Tips For Preventing Circuit Overload During The Holidays

 Having a magnificent display in and out your house helps invoke the holiday cheer. But, the winter revelry will be there before you know it once the power goes off in a room, and then cause the music, lights, as well as other electric powered accessories to go out. Fortunately, electricians are there to help you with your electrical problems.

If you lose power in a certain area in your house, it’s possible that you have an overloaded circuit because it’s trying to draw too much electricity from it and it caused the circuit breaker to trip. If you have too many devices or lights on one power strip, then that is the most common cause of the problem. If you connect too many lights, it may also lead to a problem if they are all connected to a single outlet, especially if you are living in an older house that was not wired according to today’s standards.

According to electricians Columbia, you are risking your electric circuits even more if you’re preparing a huge meal and preparing for a big family event at the same time when you’re decorating your halls with Christmas lights using the same circuit. Imagine adding more pressure to your already overloaded wiring when you use whirling mixers, coffee makers, dishwashers, and food processors.

Clean up before and after you have guests over could also create some danger to your electrical system – the vacuum is known for tripping the breakers on the circuits that are already dealing with a decent sized load. Another electricity hog is the space heater as they usually create issues to circuits during the colder season.

How to Avoid Circuit Overload During The Holidays

1. Calculate the circuit load – the majority of circuits have a rating between 15 and 20 amps, so if you know what current your appliances and lights draw you could ballpark how much is considered safe and secure to plug in. In case you approach with a load of 80%, find a different room where you can plug in the next strand of Christmas light.
2. Watch out for large appliances – avoid rooms which has lots of appliances already such as the kitchen if you are searching for a place where you can plug in your Christmas lights. You could also unplug electronics or devices that you don’t need to use so you can free up a lot more current for your Christmas decorations.
3. Use LEDs – buy LED lights if you wish to have that much festive vibe. LED lights use less current compared to conventional bulbs and they will also save you cash on your electricity bills during the holiday season apart from adding less strain on your electrical wiring.
4. Consider installing more circuits – if you’re really committed to creating the brightest holiday lights in your area, together with animatronic snowman, you may consider the installation of at least one dedicated circuits that comes with a rating of 20 amps.

In case a breaker trips, you must feel grateful that it’s on guard for your protection. In case the circuit breaker is not there once the current becomes too much, the circuit wiring can heat up quickly, melt down the insulation and even lead to house fire.

Call CHS Electricians Columbia now and let our electrician help you with your holiday decorations to make sure that you won’t have issues with circuit overloads.

CHS Electricians Columbia
Columbia SC 29205
(803) 973-7324
http://electricianscolumbiasc.com