There’s nothing worse than a power outage, especially if the lights are still on at the neighbor’s place next door. If you seem to be the only one on the block without lights, your house may have an electrical problem.

Contact electrical trouble shooting Bergen County NJ to find the source of your electrical problem. Keep in mind, however, that there might be a minor issue causing that nuisance outage. Before you call an electrician, here are some things to check first.

Check the Light Bulb

The issue may be as simple as having the wrong-sized lightbulb in a fixture, causing the bulb to burn out. Replace the bulb with one requiring a different wattage and then check your lights again to see if that was the problem.

Check the Power Strip

Is your light plugged into a power strip or surge protector? If so, then check it to make sure it wasn’t accidentally turned off. It could also be burned out, so plug your light fixture directly into the wall socket to see if it works that way.

Check the Circuit Breaker

Your circuit breaker might have tripped, causing the lights to go out. Check your circuit breaker panel and flip the breakers all the way to the left and then switch them to the right again. Also, check the fuses to see if any are burned out.

Check the GFCI

A ground-fault circuit interrupter, also known as a GFCI, is typically installed in areas that are close to sources of water, such as a kitchen or bathroom sink. A GFCI can be easily tripped, so check if it’s working by pressing the red button.

The next time your power goes off, check these four things before calling an electrician to turn your lights back on and to save you both time and money.