A power loss usually causes a blackout throughout the entire home, but you might also experience a partial power loss that affects only half of your house. You might also lose power in only one or two rooms. Fortunately, partial power outages often have simple solutions, and a professional electrician can help you identify the cause and render a solution if you need help restoring your power.
What Causes Partial Power Outages?
Partial power outages can happen for different reasons, and the problem may be linked to an issue with your home’s electrical system or an external source. Some of the most common causes of partial power outages include:
Circuit Breaker Trips
If your circuit breaker system becomes overloaded because of too much power use, a breaker inside the electrical panel could trip and disrupt power in half of your house or just a single room. Tripping might also occur as a safety measure to prevent electric shock if a hot wire makes contact with a ground wire. A damaged or faulty breaker with a short circuit is another possible cause.
Blown Fuses
If you live in an older home that still has a fuse box, one of the fuses could blow and cause a partial power outage. Similar to when a circuit breaker trips, a fuse could blow as a safety measure when the system is overloaded.
Wiring Issues
Other wiring issues could affect your home’s power supply, and power loss in half of the house is sometimes linked to damaged or loose wires. The problematic wire might be inside your home or lead into your home from an external source (i.e. a ground wire).
Transformer Issues
If your home’s transformer or a transformer near your location has a poor connection, you’re more likely to lose power in half of your house. You might also lose some of your power if a transformer is damaged.
External Equipment Problems
Other external equipment can malfunction or get damaged and lead to a partial power outage. Some common culprits behind these types of outages include grid issues and downed power lines.
Severe Weather
Heavy downpours, high-speed winds and other severe weather events can wreak havoc on your home’s electrical system. If certain electrical components are damaged from the weather, you might lose power in only half of your house. Partial power outages are also sometimes linked to rolling blackouts during heatwaves.
What You Can Do to Fix a Partial Power Outage
A quick fix could resolve the outage, or you may need help from an experienced electrician if the problem is more complex. Some ways that you can try to restore your power yourself include:
Looking for Circuit Breakers in the “Off” Position
Check inside the electrical panel (usually located in a basement, garage or hallway) to see if any circuit breaker switches are in the “off” position. Circuit breakers often switch to this position if they sense a power overload in the home. By simply switching an “off” switch to the “on” position, you may restore full power to your home without any further problems.
Checking for Blown or Loose Fuses
A blown fuse inside the fuse box is usually easy to replace. Make sure that any replacement fuses have the same rating as the rest of the fuses to avoid further issues. You should also look for any loosely connected fuses and tighten them if necessary.
Unplugging Some Electronic Equipment
If the partial power loss is related to an electrical system overload, you may be able to resolve the issue by simply unplugging some of your devices or appliances that are currently using electricity. You might need to stop using so many of your electrical items at the same time if simultaneous usage continues to disrupt your home’s power supply.
Checking for Outlets for Loose Plugs or Low Voltage
A loose plug could also be to blame for your partial power outage. There’s also a possibility that an outlet isn’t supplying enough voltage to a plugged-in electronic device, and you can use a store-bought voltage tester to test the voltage of each outlet.
When to Call an Electrician
It’s not always easy or safe to try to restore your power yourself. If you can’t get the power back on in your entire home after you’ve tried every DIY tactic imaginable, you shouldn’t hesitate to call a knowledgeable electrician for help. You should also hire an electrician if your electrical problem is related to any damaged or faulty wiring or other potentially dangerous mechanical malfunctions.
Partial Power Outage Prevention Tips
A partial power outage can’t always be prevented, but there are some things that you can do to reduce the chances of power disruptions in your home. Some of the best ways to prevent partial power outages include:
- Using surge protectors to prevent energy spikes
- Monitoring the use of electronics in your home
- Updating your electrical equipment
- Having a backup generator available
- Scheduling professional inspections of electrical system components
Here at Mister Sparky, we have a team of seasoned electricians who provide services regularly to customers with partial power outages in their homes. If you’ve lost power in half of your house, we can show up quickly to try to get your full power restored so that you can feel safer and more comfortable in your home setting. Don’t put up with any malarky, call Mister Sparky.
