Six Electrical Repairs & Replacement Tasks You Should Not Overlook
The old safety warning that most accidents happen in the home is accurate. While we may feel the safest in our homes, it’s essential to double check the infrastructure of where we live to make sure everything is in good working order. Six Electrical Repairs & Replacement Tasks You Should Not Overlook
Here’s a checklist to ensure your house is up-to-date and safe.
Get some GFCI Wall Outlets
If you blow dry your hair in the bathroom, or if your toaster oven is on your kitchen counter, it is vital that your wall outlets be equipped with a ground-fault circuit interrupter. If your appliance comes in contact with water, or if the device detects abnormal electrical flow, the wall outlet will turn off and thus protect you from a potential ground-fault. For standard wall outlets, we recommend the receptacle type because they are not expensive and can easily be installed.
Listen to Your Circuit Breakers
The most effective way to keep yourself safe in regards to electrical safety is to listen to your circuit breaker when there’s a problem. For example, if your breaker trips immediately after resetting it, then that is an indication that something is severely wrong and you should call an electrician immediately to check it out. Repeatedly pressing the breaker is not a good idea – that will just more likely cause an electrical fire.
Buy a Portable Fire Extinguisher for your House
Install a portable fire extinguisher in your kitchen or basement to protect you and your family in case of fire. However, check the class type of your extinguisher. If you’re cooking a meal with olive oil, for example, and a fire starts on your stove, you will need a Class K fire extinguisher to put out that fire. Water alone won’t be sufficient. If you have a fire extinguisher already, double check its class type and make sure it is equipped to put out the right kinds of fires.
Baby Proof Your Cabinets and Closets
Children are naturally curious, but you want to keep their curiosity in check. Update your kitchen and bathroom cabinets with child security locks. There are different kinds available, but the most useful varieties will be tamper-resistant for children but comfortable enough for adults to open without a key.
Stock up with an Emergency Supply Kit
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, you should keep “a battery-powered radio with extra batteries, canned food and a manual can opener, flashlights and battery-powered lamps for power failures” in your house in case of an emergency. Keep your kit in a safe place and let everyone in your home know where its located.
Update Your Smoke Detectors
Of course, you should check the batteries in your smoke detectors, but we recommend you also update your detector to alert you in case of dangerous levels of carbon monoxide in your home. This could be caused by a gas leak, and since it has no scent, it is called the silent killer. You can easily buy combination detectors that both alert you in case of smoke caused by fire and carbon monoxide.
We hope you will keep you and your family safe with these tips. If you need help updating your home for safety this Summer contact us.