A burnout, in electrical terms, is a drop in voltage across an electricity supply system. It can be spontaneous (unintentional) caused by disturbances in the grid, or intentionally caused during emergencies when the load needs to be reduced in order to prevent blackouts. The lower voltage causes lights to dim, leading to the name “burn out”.

Spontaneous burnouts usually cause voltage to drop for only a short period, while the intentional ones can have effects lasting anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours.

A burnout can prevent some electrical devices from getting harmed by power loads, but others can actually get damaged severely. Here are some facts that you should be aware of: