5 Household Electrical Safety Tips

Can you imagine what life would be like if there was no electricity? We wouldn’t be able to walk in a room and turn on the lights. We wouldn’t be able to watch our favorite television shows. And we can pretty much forget about having central heat and air. Indeed, electricity is something that is an essential part of our everyday living.

However, since being exposed to electrical currents come with their own potential hazards, it’s important when you are using anything that requires electricity that you are smart and safe. That’s why we wanted to offer you some of our top household electrical safety tips. Check these out below:

Conduct an energy audit. When you have loose wires, water leaks around certain electronic equipment or faulty wiring when it comes to your appliances, all of these things can pose potential danger. One way that you can thoroughly check to see if you have any of these issues in your home is to conduct an energy audit. If you’d like instructions on how to do so, go to Energy.gov and put “DIY energy audit” in the search field.

Keep electricity from water. Just like oil and water do not mix, electricity and water doesn’t either. That said, several things that you should do is immediately unplug things like your dryer and electric shaver after using them (especially if they are plugged in over your bathroom sink), avoid putting extension cords in wet areas and discard any kind of electrical item that has fallen into the water as soon as possible.

Throw out damaged extension cords. There are a lot of us who will store extra extension cords in our attic or basement until we need them. But if you notice that some of yours look torn or frayed or that they are missing one of their pins (extension cords are designed to have three of them), you should throw them out immediately. They are definitely a hazard.

Watch the grease. If you were to ask an electrician company like Fraser Electric about an electrical safety tip that you should put into action, one of the things that they would probably recommend is when it comes to your kitchen that you clean it regularly; especially as it relates to your oven and your hood range. The reason why is because when grease builds up and it comes into contact with an electrical spark, that is one way that a fire can ignite.

Have a licensed technician inspect your HVAC unit and furnace. If your HVAC unit or furnace is not working normally or if you have been noticing that your energy bills are increasing for no apparent reason, it could be due to an electrical problem. That’s why in cases like these, it’s best to call a licensed technician to come out and inspect your unit and furnace. In fact, to insure that they are both working at an optimal level year-round, we recommend that you schedule an appointment with a professional to come to your home on an annual basis. That way you can feel confident that they both are working just as they should.