SHORT CIRCUIT at home|Prevention guide|Home security

Ever wondered why some of the houses catch fire,even when we are already so careful for our beloved home? Yes,you are right,that is because of only one reason and that is short circuit !

Every year many homes catch fire all of a sudden and take several lives ,due to short circuit. So it is vital for all of us to know everything about it,and ways to prevent the same.

Here at helloaana our editors have brought you some of the most effective ways to prevent short circuit at home,the appliances you need to install,making it a complete package for you to know everything about a short circuit .

So let us go ahead and learn everything at one place!

1. Short circuit meaning

So, first of all, what is a short circuit? Well, it is the name given to a very particular electrical fault. This is when the electrical current does not pass through all of the wiring, and instead, chooses a shorter route.

This is because electricity always wants to go back into the ground, and will take the most direct route. Including through a human being! By taking a shorter route, more electricity than expected will pass through these wires, and the electricity may even flow where it is not expected too.

By nature, electricity seeks to return to ground, and in a properly functioning circuit, this means that the current flows through the established wiring circuit back to the service panel, and onward back through the utility wires.

 However, if the connections within the wiring loosen or break, electrical current may “leak.” In this instance, the electrical current instantly seeks to flow back to ground by a shorter pathway. That pathway may very well be through flammable materials or even through a human being, which is why a short circuit presents the danger of fire or lethal shock.

Now,that we know what is a short circuit actually,let us know some of its types as well-

Types of Electrical Short Circuit

1. Normal Short Circuit

This refers  to the situation in which a hot wire carrying live current touches a neutral wire. When this happens, resistance lessens instantly and a large volume of current flows through an unexpected pathway. When this classic short circuit occurs, sparks sometimes fly, you may hear crackling, and sometimes smoke and flames ensue.

2.Ground Fault Short Circuit         

A ground fault is a type of short circuit that occurs when the hot wire carrying current comes into contact with some grounded portion of the system, such as a bare copper ground wire, a grounded metal wall box, or a grounded portion of an appliance. As with the classic short circuit, a ground-fault causes resistance to instantly lessen, which allows a large amount of unimpeded current to flow through the unexpected pathway. Here, there is less chance of flame and fire, but a notable chance of shock.

2.what causes short circuit at home

Short circuits can lead to a range of problems in businesses and homes. Not only can it trips your circuit breakers and disrupt your day, but a simple one could also cause electrocutions and even electrical fires.

Short circuits can occur when insulation on wires melts and exposes bare wires. The principal danger of a short circuit is arcing or sparking that may occur as electrical current jumps from a hot wire to a neutral.

This situation can easily cause fires. Short circuits can also occur within the wiring of individual devices, such as lamps or other plug-in appliances. Frayed or otherwise damaged electrical extension cords or appliance cords can also cause short circuits.

There are several causes for Electrical Short Circuits, including three that are most often to be blamed.-

Loose Wire Connections

If there are any loose wire connections or attachments, it will allow the live and neutral wires to touch. If you see faulty wire connections, do not try to fix it on your own and call a professional immediately.

Faulty Appliance Wiring

When an appliance is plugged into a wall outlet, its wiring effectively becomes an extension of the circuit, and any problems in the appliance wiring become circuit problems. Old or broken appliances can develop inner short circuits over time.

Short circuits in appliances can occur in the plugs, in the power cords, or inside the device itself. It’s best to have a technician look at shorts in larger appliances such as ovens and dishwashers. Smaller appliances such as lamps often can be rewired yourself.

Faulty Circuit Wire Insulation

Old or damaged insulation may allow neutral and hot wires to touch, which can cause short circuits. Age of the wire, nails or screws can damage the insulation and allow short circuits. There is a risk of pests of gnawing the insulation and exposing the wire conductors too.

Animal pests such as mice, rats, or squirrels gnaw on circuit wiring, the inner wire conductors can be exposed to cause short circuits.

3.short circuits at home what to do?

To deal with short circuits at home, we have to take special care of some point. The most common sign of a short circuit is when a circuit breaker trips and causes the circuit to shut off. However, there are other conditions that can cause a circuit breaker to trip, such as power overloads, so it is important to determine why the breaker is tripping.

 If a circuit breaker continues to trip immediately after being reset, it is a strong indication that there is a wiring problem somewhere along the circuit or in one of the appliances connected to that circuit.

 Electrical work around the home is perfectly safe if you take the proper precautions. The first rule to prevent an electric shock is to shut off the power to anything you’re working on. But it’s not always so simple. Some things around the home create an electric charge even when they’re powered off.

There are also projects that require the use of electricity, so there’s some risk of shock during this work. And it’s important to know how to shut down electrical appliances and equipment, to prevent shock that can occur even when you’re not touching any wiring.

First of all you need proper tools to fix short circuits

Some special tools are needed to fix shorts that are not present in the regular toolbox. It also requires some common tools. Before you set out to fix the short, make sure you have the following:

• Wire strippers – You may need to expose more wire to get a better connection.
• Screwdriver – Depending on your outlet and the equipment in question, you may need a normal flathead or Phillips head screwdriver.
• Pliers – You can use these to remove wires and other elements you are working with.
• Voltage / Ohm Meter – Also called multimeter, they can measure resistance, voltage and ohms.

Keeping all of the above on hand can make your project go faster. Also, you can use them to deal with any electrical problems in the future.

Fixing a power outage may seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. For most people, the short circuit diagram resembles rocket ship schematics.

If you’ve ever faced a power cut with no previous experience, you probably know how frustrating it can be. The information in this article will help you to fix a short circuit, and what you should do when you find a mistake. Below are our editor’s suggestions to fix the short circuit problem.

Short circuits handling – The most common indication of short circuits is when a circuit breaker trips and closes the circuit. However, there are other conditions that can cause a circuit breaker to trip, such as power overload, so it is important to determine why the breaker is tripping.

If a circuit breaker continues to travel immediately after resetting, it is a strong indication that there is a wiring problem in the ciIf you suspect short circuits in your home, follow this procedure:

You can identify a short by blow fuse, a tripping breaker or a popping sound when you turn on the appliance. Once you determine that there is a problem, you can start looking at the cause and the solution.

isolate the circuit

When fixing an electrical short, first try to isolate the circuit. Every outlet in your home gets power from the breaker. Each breaker has outlets and appliances on the same circuit.

 For example, your refrigerator, stove, and wall-mounted appliances may all belong to the same circuit. Devices and outlets on the adjacent wall may belong to another circuit. The circuit is likely to identify which breaker you can deal with in the process. Of course, turning off the appropriate breaker can reduce your fear of getting a shock or wasting more fuses.

Check the devices on the affected circuit

Check all devices connected to the same circuit. Unplug each of them and inspect them for visual damage, such as:

• Molten wire insulation
• Smoke from appliance motor

After unplugging them all, fixing a power short can be as simple as resetting the breaker. Otherwise, you may have to change the fuse. This is usually as far as the problem is concerned, but there are times when you have to go beyond this set of tasks.

Remove the wires carefully

Close the circuit by hitting the switch. Otherwise, you can remove the fuse. Convert your multimeter’s setting to volts. Make sure Outlook reads zero volts by putting a metal probe in it. You can then remove the receptacle using your screwdriver and pliers. Then remove the wire.

Check the wires carefully

Curious: how to find short circuits with multimeter? You can set your device to ohms and check to see if there is any electricity coming from a different wire using your volt/ohm meter. You may need to use your wire strippers to expose the bare part of the wire.

 Connect one lead of the meter to the black wire and the other to the white wire. Reading Anant Om (O.L.) means that eclipse is the cause and you have to change it. If your multimeter shows continuity, the short is probably within the wire or your circuit breaker.

Carefully remove the breaker wires

To continue repairing the electrical short, turn off the power to the main breaker. Remove the wires from the cover, as well as the problem breaker from the box. Don’t forget to disconnect the white wire as well.

Check breaker

Repeat the process of checking the breaker and wires within the breaker. If your multimeter shows infinite ohms, replace the breaker. If the breaker wire has zero ohms, the wire is the cause of the short. Replace wire to fix electrical short.

You can stop the short circuits

Use Less Electricity During Storms – A short circuit caused by a lightning strike can be extremely dangerous as the sheer amount of electricity can lead to damage. Reduce the electrical usage during a storm as it can help prevent short circuits and lessen the damage in case of a power surge.

You can avoid correcting power cuts by taking precautionary measures. Inspect your breaker box, appliances and outlets occasionally for signs of damage. If you notice damage to an outlet or breaker, stop using it.

Check appliances for split cords and do not use them if bare wires are visible. Call a certified professional and get an electrical inspection done at least once a year. They can identify critical issues and resolve them before they can get dangerous because they know how to fix short circuits.

STEPS TO AVOID SHORT CIRCUITS

You have to understand well that where there is electricity, there is also a possibility of short circuit. This not only leads to loss of power, but it can cause fire, damage to equipment, injury and even death. Step by step we tell you how to avoid them.

Unplug electronics when not in use at home:

This is one of the easiest ways to prevent short circuits in your home. You see, many electronics devices in your home may be using electricity even when they are not in use. To check this, just see if any electronics device is powered on. This indicates that your device is still consuming power even on standby mode, which may cause a short circuit due to overloading.

Install magneto-thermal switch to prevent short circuits in home:

These switches are similar to fuses in that they also prevent power surges. They continuously monitor the load current and interrupt the power supply when it exceeds the specified limit, thereby preventing a short circuit.

Have Grounded Outlets:

Having grounded outlets can also prevent short circuits, especially if you’re connecting them to devices that develop an internal short circuit.

To avoid short circuit Install fuses:

Fuses interrupt current flow when it exceeds the amount for which the circuit was designed, preventing a short circuit. Therefore, installing fuses is a good way to avoid short circuits and all the damages caused by it.

Turn on each light switch or appliance switch, one at a time. If you reach a switch that causes the circuit breaker to trip again, you have identified the section of circuit wiring where a loose connection or wiring problem exists.

Repair the circuit wiring problem. This is a step that may require the help of a professional electrician. Do not attempt this unless you are very confident about your knowledge and skill level. This repair will involve shutting off the circuit, then opening up outlet and switch boxes to inspect the wires and wire connections and making any repairs that are necessary.

If you cannot find any obvious problem in one of the plug-in appliances or fixture wiring connections, the problem is likely hidden somewhere in the wall wiring. Solving this problem will require you to call a licensed electrician to deal with it.

 Do not reactivate the circuit until the problem has been identified and repaired—doing so poses a risk of fire and shock to you and your family. Any smell of smoke or signs of charring or melted plastic is a sign you have a serious problem.

Lastly, you can also get a home audit done to know how your electrical systems are operating and which of them are likely to cause a hazard. Moreover, if you’re really serious about safety, you should also consider Personal accident insurance to financially cover yourself and your dependents against accidents that may be caused due to short circuits.

4. Short circuit protector (best home appliances)

A circuit protection device is an electrical device that is used to prevent unnecessary amounts of current in your home. To ensure the highest level of short circuit protection, Amazon and other websites have a number of safety devices available that allow you to fuse for the circuit,provide a total range of protection devices for circuit breakers, RCCBs, gas discharge tubes, thyristors, and more.

Circuit Breaker or Fuse: A circuit breaker is a switching device in a circuit that interrupts the abnormal flow of current. It uses an internal system of springs or compressed air to sense any changes in the current flow. This will ‘break’ the circuit and cut off the flow of current. A fuse is a device that provides over-current protection. It consists of a metal strip or wire that melts when a large amount of current is passed. This interrupts the circuit.

Ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs): GFCIs work by comparing the amount of current flowing in and out of a circuit. If there is a ground fault or imbalance between the currents flowing in and out, the GFCI will shut off the power.

Arc-fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs): An AFCI breaks the circuit when it detects an electric arc in the circuit. It helps prevent electrical fires.

The different types of circuit protection devices examples include the following.