A power outage is always inconvenient, and sometimes a little unnerving, but knowing what to do keeps your household safe and helps you get the power back as quickly as possible. The first and most important question is whether it is a wider blackout or a fault in your own home, because that determines everything you should do next. Here is a clear, practical guide for an Australian home.
Is it a blackout or a fault in your home?
Before anything else, work out whether the whole area has lost power or just your place. Look outside: are the streetlights and your neighbours’ houses dark too? If the whole street is out, it is a network blackout, check your electricity distributor’s outage page or hotline, where most outages are listed with an estimated restoration time. If only your home has lost power while the street still has it, the fault is on your side, at your switchboard or wiring, and that is when a licensed electrician is needed. Making this one check first saves time and tells you exactly who to call.
Staying safe during the outage
A few safety basics matter during any outage:
- Use torches, not candles, which are a fire risk. If you must use a candle, never leave it unattended.
- Keep generators and gas appliances outside, never run a petrol generator, or a gas stove or oven for heating, indoors or near windows, as they produce deadly, odourless carbon monoxide.
- Keep the fridge and freezer closed to preserve food, a fridge holds for about four hours and a full freezer much longer.
- Unplug sensitive electronics such as TVs and computers, so a surge when the power returns does not damage them, and leave one light switched on so you know when it comes back.
- Stay well clear of any fallen power lines and report them to your distributor or emergency services.
When only your home has lost power
If just your home is affected, check your switchboard for a tripped safety switch or circuit breaker and try resetting it once. If it trips straight back, or will not reset at all, there is a genuine fault, often a faulty appliance or a wiring issue, that needs a licensed electrician rather than repeated resetting. A total loss of power on your side, a burning smell, scorch marks or sparking at the switchboard, or a safety switch that keeps tripping, should be treated as urgent. We diagnose and fix the causes of power outages and switchboard faults, with same-day and emergency service.
How to find a faulty appliance
A surprising number of home outages come down to a single faulty appliance leaking current and tripping the safety switch. If your safety switch will not stay on, you can often find the culprit yourself: unplug everything on the affected circuits, reset the switch, then plug your appliances back in one at a time until it trips again, the last one you plugged in is the likely offender. If the switch trips with nothing plugged in, the fault is in the wiring itself and needs an electrician. This simple process often pinpoints the problem in minutes.
After the power returns
When power comes back, turn your large appliances back on one at a time rather than all at once, to avoid overloading the supply as it stabilises. Check the fridge and freezer and discard any food that has been above a safe temperature for too long. If the meter box, wiring or any connections on the side of your house look damaged after the outage, do not use the power, call an electrician to check it first.
Being prepared and backup power
If outages are common in your area, or you rely on power for medical equipment, a home office or refrigerated stock, it pays to plan ahead. Keep torches, a battery-powered radio and a charged power bank somewhere easy to find, and consider backup power, from a portable generator with a proper changeover connection to a home battery paired with solar that can keep essential circuits running. We can install the electrical infrastructure for backup power safely, including changeover switches so a generator never backfeeds the network, which is extremely dangerous for line workers. A little preparation turns an outage into a minor inconvenience rather than a crisis.
Frequently asked questions
Only my house has lost power, what do I do?
Check your switchboard for a tripped safety switch or breaker and reset it once. If it trips again or will not reset, there is a fault that needs a licensed electrician, do not keep resetting it.
Why does my safety switch keep tripping?
It is detecting a genuine fault, usually a faulty appliance, moisture, or damaged wiring. Unplug everything and reintroduce appliances one at a time to find the cause, or call an electrician.
Is it safe to run a generator during an outage?
Only outside, well away from windows and doors, never indoors or in a garage, because of carbon monoxide. It should also be connected through a proper changeover switch by an electrician, never plugged into a wall outlet.
How long will food last in the fridge?
Keep the doors shut and a fridge holds a safe temperature for about four hours, and a full freezer for a day or more. Discard anything that has been too warm for too long.
Need a licensed plumber, electrician or air con technician?
Same Day Trades services Brisbane, Perth & Adelaide with upfront fixed pricing and same-day service where we can.
