What is a Brownout and How Do You Protect Your Home From It?
Summer brings a lot of fun and excitement to life, giving people a perfect opportunity to enjoy the beach with family and friends or barbecuing out on the yard. Unfortunately, the warm season also increases the electrical load, which may cause power interruptions in the form of blackouts or brownouts. If you want to maximize the fun of summer, you need to protect your home from a brownout.
What is a Brownout?
In a nutshell, a brownout is the result of a power fluctuation caused by voltage drops in the electrical system. The term comes from the “browning” or dimming of lighting fixtures due to the voltage change. An extreme voltage drop may lead to total power outage or interruption, which is called a blackout.
Seasonal brownouts occur during summer, when a lot of people find the need to stay in air-conditioned rooms to protect themselves from the harsh heat of the sun. Some of the common causes of brownouts include:
Electrical system overload:
Using a lot of electrical appliances and equipment may cause an abnormal surge in power requirement, which can overload your electrical system.
Faulty electrical circuits:
With wear and tear in your home comes a potential damage in your electrical wiring.
Weather conditions:
Thunderstorms may interfere with the distribution of power in your grid, thereby causing voltage slumps.
Tips To Protect Your Home From A Brownout
Brownouts – or any power fluctuation for that matter – may damage your home appliances and shorten the life of your lighting fixtures. Here are some things that you can do to protect your home from potential damage when a brownout strikes.
Limit the use of power-hungry appliances.
Some electrical home appliances such as the washing machine or air conditioner require a lot of electricity to get them running. Make sure that you regulate the use of these items as much as you can.
Turn on only the appliances that you will use.
Sure, it’s going to be convenient for you to switch all of your gadgets and appliances on, but this will cause an unnecessary power requirement that may cause a brownout. In other words, turn on the items only when you’re going to use them.
Check your electrical circuits for damage.
Look for corroded circuit breakers or bad terminals, and repair them immediately.
A brownout may look like a simple and innocent event, but it can cause a lot of problems when you fail to follow precautionary measures against it. Make sure that your home is ready for power interruptions and fluctuations when they strike. The best solution is to contact an electrician to help you prepare your home before the next brownout happens. That’s where Wire Craft can help. Our team of electricians can help you get your home ready for whatever the summer heat and power surges bring your way. Reach out to us today and we’ll work with you to protect your home.
