FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHY DOES MY BREAKER KEEP TRIPPING?

Common causes of breakers tripping could be an overloaded circuit, which means that there are too many items trying to draw electricity from that circuit at once (like the microwave and vacuum running at the same time on the same outlet.) Most appliances owners manuals indicate that each require a separate circuit, and if those items must be in one area, it would require running a new line.

Another possibility is that the circuit breaker itself is worn out, and just requires a simple replacement that should take no more than 30 minutes to an hour.

WHY ARE MY LIGHTS FLICKERING ON AND OFF/CUTTING OUT AND COMING BACK?

Most intermittent outages are usually traced back to a loose connection somewhere in the circuit, quite possibly in a different room from the one that the lights are blinking in. This means that it’s possible that an outlet that has a wire that has a loose connection in the bedroom causing the lights in the bathroom to flicker due to being on the same circuit. This situation can be a bit more complicated in that the electrician has to trace the wires on the circuit to find the faulty connection.

WHERE SHOULD A GFI/GFCI (GROUND FAULT CIRCUIT INTERRUPTER) BE INSTALLED?

Common areas for a GFCI include most areas around the home that have the nearby presence of moisture, such as kitchen countertops, bathrooms, outdoors, basements/crawl spaces, garages, attics where there are HVAC equipment, sheds (that have electric.) Contrary to popular belief, a GFCI is not a circuit overload device (as in it’s not a breaker—although combination units are available), a GFCI protects the user from dangerous electrical shock caused by faulty equipment usually in wet or damp areas. Most GFCI’s are installed at the point of use i.e. the outlet. If a GFCI keeps popping, reasons could be that the appliance or equipment you are trying to use is faulty, or the GFCI is at the end of its lifespan and needs to be replaced.