Did Your Lights Just Blink?

Oftentimes, when lights blink, it's an indication that MEC's protective devices within substations are operating correctly. When something contacts an energized line, it creates a fault or short circuit. If the fault or short circuit is temporary, power is restored immediately. Wind, trees, lightning, birds, animals, equipment failure and humans can all disrupt the normal flow of electricity both momentarily and longer. Trying to find the exact cause of the blinks sometimes resembles trying to find a needle in a haystack, which equally frustrates the line crew.

Protective devices will sometimes operate more than once to clear the line of the disturbance and avoid a prolonged outage. If the line is not cleared, it will be de-energized to protect equipment from damage and ensure safety. Unfortunately, this protective measure may cause lights to flicker and clocks on stoves and microwaves to reset.

Though frustrating, this is a good thing! While blinks can be annoying, they show that an electrical system is working exactly as designed. When a breaker in your house or business senses a power problem, the breaker trips and power flow stops until someone resets the breaker. The same is true for our system, but on a much larger scale.

Before digital clocks and computers, blinks largely went unnoticed. In today’s world, flashing digital displays and loss of computer data can be a disruption in our lives. McKenzie Electric Cooperative encourages member-owners to consider protecting computers and other sensitive electronic equipment by buying and using uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems. These relatively simple and inexpensive measures will go a long way towards increasing power reliability and protecting fallout from blinks.

Members also need to notify the cooperative when blinking light problems repeatedly occur. Then, be patient and give line crews a chance to find and correct the problem. We all want the same thing – high quality, reliable electric service.

We understand power interruptions are frustrating, especially during winter. We'll do everything we can to limit interruptions and restore outages as quickly as possible. If you experience a prolonged outage, be sure to report it through SmartHub, or by calling 701.444.9288.