What Can I Do If There Is A Power Blackout In My Home?

The most common type of blackout is when a fuse is blown or an electric circuit breaker is tripped in a private home. Each householder usually knows where these are. But people living in apartments or boardinghouses may find that these are located somewhere outside their own apartment or room.
Where circuit breakers are used, it is merely a matter of resetting the breaker that has been tripped. As for a blown fuse, it, too, can easily be spotted, because its window is darker or clouded, or one might see broken or melted elements through its window.
Extra fuses should always be on hand and care should be exercised to have fuses with the right rating; for homes this generally is fifteen or twenty amperes. As a precaution, it is important to turn off the appliance that caused the fuse to blow or, in other ways, to cut down the load before replacing the fuse in order to avoid trouble. For safety's sake, use only one hand in replacing fuses, and if the floor is damp, make it a point to stand on a dry board.
If your fuses blow out repeatedly, you may be able to solve the problem by using more outlets and thus distribute your appliances over more circuits. If that does not solve the problem, the wiring in your home may need to be improved. Of course, the problem could be faulty wiring in an appliance or lamp socket. To check that possibility, turn off all the appliances and lamps. Then proceed to turn on one at a time until the culprit is spotted.