What to do if the voltage is to high in your house?

Answer 1

It is very difficult to have residential voltage that is too high. Utility companies go to great lengths to keep voltages and frequency within very close tolerances. In the US residential voltage for lighting and outlets is a nominal 115 Volts, and normally doesn't vary more than 3 to 5 volts. That won't hurt anything. The other voltage present in residential buildings is 220 Volts. That voltage is used almost exclusively for electric dryers, water heaters, and electric ranges. It is used to provide large amounts of power and still keep the size of the electrical conductor reasonable. If you had to use 115 Volts you would draw twice the amps requiring a conductor capable of twice the capacity of a conductor destined for 115 Volt use. Those are more expensive and much harder to work with. DO NOT MIX THE TWO VOLTAGES! Plugging a 115 volt device in a 220 volt circuit will probably destroy the device. Plugging a 220 volt device in a 115 volt circuit will destroy the wiring if not properly protected, and may cause a fire. All wiring used in a residential setting is rated at 600 Volts. That means that the insulation will withstand 600 volts without breaking down. Therefore you can use the wire for any application in the house PROVIDED is is the proper size for the expected current. Fixtures (Switches, Outlets etc.) are rated by voltage and current. The rating is right on the device. You may have noticed that outlets have different blade patterns. That is to prevent plugging the wrong thing in an outlet. Since appliances are rated by voltage and current (amps), or voltage and power (watts) do not plug appliances in the wrong voltage or current. The appliance manufacturer has installed the proper plug for his appliance. You must use the properly configured outlet. Building inspectors insure that the residential circuits have the correct pattern devices on each circuit. If you must replace a device make sure that the black wire goes to the gold connector, silver goes to silver connector, and green goes to green. If you are really uncomfortable with your home wiring, hire a licensed electrician to verify that everything is correct. After that you can replace any device as long as you turn the device off first and then make sure you install the new device EXACTLY as the old one was installed.

Answer 2

Firstly, what is the voltage in your house? Voltages vary with time, a standard voltage is 230V +5% or -10% and most appliances will work fine in this range. If your voltage is anything other than this, call up your Distribution network operator for your area (see Google) they'll be able to help.