Flat River Electric Blog
Trusted residential electrical advice from your West Michigan electricians.
Most home electrical problems are preventable with a few simple habits. Here are seven practical tips to help keep your family and your home safe.
Plugging several high-draw devices such as space heaters, hair dryers, and microwaves into one outlet or strip is a leading cause of overheating. Give large appliances their own dedicated outlet, and avoid daisy-chaining power strips together.
Frayed, cracked, or warm cords are a shock and fire hazard. Replace them rather than taping them, and never run cords under rugs, where heat can build up unnoticed.
A bulb rated higher than a fixture allows can overheat the socket and wiring. Check the fixture label, and switch to LED bulbs, which run cooler and use far less energy.
Ground fault circuit interrupter outlets cut power in a fraction of a second when they sense a fault, which is why code requires them in kitchens, bathrooms, garages, and outdoors. If yours are missing, add them.
Tamper-resistant receptacles have built-in shutters that block objects from being pushed in, protecting curious little hands far better than plastic plug caps.
Test them monthly and replace the batteries at least once a year. The detectors themselves should be replaced about every ten years.
Flickering lights, warm outlets, buzzing, or breakers that trip repeatedly are signs of a deeper issue. When in doubt, have a licensed electrician take a look before it becomes a hazard.
A quick safety check today can prevent a serious problem later. If anything above raised a red flag in your home, we are always glad to help.
