Frequently Asked Questions

A ground fault can happen when a hot or active wire makes contact with the ground wire, grounded portion of the junction box, or a grounded area of an appliance. Hotwires are usually black, neutral wires are usually white, and ground wires are typically green. When contact is made between a hot and ground wire, large amounts of current go through the circuit breaker, which can cause it to trip.

A short circuit happens when a hot or active electrical wire and a neutral wire touch, causing a large current to flow and overload the circuit. A short circuit should always cause a breaker to trip or a fuse to blow and may cause sparks, popping sounds, and possibly some smoke. Issues like loose connections, a slipped wire, or even damage caused by animals chewing on cables may also cause a short circuit.

GFCI stands for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter. These are also referred to as GFIs or Ground Fault Interrupters. A GFCI precisely monitors the balance of electrical current moving through a circuit. If an imbalance occurs, like in a short, the GFCI immediately cuts off the electricity. A GFCI prevents fatal electrical shocks through the elimination of sustained current draw when a short occurs.

Common reasons for your circuit breaker tripping are either a circuit overload, short circuit, or a ground fault. 

An arc-fault circuit interrupter, also known as an arc-fault detection device, is a circuit breaker that breaks the circuit when it detects the electric arcs. Electric Arcs are a sign of loose connections in home wiring. Loose connections, which can develop over time, can sometimes become hot enough to ignite house fires.

If you hear a strange sound coming from your bulbs or light fixture, like a buzzing or humming noise, that’s often a sign your ballast is going. It’s struggling to maintain the current and causing audible voltage regulation problems.

If your bulbs are very slow to reach full brightness or strobe periodically, there may be a problem beyond the bulb. Water-damaged or defective ballasts often struggle to regulate current. 

It depends on the rating of the ceiling box. 

It is when too many neutral wires are under one neutral bar screw inside the panel.