Symmetrical Faults – Symmetrical faults are very severe faults but occur infrequently. Some electricians refer to these faults as balanced faults. Balanced faults also fall into two categories i.e. line to line to ground and line to line faults.

Unsymmetrical Faults – Unsymmetrical faults are less severe than the first one but occur frequently. There are three types of this fault i.e. line to line, double line to ground, and line to ground. Among these faults, the line to ground fault occurs frequently (65 to 70%). It occurs when a conductor makes contact with the ground. 15 to 10% of faults are double line to ground faults. It occurs when two conductors make contact with the earth. And, the third one occurs (5 to 10%) due to the swinging of lines in winds.

Causes Of Electrical Faults

Several factors can be a cause of electrical faults. We can divide causes into 4 main types as follows:

1. Weather Condition – Weather is the most common factor of electrical fault. The fault occurs due to heavy rain, snow, ice, and lighting strikes. It can also arise due to accumulation on transmission lines and salt deposition on overhead lines, etc…

2. Human Errors – Electrical faults sometimes occur due to human errors. The first and foremost human error is to select improper and poor quality wires and equipment. Another remarkable human error is to forget electrical conducting parts after maintenance.

3. Equipment Failures – Many electrical devices such as motors, switching devices, and generators cause a short circuit. It happens due to insulation failure of cables, aging, and malfunctioning.

4. Smoke Of Fires – Smoke particles ionize the air that surrounds the overhead lines, which results in spark between lines. Therefore, try to keep the wires away from the smoke.