10 Essential Electrical Safety Tips for Every Home Owner
Regular electrical maintenance is vital for the electrical safety of all your home appliances. It will keep you ahead of the electric problems which you may face in the future. In this way, you can avoid the inconvenience of electrical faults, saving yourself time, energy, and money. However, you should handle electrical maintenance and your day-to-day interactions with electricity with utmost caution.
These 10 electrical safety tips will safeguard you against any electrical accident due to oversight or lack of knowledge:-
- Cut the Power at the Breaker Box
While working on any electric switch or plug, cut off the power at the breaker box. Only shutting down the outlet on which you are working is not enough. There can be current flowing in the cable despite switching off its power. Use a tester to ensure that the power is completely out.
- Install GFCI in Rooms with Running Water
GFCI (Ground fault circuit interrupter) works as a barrier between a dangerous current and your circuit. It shuts off the electric circuit the moment it detects a shock hazard. Therefore it is non-negotiable to install GFCI in the bathroom, laundry room, kitchen, or any other space in your home which has running water.
- Place Appropriate Fire Extinguisher for Electrical Fire
You can’t handle electrical fire with water because it contains electricity conducting sediments. Thus you can create a shock hazard by pouring water on an electric fire. Get a fire extinguisher certified to put off the electric fire and keep it handy. You can get such extinguishers from the electrical surplus market as well.
- Don’t Plug More Than 2 Devices in an Outlet
Do you have an outlet in which more than 2 appliances are plugged in it? If yes, you should change your electrical setup at once. It’s unsafe to operate many devices from a single outlet. You can contact any trusted electrical liquidator to source more outlets for your home to accommodate all your big and small appliances.
- Regularly Check Your Outlets
Check all the outlets of your home by touching them at regular intervals. If they are cool in touch, then everything is ok. But if you find them warm or hot, shut off the power from the breaker box and call an electrician immediately. Hot or warm outlets are indicators of an underlying electrical issue.
- Install Outlet Covers for Children
It is crucial to consider electrical safety for kids. Make all the outlets child-proof if you have kids or children are going to visit your home. You can install spring-loaded outlet covers. They automatically shut if nothing is plugged in the outlet. It prevents kids from inserting their fingers, pen, or pencil in empty outlets.
- Be Alert if Lights are Flickering
Flickering lights indicate loose wires and fixtures of the circuit. It can also be the result of a non-consistence flow of electricity due to a loose bulb. Thus check by tightening the bulb. If the lights are still flickering, then switch off the main power and call the electrician.
- Use Arc-fault Circuit-interrupters
Do you know Arc faults are responsible for more than 28000 electric fires every year in the U.S.? But you can easily prevent such accidents by installing arc-fault interrupters in your home. You can’t claim to have complete electrical safety at your home without installing arc-fault interrupters.
- Don’t Use Extension Cords Permanently
Extension cords can be a short-term fix where you don’t have enough outlets like a construction site. However, it’s not safe to use it as a permanent solution for your home and from the point of view of construction electrical safety also. Increase outlets if you need a long-term solution.
- Resolve Grounding Issues
Grounding issues develop in your appliances with time. But not having proper grounding is a shock hazard. Thus regularly do ground testing of your old devices. Also, ensure that all old and kitchen appliances are connected to three-pronged plugs instead of two-pronged plugs.
Key Takeaway!
These electrical safety tips are curated to prevent you and your family from any unfortunate electric accident. You have the option to consult electricians and vendors providing electrical project supplies for detailed information. If your home is under construction or renovation, you can further probe on electrical construction equipment.
Author Bio:
Jeson Pitt works with the marketing department of D & F Liquidators in Hayward, CA and regularly writes to share his knowledge while enlightening people about electrical products and solving their electrical dilemmas. He’s got the industry insights that you can count on along with years of experience in the field. Jeson lives in Hayward, CA and loves to explore different cuisines that the food trucks in the Bay area have to offer.
