What is an Electrical Short?

Short circuit or electrical short is a problem that can occur suddenly or accidently without any notice. It occurs through the generation of a connection which does not exist before. This new connection follows the path in the circuit that causes high flow of current. While this process undergoes, it usually shorts the other wires that crosses alongside. For say, wires touch each other when the insulation in an old outlet wears away. Knowing what is an electrical short is very important. It is a very serious problem where high amount of current flows in terms of heat which can cause spark or even fire to the area.

Most often, an electrical short or short circuit has caused fire to the area or home creating a distinct popping noise once the circuit is activated. Since the electricity follows the new connection that it discovered, the circuit suddenly gets overloaded with energy creating smoke or flames in some cases. In fact, a short circuit can be enough to melt insulation on electrical wiring. It often happens that someone fails to notice the metal lining of the electrical outlet which comes in contact with one of the wires that then becomes a major cause of creating damage. In some cases, storms also cause a range of electrical shorts, often the wire breaks due to fall of tree or branches on power lines.

This is one of the major reasons that the circuits get overload protection. The feature of overload protection is that when it detects an unusual high range of current flow, it trips the circuit off to lower down the risk of damage. Now most of the houses are protected with this form of circuit break where many have experienced blown fuses or tripped breakers resulted from overload protection.

Therefore, when an electrical short occurs, it becomes important to address. Find an electrician or professional to determine the cause of short and repair it. Unrepaired shorts can even cause fires and severe damage in future. Repairing is cheaper and takes few minutes to fix.