This is usually caused by three things.  The first reason could be there are too many electrical items plugged into the circuit.  Circuits are designed to only handle so much electric demand.  The second reason is there could be a short in the wiring, or the third reason is the breaker or fuse could be faulty.  It is recommended that an electrician evaluate the problem to ensure there are no safety issues.  Your electrician can also talk with you about adding more circuits to your home so that your electrical system can support all your needs.

GFI outlets are commonly known as the outlets “with a button”.  GFCI stands for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter. The outlet monitors itself for an electrical current imbalance.  (Those imbalances are what can give you a nasty shock!)  If it recognizes an imbalance, it will “trip” or shut itself off.  The national electric code requires that GFCI outlets are installed anywhere near water including bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, and outdoors.  If you have a GFCI outlet that is constantly tripping, you should have it looked at as that may be an indicator of a more dangerous problem.

There is a test button on all GFCI outlets.  The outlets should be tested from time at time – at least yearly.  Press the “test” button to trip the outlet.  Press the “reset” button to fix it.  If nothing happens when you press the test button or if the outlet will not reset, that could indicate a dangerous situation.  The outlet needs to be inspected by an electrician to ensure it safely operating and there is no underlying electrical issue.

A “short” and “short circuit” describe the same problem. A short circuit happens when the “hot” wire (the wire carrying the electrical current, most commonly the “black” wire) comes into contact with either the grounded conductor (also called the neutral, most commonly the “white” wire) or the equipment ground (the “bare copper” wire or “green” wire). When a short circuit occurs, excessive heat is generated. A practical example of a controlled short circuit is the spark generated by an arc welder. In the same way, a short circuit that occurs in your home will generate heat and sparks if left unchecked. Thankfully, the circuit breakers in your electrical panel will cut power to the circuit in the event of a short circuit.

A dimmer is nothing more than a small transformer that causes the light bulbs to dim by decreasing the voltage applied to them. As the dimmer decreases the amount of voltage going to the light bulbs, excess heat is generated and radiates from the switch via the switch plate. The heat that you feel is nothing to be concerned about unless you can smell plastic burning or notice the lights flickering.

There are a few possibilities here. The first is that the circuit breaker has simply tripped, and needs to be reset. To reset a circuit breaker, the switch must be set completely to the “off” position until you feel a “click”; once the switch has been set to off, set the switch back to the “on” position. If it returns to the “on” position without tripping again, the circuit breaker has been successfully reset. If the circuit breaker will not reset and trips when the switch is set to the “on” position, there may be a short circuit or overload on that circuit. If the circuit breaker cannot be reset, please be sure to call a licensed electrician to evaluate the problem.

Like your refrigerator, dishwasher, or washing machine, your vacuum cleaner features an electric motor. While running, an electric motor consumes a steady amount of electrical current (called RLA, or “running load amps”). However, when starting, an electric motor consumes approximately seven times the current that it would normally consume while running steadily ( called LRA or “locked rotor amps”). Take for example a vacuum cleaner that consumes five amps while the vacuum is running steadily. When you switch the vacuum “on”, that electric motor will consume approximately thirty-five amps of electricity until the motor has reached its operating speed. This creates a tremendous load on the circuit that the vacuum is plugged into, thus causing the lights to dim while the vacuum motor is accelerating to its operating speed. Once the operating speed is reached, the vacuum consumes less energy and does not cause the lights to dim.

In a nutshell, “no”. Orange extension cords are designed to temporarily carry power to a location that does not have access to permanent power. They are not, however, designed to be permanently installed in your home’s attic or behind drywall.

You could be experiencing a “brown out”. Brown outs typically occur during the summer months when air conditioners run continually to keep buildings and houses cool. The power grid gets stressed, causing less electricity to be available to your home. This may cause your lights to dim temporarily.

The other possibility is that there could be a loose neutral connection the power line connecting to your home or inside your electrical panel. If you experience this problem, first alert the power company. If they cannot determine a problem, call a licensed electrician to handle the problem.

You may have lost a phase. Your house has three wires entering your meter base: two hot wires, each carrying 120 volts (called “A” phase, and “B” phase), and a neutral wire. Your 120 volt appliances such as your refrigerator and microwave, lights, and plugs only need one phase (either “A” phase or “B” phase) to work. Your 240 volt appliances, however, such as your oven, cook top, air conditioner, etc need both “A” phase and “B” phase (two phases at 120 volts each gives you 240 volts). If one of the phases becomes broken either at the power line, underground, or in your electrical panel, your 240 volt appliances and any lights or outlets on the broken phase will not operate. If you experience this problem, first alert the power company. If they cannot determine a problem, call a licensed electrician to handle the problem.

Most people install motion sensing lights to allow light for a pet in the back yard, or to thwart a potential burglary. If you are experiencing too many “false alarms”, read on.

Motion sensing lights have a sensitivity dial mounted below the sensor itself. This dial may be set too high for the amount of regular motion in the back yard. Try turning the dial down to decrease the sensitivity of the motion sensor. The sensor will still pick up the motion of a pet or intruder, but will not be activated by a tree or plant blowing in the wind.

There are two brands of electrical panels in the Northern Virginia area that have been known to have serious defects: these brands are Federal Pacific “Stab-Lok” panels, and Zinsco electrical panels. Federal Pacific electrical panels are notorious for having circuit breakers that fail to trip in a short-circuit situation. The electrical panels themselves also suffer from design flaws concerning the buss bars and the way the circuit breakers clip into the electrical panel. The most dangerous part about these electrical panels is that they can operate without a problem for 20 or 30 years and then unexpectedly fail to trip for a short circuit or overload. Zinsco panels suffer from a similar, yet less extensive problem. The circuit breakers in some Zinsco panels tend to overheat and melt down over time, causing failure of the overheated circuit breakers and others surrounding it. Imagine your electrical panel being the foundation of the electrical system in your house. All of the electricity that comes into your house must first go through the electrical panel and each circuit breaker. It is your last line of defense against electrical fires. If you have reason to believe that your electrical panel is unsafe, please consult a licensed electrician. While replacing an outdated electrical panel is about as fun as replacing the transmission in your car, it will also help to bring years of safety in your homes electrical system.

Some higher quality portable generators have a switch on their control panel that allows the user to toggle between 120 volt settings and 240 volt settings. Be sure that this toggle switch is set to the 240 volt setting. If it is not supplying 240 volts to the generator panel, appliances needing 240 volts will not run at all, and the 120 volt circuits will be stressed trying to carry the burden of 240 volt appliances (thus causing light fixtures and 120 volt appliances to run faintly.