Electrical Safety Checklist
Ways to Keep Your Home Safe from Dangerous Electrical Issues
At Mister Sparky®, we never recommend making your home’s electrical issues or needs a DIY weekend project. While we’d like to say that this is an attempt to make you call us, it’s because working on electrical systems is dangerous and requires extensive training. Because of the training electricians require to work safely, it can take years for an electrician to receive a license to do work on their own. If it takes an apprentice electrician hundreds of hours of classes and thousands of hours of on-the-job training, electrical work should never be a weekend project!
Homeowners should regularly check their electrical components for safety between maintenance visits from a Mister Sparky® electrician. Doing this will help identify small problems before they become major electrical issues. If you believe you have a problem, it’s time to call your local Mister Sparky® for help.
The Electrical Safety Checklist
The National Fire Prevention Association provides a useful checklist for homeowners concerned about electrical safety. Following this list is a great way to minimize the risk of an electrical emergency in your home or business. While this safety checklist is important, be certain never to touch your home’s wires. If you cannot see a wire for inspection, it’s best to call Mister Sparky® for help as soon as possible.
The NFPA recommends calling an electrician or your landlord immediately if:
- Your home frequently has blown fuses or tripping circuit breakers
- You have a tingling sensation while touching appliances
- Your outlets are warm or discolored
- A burning or rubbery smell comes from appliances
- Lights dim or flicker
- Sparks emit from outlets
Check Electrical Wires
Electrical wires weave their way throughout our homes. Checking each one for exposed wiring, melting, fraying, cracking, or other forms of wear can help prevent a fire. If you identify a damaged cord or wire, call a professional to have it repaired. Older electrical systems are prone to having failing wires, so be certain to examine all wires in your home thoroughly.
Additionally, be certain that electrical cords are not running across doorways or under carpets. An electrical professional can help you solve this issue by installing more outlets throughout your home.
Outlet Safety
Next, check to make sure that your outlets are operating safely. Never place more than one plug into an outlet’s receptacle. Additionally, ensure that an outlet’s wiring is properly covered to avoid electric shock or burns.
Light Bulbs
Avoid mismatching a light bulb’s wattage to a lamp’s wattage. If a light bulb has a maximum wattage of 60, only use it in lamps of that power or lower. Additionally, light bulbs should always be covered by a shade or globe. As bulbs become hot during use, they should be covered to prevent something from contacting them and catching fire.
Appliance Safety
Ensure that your appliances are approved for safety by a reputable lab. When using multiple appliances, make sure that only one is plugged into an outlet at a time. Because they draw a lot of electricity, having multiple appliances using one outlet can cause wires to overheat. If lights dim while using an appliance, stop using it immediately, and contact an electrician. Dimming lights can be a sign of overheating or failing wires.
Use Fault Circuit Interrupters
There are two types of fault circuit interrupters that homes should have. First, ground-fault circuit interrupters are designed to reduce the risk of shock by shutting off an electrical circuit when needed. Kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, basements, garages, and outdoor areas should have GFCIs.
Next, a home should have an arc-fault circuit interrupter. An AFCI helps prevent fires by monitoring the electrical current in a home and shutting off a circuit when unintentional arcing occurs.
Reinforce Your Home’s Safety with Our Electricians
While this safety checklist is a great way to identify or prevent issues, calling an electrician is crucial if you suspect your electrical systems need work. At Mister Sparky®, we have locations throughout the nation ready to provide the fast and reliable electrical work you deserve. All our locations are locally owned and operated, so our teams know common electrical problems facing homes in your area! Best of all, we’re always on time and back every aspect of our work with a 100% satisfaction guarantee!
Call Mister Sparky® today at (800) 906-4577 for help 24/7. We’re standing by 24/7 for emergency support; schedule an appointment with one of our electricians today.
