Top 6 dangers of short circuit in a wall outlet in your house

Short circuit means there is a low resistance connection between two conductors that are supplying electrical power to a circuit. This would generate high flow current and generate excessive amounts of heat, and will result in melting wire.

There are two type of Short circuit

1. Normal Short Circuit

2. Ground fault short Circuit

Normal Short Circuit means hot wire carrying current touches the neutral wire, the resistance will go down and a high amount of current will pass through it.

Ground Fault Short Circuit means hot wire carrying current touches with the grounded wire or grounded portion of the device. It can be a grounded metal box, or ground wire or a grounded portion of the appliances.

Causes of the short circuit

There are a number of factors that can lead to a short circuit. Here are some of the most common causes.

• Wiring encounters water or some other liquid

• Faulty insulation or loose connections can result in the live and neutral wires coming in contact with each other.

• Nail and screw punctures can cause damage to the wire casings.

• Pets like rats, mice and squirrels chew the wires which leads to the short circuit

• Old or malfunctioning appliances with damaged plugs or power cords can also cause a short circuit problem.

Dangers of Short Circuits

1. Short circuits are abnormal electric connections which allow additional electricity to run through devices, wires, appliances, and outlets. The additional heat generated during the short circuit can lead to the fires in the affected wires. Once it comes into contact with flammable particles it becomes more dangerous.
2. Bare or broken wires or cords can also be a reason for a short circuit. So, if you find any of them remove it immediately.
3. Short circuits can cause circuit damage, fires, explosions etc. if comes in contact with flammable materials.
4. Short circuit is thousands of times more powerful than normal operating current so it can hurt and damage badly.
5. Even a trained electrician gets injuries and even fatality if he/ she isn’t careful.
6. In extreme cases, short circuits burn down the houses and sometimes entire buildings.

Prevention of short circuit

Short circuits pose a danger of shock and fire. We can take certain step to preventing a short circuit:

1. Use Circuit Breaker or Fuse: As the name states the circuit breaker work is to break the circuit. Depending on the rating of the circuit breaker it will break the circuit when the predefined amount of current passes through it.

2. Ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) provide similar function to circuit breakers. They have an exact amount of setting of current and are more accurate than circuit breakers. It automatically shuts off the current’s flow at the slightest sense of fluctuation.

3. Arc-fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) is a circuit breaker that breaks the circuit when it detects an electric arc in the circuit it protects to prevent electrical fires. These devices anticipate short circuits and shut the power off before it can reach a short circuit condition. Where GFCIs protect against shock, AFCIs are a better solution for preventing fires caused by arcing.

Contact us or call us at 780-476-1413 for the best quote for installing a short circuit prevention system. We have provided electrical service and repair work in Edmonton, St Albert, Sherwood Park, Leduc, Beaumont, Fort Saskatchewan Spruce Grove and the surrounding areas since 1992. We are a Better Business Bureau (BBB) accredited business for more than 11 years and our rating is consistently A+. We have zero customer complaints