Basic Electrical Safety Tips Every Homeowner needs to know

My oldest Brother has been a licensed electrician since I was a kid. I certainly don’t have the knowledge or the amazing electrical skills he has, but one thing he made certain of was that our family had a healthy respect for electrical safety. Hearing the stories about how trained professional electricians can be thrown across rooms due to electrical shock because someone neglected to turn off the Circuit; scared us all enough to be careful when working with pretty much anything electrical in nature.

Some statistics for you…

In the United States, from 2007-2011, there were 47,820 fires in homes that were caused by either electrical failure or malfunction. These fires caused 1,518 injuries, 455 deaths and $1.5 billion in damage (According to the National Fire Protection Association). Electrical safety is one of those things that every homeowner should know and respect.

According to NFPA's Applied Research Department, in 2014-2018, electrical distribution or lighting equipment, such as wiring, lighting, cords, and plugs/ receptacles, were involved in an estimated average of 34,000 (10%) reported residential home fires per year. These incidents caused an average of 470 (18%) civilian deaths, 1,100 civilian injuries (10%), and $1.4 billion (19%) in direct property damage; annually.

Electrical distribution or lighting equipment ranked 1st in direct property damage, and also ranked 3rd among the major fire causes in the number of residential home fires. Also ranking in 4th place in residential home fire deaths, and lastly tied for 3rd in residential home injuries.

Wiring and other related equipment accounted for 7% of all residential home fires, as well as roughly 9% of all residential home fire deaths. Cords or plugs were involved in only 1% of residential home fires, but 7% of the deaths in those residential home fires. And here’s the kicker…Extension cords dominated the cord or plug category.

Below are some great tips that can help you avoid being a statistic.

Trust the experienced:

 If you are unsure of what you require for electrical repairs, make sure that there is somebody nearby with experience. A poorly wired outlet/ receptacle, or even a simple toggle switch wired incorrectly can lead to a fire and put your family and home in danger. You should always have a licensed Electrician perform any electrical tasks to be certain they are installed correctly.

Turn off the Power:

One of the simple basics of electrical safety is turning off the power at the circuit-breaker box before you begin working on your electrical project. This step is really the only way to ensure that the power going to whatever it is you are working on is turned off completely. Believe me when I say that you do not want to hit a grounded wire when you think there is no power.

Understanding Plug in Safety:

Always make certain that any room in your residential home that has running water is equipped with ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI Receptacles).  GFCI’s are designed to “Interrupt” the power going to a particular outlet/ receptacle when it detects the current has become hazardous. In 2020 the National Electrical Code made GFCI’s a mandatory rule for New residential builds, so if you reside in an older home, make sure you have GFCI’s installed in all areas with running water ; ie Kitchen’s, Bathroom’s, Wet Bars, Garages, Laundry Room’s as well as Exterior outlets/ receptacles for your residence.

Extension Cord Usage:

Remember that kicker up there? You will want to avoid using extension cords for long periods of time. Extension cords are great for temporary plug ins, but if you are using an extension cord for a permanent source of power you might want to think about having an experienced electrician install outlets/ receptacles for a permanent solution. 

Kids and electrical safety:

If you’re looking for the best of the best safety options for kids or animals, Tamper Resistant- Receptacles might be something to consider. Kiddos can be incredibly curious in nature and part of that curiosity is seeing what happens when they stick something into an electrical outlet. These tamper resistant receptacles are equipped with special spring loaded “shutters” that help protect your children from being electrocuted. Both springs must be pushed simultaneously for there to be any contact with electricity. These are a bit more pricey, but well worth the cost.

Don’t Overload Circuits:

Always avoid overloading a single outlet/ receptacle with too many plug ins. Outlets/ Receptacles are only made to give off a certain amount of electrical current. When several high wattage appliances are plugged into the same outlet, it can be too much on the circuit and that can be extremely unsafe. You should rearrange your appliances so you put less stress on the single outlet to prevent overheating or breakers tripping.

Be wary of warm outlets/ receptacles or switches. If this occurs, there could be a bad electrical connection and should be checked out by an experienced and licensed electrician who understands what to look for and how to make repairs, otherwise you run the risk of electrical shocks or quite possibly a fire hazard. 

Another solution similar to the GFCI, is to have arc-fault circuit-interrupters installed throughout the residential house. AFCI’s protect against accidental or unintentional electrical discharges that can occur at any loose connections, or where any wires or cords have been damaged and could spark.

We hope this information helps to bring about basic residential electrical safety awareness. If you are needing to upgrade your electrical outlets/ receptacles, switches, or require repairs to your existing electrical system, you can trust our licensed and experienced electricians with Bolt Electric.

Our Electricians love what they do, and we can’t wait to work with you.

BOLT ELECTRIC

18847 Redland Road, Suite 105

San Antonio, Texas 78259

(210) 545-BOLT (2658)