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10 Electrical Safety Tips for Homeowners


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10 Electrical Safety Tips Every Homeowner should know

Electricity is a cornerstone of modern living. It can be dangerous if not treated with proper respect. Let’s look at ten electrical safety tips every homeowner should know.

1. Always Cut the Power

If you ever have to deal with electrical issues, always cut the power at the breaker box. Before you start work, test to make sure the outlet, fixture, or switch is shut off. Then plug something in, flip the switch, and use a tester. It will only take a few seconds to cut the power and test the circuit.

2. Have the Appropriate Fire Extinguisher on Hand

Never pour water on an electrical fire. Water contains sediment that conducts electricity. Pouring water into an electrical fire can cause a significant shock hazard for those trying to put the flames out. Have a fire extinguisher on hand that is rated to handle electrical fires instead

3. Use More Than One Outlet

Do you have an outlet with more than two things plugged into it? Most likely have an outlet strip with a number of things plugged into it, this is not a safe setup. Try to distribute small appliances and electronic devices to several outlets to avoid overwhelming the one. Alternatively, have an electrician add additional outlets at that location.

4. Feel Your Outlets

Once in a while, go around and feel the outlets in your home. They should all be cool to the touch. If you find a warm or hot outlet, shut the circuit off at the breaker box and call an electrician immediately. You don’t want to deal with this level of electrical issues.

5. Child-Proof Your Outlets

If there is even a remote possibility that children will be in your home, be sure to install outlet covers. Spring-loaded covers that automatically shut when there’s nothing plugged in is the best option.

6. Investigate Flickering Lights

A flickering light often means the fixture or the circuit has loose wires somewhere. Or that the bulb has come loose and there isn’t a consistent flow of electricity. Tighten the bulb. If that doesn’t fix it, call an electrician.

7. Install Arc-Fault Circuit-Interrupters

According to the Electrical Safety Council International, arc faults cause more than 28,000 fires in U.S. homes every year, killing and injuring hundreds of people. Arc-fault circuit-interrupters help prevent these types of fires. Have an electrician install these in your home.

8. Don’t Use Extension Cords Long-Term

An extension cord should be a short-term solution when you need electricity in a spot where there’s no ready outlet. An extension cord should not be a permanent solution for anything. Either move the item closer to an outlet or have an additional outlet placed where you need the item.

9. Install Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters

A ground-fault circuit interrupter shuts off if it detects the current is being diverted due to a short circuit or insulation problem. This helps protect people from being shocked, and it prevents fires due to electrical faults. GFCI devices should be installed in bathrooms and kitchens.

10. Call an Electrician When There’s Any Question

It’s so tempting to try to DIY various problems around the home. When it comes to electricity, you should leave it to the professionals. Improperly installed wiring can cause dangerous shocks as well as fires. Don’t put your family and property at risk. Let a licensed electrician deal with electrical issues.
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Generac Whole House Generator

So, you are thinking about having a whole house generator installed

Generac Whole House Generator with ATS

First things first

Generators are sized in kW or kilowatts, so a 10kW generator will produce 10 kilowatts or 10,000 watts of power.  We can help you determine the proper generator size after calculating the anticipated electrical loads.

Keep in mind, a standby generator can be connected to all of your home’s electrical circuits or just a few “essential circuits”.  Examples of the more common essential circuits include the refrigerator/freezer, kitchen receptacles, a few light and receptacle circuits, the fan blower motor for gas heating equipment, the security system, garage door opener and, if you have them, water pumps and sump pumps.  Most of these circuits do not require a large amount of power to keep them operational but it’s important to consider the sum total of each of these loads when sizing a standby system.

A very popular and “easy on the budget” generator is a “20kW” (20,000 Watts) model.  It’s easy on the budget because most 20kW generators are air-cooled (as compared to “liquid-cooled”) and include a 200-Amp Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS). 

Make sure you match the size of the ATS with the size of the load center it will be connected to.  Most 20kW generators are connected to a 200-Amp load center and, thus, come with a 200-Amp ATS.  If the generator will be connected to a 150-Amp or 100-Amp load center, the ATS should match the size of the breaker panel.  So–if the ATS is to be connected to a 100-Amp load center, you will need a 100-Amp Automatic Transfer Switch.

If your home is 2500 square feet or less, a 20kW generator should suit your needs well, particularly if you have gas heat and hot water.  If the range top is also gas, all the better.  A 20kW generator will run most house receptacles, lights, and up to a 5-ton central air conditioner. 

When a generator is connected to all house circuits, the installation is referred to as a “whole house generator installation.”  Connecting only a few essential circuits, or “partial house generator”, can be an effective means of providing power to electrical circuits important to you while saving on overall project costs.

Automatic 24/7 Backup Power

Generac Backup Generators work automatically as permanently installed appliances that only operate when they are needed. When an outage occurs, they begin supplying power to your home within seconds. The generator senses the outage and starts itself. Seconds later it signals the automatic transfer switch to disconnect the utility lines and connect power from the generator.

Hours later or whenever the utility company gets around to restoring power, the Generac Backup Home Generator reconnects the home to the utility and shuts itself down. It all happens automatically—even when you’re not home.

You won’t ever worry about when the utility company will restore power or if the food in the fridge is going bad or if the food in the freezer will thaw. No more flooded basements or worrying about them.

Generac Backup Generators—Safe and Reliable

When it comes to safety and reliability, you can’t beat a Generac Backup Generator for Home. The installation will meet all local building, fire, and National Electrical Codes which ensures safety. Electrical connections operate in conjunction with your circuit breaker panel to eliminate an entire list of hazards. Because it works with your panel, heating, and air conditioning work along with the lights and other appliances—automatically.

Anyone who ever stood in the rain during near-freezing temperatures trying to pull start a portable generator will appreciate the automatic startup of a Generac Backup Generator. You won’t even have to go outside in the rain or snow.

Operates in Any Weather

Weather doesn’t bother Generac Backup Home Generators. They start and run in any kind of weather including hurricanes, windstorms, rainstorms, ice storms, and sleet. Even in the summer when an overloaded electrical grid succumbs to a heat wave. Your Generac Backup Generator will start and run no matter what the weather is like outside while you stay comfortable inside.

Portable Generators are great. You pull them out of the garage—never operate a portable indoors, in a garage, or in a shed—after the storm has passed and there’s no danger from wind or rain to short them out. Any danger from working with extension cords in the rain has passed. Hopefully, you can start it before the refrigerator is too warm, the freezer has thawed, or the basement has flooded.

One of the best aspects of owning a Generac Backup Home Generator—unlike a portable generator they don’t require constant refueling with gasoline.

Made In the USA

Generac Backup Generators are engineered and built in the USA. Customer Service operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every single day of the year in a facility not far from corporate headquarters in Wisconsin. Customer service agents are always available to answer questions and provide assistance no matter the problem.

A leading manufacturer of home standby generators since 1989, Generac surpassed one million home backup generators in 2013.

Generac. Reliable. Dependable. We promise. Count on Generac to keep your family and home safe through power outages all year long.

Mike@MikeWardJr.com
781-383-0224 (Call or Text)

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