You know that misusing your electrical system can be dangerous. With so much power coursing through the wiring in your home, it’s possible to cause a house fire if your system isn’t working properly.
Although an overcurrent protective device is installed on your electrical system to prevent house fires, you shouldn’t rely on that exclusively for your family’s safety. To ensure you and your family is safe, it’s important to know how to reduce the load on your circuits to prevent blackouts and the potential for a house fire.
What Does It Mean to Have an Electrical Overload?
An electrical overload is when one circuit in your household is expected to produce more power than it can reasonably handle. You don’t have to be a licensed electrician to recognize you are overloading your circuit. If you notice that your power trips when you plug in an electrical device, then you are overloading the circuit that electrical socket is on. Fortunately, there are ways you can reduce the load and prevent blackouts.
Reduce Your Dependency on One Circuit to Prevent Overloads
The easiest way to reduce the load any one circuit is responsible for is to use another circuit. If your circuits aren’t mapped out in your breaker box, then you can reasonably determine what sockets are associated with different circuits by manipulating the switches. Once you turn off the electricity in one room, you can test what sockets aren’t working to determine what sockets in your home are associated with each circuit. There is no danger to you by doing this, but it is time-consuming.
Armed with the information about what sockets work on the same circuit, you should distribute your use of electrical sockets across various circuits. By using other electrical outlets, you will avoid the tendency to cause a blackout.
Have a Professional Add New Circuits to Your Electric System
Another way you can eliminate your chances of having a blackout or a house fire is by installing another circuit in your home. Of course, installing another circuit isn’t something you can do. You will need to hire a professional, such as our licensed electricians here at Harrison Electric. A new circuit will help you eliminate the load on one circuit while providing you more electrical outlets where you need them.
You can improve your home’s safety by being mindful of your electrical system. If you are experiencing blackouts or you rely on a lot of electrical devices, it’s important that you avoid overloading your system. Beyond switching to a new circuit, you can have a member of our team install a new circuit which would help reduce your electrical load.
If you need a quote or our 24-hour express service for a job that cannot wait, call us at 763-544-3300 or message us online, and we will get back to you quickly!