just move to the center. Make sure you hear that reset click, then pull it back on. You can see this demonstrated in the video above.

So, it is possible that your breakers will trip from time to time. Some electronics can cause that to happen, as well as the items discussed earlier. Even static electricity can trip a breaker. However, if the same breaker is getting tripped over and over again, first check your device, and make sure that isn’t the issue. If it’s not, that would be the time to send in for a warranty. Just make sure to keep in mind that breaker trips are very common, and resetting them should be your first step.    

If you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out to us with a phone call or a quick email. We look forward to hearing from you!

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