One of the most common terms you hear in your electrical concerns is a short circuit.

You might experience it any time if your electrical systems aren’t as tightly knit and protected as possible. Moreover, short circuits can cause trouble and damage to your properties, or worse, to your family. Make sure to always check your electrical equipment to avoid any occurrence of a short circuit, which in turn means avoidance of further accidents.

A short circuit might sound very complicated, however, what is a short circuit? A short circuit would mean that power doesn’t flow in its intended path of flow. Electricity usually follows an intended path of the circuit then returns to the ground back to its source. However, certain errors and damages within the electrical system can cause the power to travel via the shortest pathway possible. These damages include loose wirings in the system.

Short circuits commonly happen especially in electrical systems that aren’t very protected or very old properties with deprecated wirings and insulation. Because a short circuit travels in an unintended path, it encounters less or no resistance at all. There are different types of short circuits, and these are:

Normal short circuit

A normal short circuit is when a hot wire that carries a current can touch a neutral wire in your home. Because of the lessening resistance, large volumes of electrical flow go through an unexpected path.

Ground fault short circuit

On the other hand, a ground fault short circuit or more commonly known as a ground fault occurs when a hot wire becomes in contact with something grounded or the ground itself.

While the two kinds of short circuits are the same in nature, they still bear a slight difference. The difference between the two is slight. As a ground fault travels the shortest distance straight to the ground, it occurs because of some mishaps in the ground wire. The presence of water also makes ground faults a source of electrical shock. For a short circuit to occur, the focus is more on the hot wire that might touch a neutral wire.

As short circuit can cause damage and injuries to anybody, there are ways to avoid them from happening in your home. Some of the tips you can do to avoid these occurrences are:

• Perform annual electrical system checks to your electrical equipment and matters at home. Loose wires, fraying insulation and outlet overloading can be the cause of short circuits. Both short circuits and ground faults can send out alarming alerts like smoke and sparks.
• Install circuit breakers that prevent the flow of the unintended electricity that travelling in a pathway it was not intended to be.
• Replace old or damaged electrical wirings, outlets and equipment in your home.

Short circuits are common matters in your electrical systems and as such, there is protective equipment that can be installed in your home to prevent this from happening. Having Circuit Breakers help in preventing short circuits. GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interruptor) are available for your possible Ground Faults from happening. On the other hand, a circuit breaker or AFCI (Arc-Fault Circuit Interruptor)  are there to prevent fires in your home.

Conclusion

Short circuits can be a source of danger to in your home especially for children around. Make sure to invest in good circuit breakers that can mitigate this possible problem for you in the future. Your safety should be a guarantee in your home already as early as the planning phase and construction of your dream home. Make your protection a top priority and have us install your circuit breakers for you at a minimal cost.

Here at Hills District Electrician, we have Level 2 electrical technicians who are more than equipped and trained to handle your electrical jobs. Our team is more than open and available for you in your electrical needs. Maybe now, short circuits seem like a small problem, but you wouldn’t want to underestimate its capacity to pose a threat to your home. Have us do a check-in your safe spaces and make sure your home is okay. Contact us anytime!

Call us in this landline number: 02 8378 2838 or send us your thoughts, questions or enquiries here: hello@hillsdistrictelectrician.com.au