Blackouts can be mysterious as your power goes out without warning or any obvious sign. None of your lights or appliances can be working, not even your porchlight. Oftentimes there are easily diagnosable problems to understand and give you peace of mind or help you restore power.

External Blackout

Often blackouts are categorized as widespread power outages in a city or neighborhood. These can last hours or days depending on the circumstances. If you think it’s a wide-spread blackout, ask a neighbor if they have the power to see if it’s not just your home.

Accidental or Natural Events

There are several causes for sudden blackouts caused by accidents or natural events:

• Storms or weather can cause blackouts. Events like high winds and floods can cause damage to power grid equipment and cut off power to a city or a specific area where that equipment feeds electricity to. Other events such as earthquakes or lightning strikes can do the same. Power will be restored when this equipment can be restored.

• High power demand, especially when it’s hot outside, can cause power grid equipment to fail. These events tend to be more localized to a specific neighborhood or area of a city.

• Humans can accidentally damage power grid equipment. For example, plumbers can dig into underground power lines, or someone cutting tree branches can cause one to fall on an above-ground power line and break it.

• Animals, much like humans, can be at fault too as many wild critters like to mess with power grid equipment and cause short circuits.

Unpaid Bill

If your neighbors have power and you’re sure that your house’s electrical equipment is fine, perhaps you forgot to pay your electricity bill. Failing to pay a bill, paying too late, payment errors, and other factors could be at play. Just give your provider a call to fix it.

Internal Blackouts

These internal causes are more down to your own home’s equipment having an issue.

Too Many Powerboards

If you’re a lover of powerboards and have many around your house, you may be plugging too many devices and appliances into the same outlet. Simply remove devices you don’t use often, and please never chain powerboards to other powerboards.

Fuses Tripped

Very common for fuses to trip if they’re overworked by too many appliances and devices running on the same one. Simply flip the fuse back in your fuse box and reduce how many appliances and devices you’re using all at once.

Blackouts Damages

Blackouts, both external and internal, can cause a variety of issues:

• Computer components can be damaged with sudden power outages, like hard drives, and files can be lost.

• Refrigerator food can spoil.

• Air conditioning cannot be used.

• Some sensitive devices or appliances can suffer damages.

Keep in the Light About Blackouts

Blackouts aren’t a big cause for concern if they are externally caused, but you should try to prepare for the event of one if you can. If the causes are internal, like no lights or appliances working all of a sudden, you can now diagnose the issues and have peace of mind.