Troubleshooting Power Problems

Tips for troubleshooting power disturbance problems

Oh, no! The lights are flickering and the digital display on your alarm clock is flashing. Looks like you've got a power disturbance problem.

You might want to perform some simple checks before calling FPL or your electrician. Sometimes solving the problem is simply a matter of keeping track of when problems occur and which equipment is affected.

Troubleshooting Items to Check

Solution

1. Are your neighbors affected?

• If not, check your circuit breaker, fuse box, or main breaker before calling an electrician or FPL.
• If you live in an apartment building and only your power is out, call your building's maintenance person for assistance.
• If your entire apartment complex's lights are flickering or out,
• call FPL at 1-800-4OUTAGE (1-800-468-8243) or
• follow the instructions at Report Trouble.

2. Does the problem come and go?

Look for patterns, more than likely something might have interfered to cause a quick on and off of electricity. Things that you may want to consider when looking for patterns:

• Does the problem happen at the same time of day?
• Is construction work going on in your neighborhood?
• How was the weather?
• Was there a loud noise outside the home?
• Have you added any new appliances to your household?

Being aware of patterns can be a valuable tool for you, an electrician, or FPL in finding the cause and solution to your power disturbances.

3. Is other household equipment running at the same time?

Find out if sensitive equipment is sharing the same electrical circuit as large appliances or motors, or if too much equipment is on one circuit. If so, relocate the sensitive equipment to a different outlet or circuit.

4. Has recent work been performed on your home's electrical system? Have you recently added new appliances or equipment to your home?

Check your installation manual, troubleshooting guide, or call the electrician who did the work to find out if incorrect installation, grounding or wiring is causing problems with other equipment in your home.

5. Is the problem happening with only one specific appliance or electronic device?

If so, review the instruction manual provided with the item to see if it provides troubleshooting tips or contact the manufacturer for assistance and advice with identifying the cause of the problem. Also, you may want to check to see if the equipment is plugged into a ground fault interrupt (GFI) outlet.

6. Are lights in your home going dim or bright and staying dim for an extended period of time?

When lights in your home stay dim for an extended period, turn off major appliances and call FPL.

Step

Action

1

Unplug cord-connected equipment from the outlets served by the GFI circuit (usually outlets located near sinks, tubs, garages, and on the exterior of your home, wherever water can be a threat).

2

Locate the specific outlet that includes the GFI reset switch.

3

Reset the switch (make sure you are pressing the "reset" button, not the "test" button).

4

If the switch does not reset, contact your electrician for assistance.

Step

Action

1

Turn on the appliance that is experiencing the interference - for example, the phone or radio that has static.

2

Go the breaker box and flip each circuit breaker in your home off and then on again while someone stays with the affected appliance.

3

The interference will disappear when the breaker causing it is flipped off.

4

Turn the offending breaker back on to confirm it is the source.

5

Identify the electrical devices in your home connected to the breaker and turn them on.

6

Turn the electrical devices off, one by one, until the interference disappears.

7

Once you find the device that is causing the interference, repair or replace it.

8

If you cannot locate the equipment that is causing the interference, report it

• at Report Trouble online or
• call 1-800-4OUTAGE (1-800-468-8243) for additional advice.

Step

Action

1

You'll know a breaker is "tripped" when the lever in the breaker panel is halfway between the off and on position.

2

Switch it all the way to off, then back on.

3

If the breaker trips again, do not reset it since this may signal a serious wiring or equipment problem. Contact an electrician.

4

If the breaker for your air conditioning system trips, wait five minutes before resetting it to prevent motor damage.

Step

Action

1

Find out if neighbors are affected.

2

If not, turn off all breakers inside your panel.

3

Find the mainline switch for your home or apartment often located under the electrical meter or in your breaker box.

4

Reset the switch by turning it off and on two times.

5

Turn all breakers on inside the panel.

6

If electricity does not come back on, contact FPL at

• 1-800-4OUTAGE (1-800-468-8243) or
• Report Trouble online.

Step

Action

1

First disconnect all power to the fuses. If you are not sure how to do this, call an electrician.

2

You'll know a fuse is blown when it is cloudy or black or the equipment connected to it doesn't work.

3

Unplug electrical equipment in your home that is connected to that fuse.

4

Remove the blown fuse. Smaller fuses screw in and out like light bulbs. Large fuses are pull-out cartridges.

5

Replace the fuse with the appropriate type and size fuse.

6

Close the main switch or replace the pull-out section.

Power outages and electrical disturbances can be caused by problems within your home, such as

• circuit overloads
• electrical short circuits and
• home wiring damage.

If the solutions here don't work, or you suspect you have electrical problems at your home, contact a qualified electrical contractor or electrician. Friends and relatives are your best source for references. The following should also help.

FPL Safety Alert!