One of the most common concerns of our customers is the safety of their electrical installation; almost everyone is understandably wary of something they can neither see, smell nor hear, yet is capable of killing, or setting fire in an instant.

There are a few basic do it yourself safety rules that will help you reduce the risks, we would like to deal with a few of the more simply detectable ones in this article.

Current National Electrical code, or NEC, requires the use of GFCI protection on receptacles and other equipment in certain wet locations such as bathrooms, swimming pools and yards,

These areas are mainly where the presence of water will greatly increase the risk and severity of electrical shock, this GFCI protection will eliminate almost all fatalities and is a critical safety measure. Make sure at least once a month that your device protection works. This is the simple action of pressing a Test button to see if the receptacle or circuit breaker automatically disconnects, if it does it is working correctly, and you can simply reset it.

Another important safety measure is the regular inspection of extension cords, a damaged cord can be a significant risk of both electrical shock and fire, yet a quick visual inspection for cuts or chaffing to the cord will eliminate most of the risk. Never use electrical tape to make temporary repairs, if it is damaged simply throw it away, the extra few dollars spent could easily save your, or a loved ones life.

A common practice in most homes is the use of multiple outlet extension cords; often tucked away behind stereo equipment or TV's, this modern entertainment equipment requires a lot of power which can easily overheat these multiple outlets, even worse they are in a hidden location often with very poor ventilation increasing the risk of fire drastically. Visually check behind the back of your entertainment equipment, if it looks like spaghetti then you need extra receptacles added, both for safety and convenience.

An over zealous electrical do-it-yourselfer is probably one of the greatest risks of all, and yet is possibly the most difficult to detect. Whereas a poor carpentry or other trade job is easily recognized, behind the wall or in attic wiring mistakes often go unnoticed by the homeowner, yet is a serious potential fire risk, even worse a fire starting in a location not visible until it’s too late.

The only sure way to protect against this last risk is by contacting a professional licensed electrical contractor to check out your wiring.         Sir Sparks offers a basic safety check free of charge as a service to the community .

Other important safety points we also check on are;

Tightness of all terminations in electrical panels.

Inspection for signs of overheating in panels.

Correct identification of circuits

Compliance with National Electrical Code.

Correct polarity and grounding of receptacles

Correct operation of Arc Fault and GFCI Devices.

Correct Service entrance wiring and grounding.

If you are not the first owner of your home, or it is an older home, the risks are much greater. both for deteriorated wiring and previous do-it-yourself work.

Even with a new home, remember that during our recent housing boom a County/City Electrical Inspector often had a busy schedule, and could only make the briefest of  inspections.

SIR SPARKS ADVICE TO HOMEOWNERS ON PREVENTATIVE SAFETY MEASURES

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        Serving Hillsborough and Pasco Counties Florida