The first week of February marks the recognition of burn awareness week, and the theme this year is electrical safety. Your home’s electrical system is incredibly complex, and if it’s not handled correctly it could cause safety hazards or even start a house fire. To prevent these dangerous situations, follow our safety tips.
1. Baby Proof Your Home
Once your little ones begin to crawl, you won’t get a chance to sit down and relax for a while. Children love to explore and they do so by touching everything they can get their tiny hands on, which unfortunately includes electrical outlets. Luckily, there is a wide variety of electrical outlet covers available today that will make it nearly impossible for your kids to put their fingers in harm’s way.
2. Don’t Overload Your Outlets
You may have heard that it’s important not to overload your electrical outlets, but do you know what that really means? Each outlet is only capable of delivering so much electricity, so if you plug two major appliances that require a lot of power into one outlet, you’ll end up overloading the outlet. The same goes for trying to “piggyback” extension cords on other extension cords.
Overloading an outlet can result in tripped circuit breakers, melted wiring, and even a house fire.
3. Schedule Maintenance for Your Electrical Systems
Just like everything else in your life, you need to schedule routine checkups for your home’s electrical systems. These maintenance appointments won’t just improve the functionality of your systems, but they will also prevent disaster.
Just a few of the most important benefits of routine electrical maintenance include:
Reduction in energy consumption and costs
Protection of your appliances, wiring, and electrical systems
Most importantly, keeping your family and home safe
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), electrical failures and malfunctions are the second leading cause of home fires in the United States. Keep your home free of fire damage with regular maintenance.
For all of your electrical safety needs, our team at Anderson Plumbing, Heating & Electric is here to help. Give us a call at (334) 231-6980 or visit our website for more information!