by Daniel Cargille
Just about every home across the US features some kind of electrical system that has them wired into a primary utility provider. Life would be fairly difficult without the electricity that we've grown accustomed to but thankfully we have a lot of appliances that make our lives simple by leveraging the electrical currents in our homes.
The homes we live in are filled with appliances and devices that use that electrical energy. Most are meant to make our day to day tasks much simpler but despite the "ease of use" and "simplicity" for our lives there are more than 50k fires around the nation that start because of electrical problems. Many people are injured or even die because of these electrical fires - and many are preventable. Follow these steps to examine your home and protect your family from electrical problems.
Safe Electrical Systems
If you're in a fair weather situation or environment and some or all of your lights begin to flicker you should shut down the electricity if you can safely do so and contact an electrician. If you smell a bad odor or hear popping or other noises from within the walls you should also contact an electrician and consider leaving the home.
Certain outlets should have a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) - especially those outlets near a water source like the kitchen or bathroom. This outlet works to prevent a deadly electrical shock when water comes in contact with the electricity channeled through that outlet.
When you're inspecting your outlets, make sure that every electrical outlet has a cover plate that completely covers the outlet. There should be no gaps or exposed wiring. Replace any plates that are damaged or cracked. While replacing these, check your cords for cuts, cracks, breaks and to ensure that there is no furniture sitting on the cords.
Safe Electrical Lighting
Homeowners frequently ignore their light fixtures and lamps when inspecting the electrical system in the home. Take the time to remove bulbs and inspect the socket (with current off). Make sure the bulb you're using matches the wattage requirements for that fixture or lamp. Rotate or replace bulbs to ensure that each fixture is correct.
Small Appliance Electrical Safety
Whether you're purchasing a new appliance, a used one or you've moved into a home as an owner or renter you should have the appliances (both household and accessory appliances) inspected to ensure that they are safe. Appliances will have a label that states ETL or UL if they've been tested for safety. When you're finished up wi5th accessory appliances make sure you unplug them to avoid electrical problems.
To ensure that you minimize the risk for an electrical overload or fire, check each of the outlets in the kitchen and bathroom to make sure that you don't have too many appliances on one circuit. If you space them out you don't have to worry about overloading a circuit by using too many plugs in one location that draw a lot of current.
The homes we live in are filled with appliances and devices that use that electrical energy. Most are meant to make our day to day tasks much simpler but despite the "ease of use" and "simplicity" for our lives there are more than 50k fires around the nation that start because of electrical problems. Many people are injured or even die because of these electrical fires - and many are preventable. Follow these steps to examine your home and protect your family from electrical problems.
Safe Electrical Systems
If you're in a fair weather situation or environment and some or all of your lights begin to flicker you should shut down the electricity if you can safely do so and contact an electrician. If you smell a bad odor or hear popping or other noises from within the walls you should also contact an electrician and consider leaving the home.
Certain outlets should have a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) - especially those outlets near a water source like the kitchen or bathroom. This outlet works to prevent a deadly electrical shock when water comes in contact with the electricity channeled through that outlet.
When you're inspecting your outlets, make sure that every electrical outlet has a cover plate that completely covers the outlet. There should be no gaps or exposed wiring. Replace any plates that are damaged or cracked. While replacing these, check your cords for cuts, cracks, breaks and to ensure that there is no furniture sitting on the cords.
Safe Electrical Lighting
Homeowners frequently ignore their light fixtures and lamps when inspecting the electrical system in the home. Take the time to remove bulbs and inspect the socket (with current off). Make sure the bulb you're using matches the wattage requirements for that fixture or lamp. Rotate or replace bulbs to ensure that each fixture is correct.
Small Appliance Electrical Safety
Whether you're purchasing a new appliance, a used one or you've moved into a home as an owner or renter you should have the appliances (both household and accessory appliances) inspected to ensure that they are safe. Appliances will have a label that states ETL or UL if they've been tested for safety. When you're finished up wi5th accessory appliances make sure you unplug them to avoid electrical problems.
To ensure that you minimize the risk for an electrical overload or fire, check each of the outlets in the kitchen and bathroom to make sure that you don't have too many appliances on one circuit. If you space them out you don't have to worry about overloading a circuit by using too many plugs in one location that draw a lot of current.
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