What Happens When The Lights Go Out?

When you lose electricity in your home and have notified the electric company, the repair crews follow a set pattern to restore electric service. They trace the path the electricity must follow from its source to your neighborhood.

First they check the high-voltage transmission lines and towers for damage. This type of damage is rare, but potentially affects the largest number of customers.  Next they check the distribution substations. An outage could occur in the transmission lines to a particular substation, in the substation itself, or further down the line. Distribution lines to affected communities are next to be checked.

If community distribution lines are working properly, the repair crew then checks tap lines or supply lines. These are the wires that connect to transformers, which may be on poles or on pads for underground service.

By now the power is generally restored and the power all over your community as well as your lights are back on. However, if only your home is still without electricity, notify the electric company again. The problem may be in the service line between a transformer and your home.