4 Electrical Safety Tips That Every Homeowner Should Know
It can be easy to take for granted the multitude of different gadgets and electronic devices that we make use of in any given day. If your home’s electrical system is having issues, you might learn the hard way just what it’s like to have to do without them. The ability to identify electrical safety hazards that might not be readily apparent to the casual observer before they have a chance to cause issues in your home is an extremely important skill to have as a homeowner. Electrical issues in your home can range from the inconvenient all the way to the truly disastrous, so we have taken it upon ourselves to put together a short list of several tips you can keep in mind to help you increase your awareness. We also will help you to be more alert to any dangerous electrical issues your home might be suffering from. You will want to have a professionally licensed residential electrician come out and take care of all the issues.
Keep Track Of Your Home’s Age
For electrical safety reasons, it is important to keep track of exactly how old your home is, and to make sure you have a professional electrical safety inspection performed on it at least once per year. Older homes simply weren’t built to handle the electrical load that most of us demand of our homes during the course of our daily lives. Knowing whether or not your home’s electrical system has been updated is needed to safely handle the electrical demands of you and your family imperative to the continued safety of your home.
Know Your Electrical Panel
As recently as the 1990’s, faulty electrical panels were still being installed in a number of homes throughout the country. There are a number of different brands that were widely used in the past that are no longer being manufactured and can pose serious electrical problems and fire hazards to your home. A good way to tell if your home’s current electrical panel is struggling under the current power demands of you and your family is as simple as putting your hand against it. Your electrical panel should never feel hot to the touch, and if it does, it is a good indication that your current panel is struggling to meet your power demands, and runs the risk of overloading.
Understand Your Breakers
While it might be annoying when your breakers trip and you have to reset them, they are trying to tell you something, and it might be in your best interest to pay attention to them. Constantly tripping breakers are a good sign that you have too many appliances or gadgets connected to the same circuit. It is a good idea to try and reconfigure how your appliances and various electronic devices are plugged in, and if your breakers are still regularly tripping, it might be time to get the help of a professional Greenwich electrician.
Feel Your Outlets
Every now and then, it is a good idea to place your hand on the various outlets of your home. Warm or hot outlets are a surefire sign that there’s trouble. A warm outlet can mean that any number of dangerous electrical situations are brewing, including the electrical load on the circuit being too high, wiring could be melting, or the wiring just isn’t up to code, or might be loose. It is also good to take note of when an outlet won’t hold a plug, or if the outlet itself feels loose on the wall. You will want to have a professional replace these or any two-pronged outlets with newer three-pronged ones to help enhance the safety of your home.
