Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Tips for Electrical Safety at Home

Electricity is so important to the home that it is almost impossible to imagine life without it. It runs the lighting, entertainment appliances, kitchen appliances and so much more. Unfortunately, with such a wide variety of uses in the home, many people often forget that electricity can be quite dangerous and only remember that when it causes a fire or electrocutes someone. The following are some important electrical safety tips around the home that will keep you safe.

Unplugging items from the outlet
One dangerous habit that many people often have is pulling on the cord instead of the plug itself. Sometime, the fit of the outlet may be a little tight and it requires a little effort to pull the plug out. Avoid yanking on the string and grab the head of the plug from the outlet and pull it out.

Avoid overloading a single outlet
Today, we have adapter plugs that allow you to attach multiple plugs from different appliances and devices into one outlet, including USB cables! Plugging too many appliances into one outlet using an adapter or extension cord can damage your electrical system. It can also cause a fire in the home. If you have many appliances, use different outlets around the house or call your electrician and find out if you can get more outlets installed.

Tuck and fold electrical cords out of the way
There are so many hazards of leaving electrical cords strewn all over the floor. First, it could be confusing to find which cord belongs to which appliance and you may end up leaving the iron box plugged in for hours on end, which is a fire hazard. Pets and infants could chew on these chords risking electrocution. Finally, foot traffic can wear off the insulation on the cords leaving the live wires exposed. You need to fold and tuck away all electrical cords. You should also avoid placing them under the carpet in high traffic areas such as hallways and stairways.

Use safety caps on outlets
Children and pets in particular are a curious bunch and often end up stuffing all sorts of things into the power outlets, which is quite dangerous. Outlets that are not in use should remain covered with safety caps that prevent them from hurting children. Covering these outlets is also a great to save energy since the safety caps prevent cold drafts.

Trees around the home
You should remove tress and branches that are too close to power lines. Kids love to climb up tress, not to mention the number of animals that use these trees as a habitat. With power lines entwined in the branches of the tree, it is quite easy to get electrocuted with high voltage of electricity. Another risk is dead and falling branches that could cause a power outage in your entire neighborhood.

Keep electricity away from water
Water is a good conductor of electricity so you should keep all electric items away from water. When washing the floor, make sure every electrical appliance or chord is off the floor surface. Be careful about splashing water near the hood of your microwave and in case your home floods, switch off the electricity at the main power switch before draining the water.

Posted By: Blackstock Electric  http://blackstockelectric.com