Momentary outages (power off for less than a second) occur when IPL circuit breakers detect a disturbance on the line and open the circuit to briefly interrupt the flow of electricity.  These interruptions help avoid extended power outages and are a way to protect our equipment.  Removing the power, even for a brief period, allows tree limbs or other items touching the line to break free.

Tips to make these necessary outages less annoying include:

• Buy digital clocks and appliances with battery backups.
• Frequently save your documents on your computer.  Many software packages have an “automatic save” feature.
• Install uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) for critical home and business use.
• If outages recur over time, keep records with the exact date and time of the outage. Then call IPL so we can investigate the cause of outages.

General Customer Service . . . . (317) 261-8222
Power Quality Consultant . . . . (317) 261-8382

For more detailed information about momentary interruptions, as well as voltage surges and electrical noise, click here.