The Importance of Maintaining Electrical Safety at Home

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Electricity is vital in every aspect of life, especially in your home. It's hard to imagine living in a home without electricity; it keeps our food from spoiling, keeps us warm in the winter, provides light, and makes us cool in the summer. One thing to always remember, it's important to make sure all of your outlets are installed properly, and you have no loose wires because there is nothing more important than maintaining electrical safety. Scheduling an appointment for a professional electrician to perform a safety inspection will give you and your family some peace of mind, especially if you live in an older home. Companies, like Mr. Electric, have a team of licensed, experienced electricians who can perform safety inspections, and make your home a safer place.

Many people neglect scheduling annual electrical inspections, which is something that every home should have because it maintains your family's safety. Often times outdated wiring and primitive outlets can lead to fires, which is why it's important to have a well maintained electrical distribution system. Electrical fires contribute to nearly 51,000 fires annually, resulting in 1.4 billion dollars in property damage. A typical inspection consists of the electrician using a tool to test all the outlets, to make sure your outlets aren't overloaded, and to check for any loose wiring.

Here Are A Few Electrical Safety Tips

Never Overload

An electrical overload can be a really dangerous situation. It's important to figure out which outlets are on which circuits and avoid overloading them. Overloads commonly happen if you have too many items plugged into one outlet or extension cord. This is a problem many older homes typically face. Refrigerators, air conditioners, and space heaters all draw a great deal of power, and if all these devices are using the same circuit, it could exceed the capacity of the electrical wiring. This could cause the main electrical panel to shut off to prevent blowing a fuse.

Childproofing

If you're a parent, your child's safety is everything, which is why it's important to childproof your home by installing outlet protectors. In 2008, NEC (National Electrical Code) made tamperproof receptacles a requirement in all homes and businesses.

Avoid Having an Outlet Too Close to the Tub

When installing an outlet in your bathroom, you should try installing it as far away from the tub and shower as you possibly can. Maintaining your outlet's distance from the tub can potentially prevent a really deadly situation from occurring. In fact, it is required that all receptacles installed in bathrooms be at least 1 meter away from any bathtub or shower stall.

Updating Wiring

Outdated electrical wiring is an issue many homeowners typically have, which is why a vast majority of electrical fires are contributed to old or outdated wiring. If your home is 30 years or older, or built before 1985, the wiring is more than likely outdated, and you should schedule an appointment with a licensed electrician to have it inspected immediately. If your lights tend to flicker when you plug more than one appliance into an outlet, this typically means the wiring isn't supplying power properly and may need to be looked at.

Replace Outdated Electrical Outlets

Replacing outlets are just as important as replacing old wiring. Aging outlets are a big problem. Over time, wiring tends to settle, and can eventually even make contact with other wires. This can cause sparking and fires because eventually all wiring and outlets will degrade.

Protect your Computer

Nowadays, technology and information are two of the most important tools you can have in life, which is why if you're a computer owner, protecting your information is vital. If your circuit breaker or a fuse blows, the sudden loss of power can cause you to lose valuable information on your computer and potentially lose any unsaved documents you've been working on. You can avoid this by installing a separate circuit breaker to supply power to your computer and other electrical devices in your office.

Update Circuit Breaker

Your circuit breaker is the heart of your entire electrical system, and you want it to be capable of supplying electricity to your home efficiently, without tripping a breaker or blowing a fuse. Often times, if your circuit breaker continues to overload, it may have to be replaced or updated to prevent any future fires and to keep your home running efficiently.