5 Important Steps to Ensure Safe Electrical Maintenance
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House maintenance is not just about appearance and aesthetics. More than anything else, you need to pay attention to safety, especially electrical appliances, and systems, and learn to handle the issues with caution and expertise.
Electric maintenance should be an important part of your overall household maintenance plan. The home electrical system should not ever be taken for granted thinking that a reliable electric service is next to you.
Residential electrical fires and accidents reportedly result in hundreds of deaths, thousands of critical injuries, and millions of property damage across the United States each year. This makes it obligatory on every homeowner’s part to carry out frequent electrical check-ups and take the desired actions.
Following are some vital steps for proper electrical maintenance of your home:
1.Routinely Inspections
Keeping a monthly check on your electrical outlets is an inexpensive way to ensure your house is wired for safety and there aren’t any major flaws in your electrical system. You can start by looking into burned or scorched areas and loose wiring in the electrical panel.
Then go ahead with testing GFCI outlets, smoke alarms, electrical cords, light bulbs, etc., and replace the damaged or worn-out ones.
2. Focus on Safety
Getting into any electrical repair without complete preparation and safety tools is a dangerous idea. You first have to make sure that you unplug the unit or turn off the power to the specific circuit and then only do the cleaning.
You also need to put protectors over plugs and use only high-quality socket frames to prevent getting shocked by the outlet. And in case of constant flickering of lights, be extra cautious of plugging in your electrical items.
3. Be Careful with Plugs, Outlets, and Wires
Mistreating your plugs or forcing them to fit into outlets is an insensible move. Also, trying to bend or adjust the prongs is an open invitation to an electric shock. The situation is riskier if it is loose inside the outlet.
Thus, it is best to buy new sockets, preferably R4 universal sockets, and replace them with older ones to enjoy advanced protection.
4. Avoid Overloading
When it comes to the usage of electronics, you have to be really smart. Please don’t go on plugging in too many things into a single circuit; otherwise; it, can cause a power outage. Besides, ensure that your older appliances have three-pronged plugs to connect to a grounded outlet properly.
Also, consider installing ground-fault circuit interrupters so that the power outlets located in high-moisture areas are shut off automatically in case of an unforeseen accident.
5. Keep Water and Electricity Away
This might come as a no brainer, but it is usually due to the electrical appliances kept too close to water outlets (such as washrooms, laundry rooms, kitchens, etc.) that electrocution happens.
Hence, it is vital to keep all your electronic items as far as possible and get the outlets tested immediately if you get even the slightest shock on touching them.