Your home electric system

It's a pretty rare occasion when your power goes out unexpectedly. Sometimes this creates a sense of panic, but it's not a mystery. Troubleshooting an isolated power outage can be tackled logically and sensibly if you know some simple principles.

Before contacting a professional electrician, there are several troubleshooting steps you can take. For instance, a frequently encountered issue, and one of the simplest to resolve, is a tripped Ground Fault Interrupter (GFI) protection device.

Outlets exposed to the outdoors or moisture are often connected to a single protective outlet, i.e., a GFCI outlet in one of those locations. When this trips, it might protect and turn off five different outlets in these electrically dangerous areas.

By using this type of knowledge found on these pages, you will be able to troubleshoot your problem before calling a professional.