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Your Electrical Maintenance Fall Checklist
With the holiday season right around the corner, we can get pretty busy, but you need to mark some time on your calendar to protect your house from electrical hazards.
As the weather begins to drop and the season of decorative lighting arrives, there are steps to take to ensure your house is safe this Autumn.
Outdoor lighting
With Halloween and Christmas coming up where many homeowners decorate their front yards with lights, inflatables, and projectors, it is important to make sure you are doing it in a safe way.
Outlet and cord check
One step to ensure your family's safety is to double-check outside electrical outlets for things like leaves or standing water around them that need to be cleared out and frayed extension cords that may cause electrical fire hazards.
Light wattage
It's also important to check your light's wattage to make sure it's not too high; high wattage can cause over lamping that may lead electrical issues or fires. Things like overloading your power strips designated wattage limit can also be dangerous. The best rule of thumb is to read the wattage your appliances and handle and aim to be below that limit if possible.
Nightly checks
The most important outdoor electrical maintenance item you need to have on your checklist is to unplug your lights and yard inflatables before bed each night. Unplugging your decorations will both save on your electric bill and protect you from electrical issues while you're asleep.
Safety device testing
As the weather turns colder it's important to do some quick tests on your safety appliances to decrease the chance of winter electrical fires and power failures. As you begin to use the heater in your house for the season, you should perform a quick check of all your home smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they have plenty of battery life left and they are working correctly. According to the National Fire Protection Association, 28% of home fire fatalities were caused by smoke alarms that failed to operate and alert occupants of the fire.
In the winter since we stay inside more, naturally we use more electricity. Regularly testing your home's GFCI (ground-fault circuit interrupter) can save your family from potential electrical shock. GFCI's are mostly found in kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, or anywhere in your home that has water running to it. These devices cut power to your outlets quickly if it senses an electrical current coming into contact with water.
Call H&H Electric & Security
Electrical safety isn't something that can be overlooked, it needs to be a priority and a regular part of your routine. If something seems off when you're performing your electrical checks, it is best to call a professional to come take a look. A quick check today could prevent the electrical issues of tomorrow.