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The Daily Insight

What does it mean when your power keeps going on and off?

Author

Victoria Simmons

Published Feb 08, 2026

What does it mean when your power keeps going on and off?

Causes. Generally, the power goes out for two reasons; a circuit breaker or fuse is tripped in your home, or the power lines themselves are affected. If the power has gone out just in your house, or some items are working but some aren’t, it’s a sign that the cause is somewhere in your electrical system.

What happens when there is an intermittent power outage?

The tendency is for an intermittent problem like this to progress before long to a lasting outage. While power is still able to flow through such a connection, heat is sometimes developing there, so that a hot breaker or outlet might be a good clue; the heat is unable to start a fire, with rare exceptions.

Why does my car have an intermittent short circuit?

The underlying cause in many instances is vibration, heat, cold or moisture causing an increase in resistance in a connector or component, or an intermittent short or open to occur in the wiring. If an electrical fault occurs at certain speeds or when driving on rough roads, hitting bumps, etc., you’re dealing with a vibration-induced intermittent.

Why do I keep getting intermittent electrical problems?

The underlying cause in many instances is vibration, heat, cold or moisture causing an increase in resistance in a connector or component, or an intermittent short or open to occur in the wiring.

Why do I keep getting intermittent power on my computer?

Pattern intermittents are those that occur under certain operating conditions. The underlying cause in many instances is vibration, heat, cold or moisture causing an increase in resistance in a connector or component, or an intermittent short or open to occur in the wiring.

The tendency is for an intermittent problem like this to progress before long to a lasting outage. While power is still able to flow through such a connection, heat is sometimes developing there, so that a hot breaker or outlet might be a good clue; the heat is unable to start a fire, with rare exceptions.

The underlying cause in many instances is vibration, heat, cold or moisture causing an increase in resistance in a connector or component, or an intermittent short or open to occur in the wiring. If an electrical fault occurs at certain speeds or when driving on rough roads, hitting bumps, etc., you’re dealing with a vibration-induced intermittent.

The underlying cause in many instances is vibration, heat, cold or moisture causing an increase in resistance in a connector or component, or an intermittent short or open to occur in the wiring.

What happens when the power is out for a long time?

While power is still able to flow through such a connection, heat is sometimes developing there, so that a hot breaker or outlet might be a good clue; the heat is unable to start a fire, with rare exceptions. While power stays out, no heat can be generated, so there is no fire hazard at all then.