Important Ways to Avoid Electrical Problems in Your SWFL Home
For most people living today, using electricity is something of a second nature. Without a moment’s thought, we blast our air conditioning units all day and night, store food and beverages in our refrigerators, reheat food in our microwaves, work in the radiance of indoor lighting, and charge our computers, phones, and countless other devices every day.
However, with the attitude that electricity is taken for granted comes the tendency to mismanage the power we have at our fingertips. Heavy use of appliances and devices at home can overwork our electrical system or even cause an electrical accident. Learning how to use your home’s electrical system and all your devices properly can improve their efficiency, prevent accidents, and keep you and your family safe. That’s why we’ve put together this guide of tips and tricks to stay safe at home, starting with the basics.
Tip 1: Know The Fundamentals
Before getting into the more advanced stuff, it is important that any homeowner know the fundamental electrical safety practices that protect their property and their family.
Don’t Overload Outlets
A single electrical outlet can only handle so much before something goes wrong. Limit your use of adapters and extension cords, and make sure your outlet isn’t being overloaded with too many devices and appliances. This is especially important when it comes to any device that produces heat, such as a coffee maker, hair dryer or straightener, and so on. Keep it to one heat-producing appliance at a time. Major appliances like laundry machines, refrigerators, ovens, should be plugged straight into the wall, and never plugged into an adapter or extension cord. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, overloaded outlets are responsible for more than 5,000 residential fires each year.
“Overloaded outlets are especially common during the holidays when people tend to use more electricity than other times of the year,” says an article by Cleveland-based electricians Clover Electric. “Circuit breakers should trip and shut down an outlet if there’s an overload, but if more than one outlet leads to one circuit or the wiring goes bad, sparks can fly.”
Unplug Appliances When Unused
The benefit of unplugging appliances that you aren’t using is three-fold. First, it will protect your wallet from the cost of using unnecessary energy – nobody wants an unexpectedly large electrical bill.
“Unplugging devices can save you between $100 and $200 per year,” writes home improvement expert Adam Helfman in his business’s blog article on the topic. “This amount may seem small at first, but think about it in terms of your usual electric bill. For some, it is comparable to one month’s entire electric expenses. The idea of shaving off one month’s payment makes the process of unplugging the devices worth it.”
The second benefit is that unplugging will protect your appliances in the event of a surge or other electrical problem that might damage them–power surges can’t damage electronics that aren’t plugged in.
Finally, unplugging protects the environment.
“We often overlook the impact reducing our electric consumption can have on the environment around us,” writes home improvement expert Adam Helfman in his business’s blog article on the topic. “The truth is, unplugging unused electronics reduces our carbon emissions since most of our energy comes from fossil fuels. [Unplugged appliance] energy accounts for 10 percent of electric consumption.”
Always Check the Wattage
You should always be sure to use the proper wattage for all lamps and lighting fixtures in your home. Following the recommended wattage when you’re choosing light bulbs is what keeps your lamps glowing safely, and lasting as long as possible. On the appliance, often near the socket where you screw the bulb in, there should be a sticker or imprint that indicates the maximum recommended wattage of the bulb.
By the way: when it comes to lamps, you should also be sure to use a shade or globe to stop other items from overheating if they get too close to the bulb – especially if the lamp is using incandescent bulbs. If you don’t want to waste energy on dangerous heat, LEDs are a fantastic way to light up a room without the risk.
Keep Cords Well-Placed
You should avoid running cords under carpets, rugs, doors or windows. Although it can seem like a convenient way to get power where you need it, running cords throughout your house can create tripping hazards as well as increase the risk of electrical accidents if they are left out in the open. A cord under a rug or carpet is an electrical fire waiting to happen.
Instead, address the root of the problem; if you find yourself relying extension cords to get power, consult an electrician about adding some new outlets around your home that are within range of the devices you need to plug in.
Ditch Bad Cords
While you can prolong the lifespan of extension cords by making sure to use the appropriate extension cord for the environment and circumstance, ultimately, they are meant to be replaced at the end of that lifespan. Never try to fix damaged cords. Updating (or even upgrading) to newer, better extension cords once the original cords stop working correctly will help reduce the risk of sparks, shocks, surges and electrical fires. You should also be sure that your extension cords have proper surge protectors.
Keep Electronics Away From Water
Although you are probably fully aware that water and electricity don’t go well together, it can often be easy to overlook the electrical hazards that lurk in everyday situations. Make sure to keep all appliances and tools safely away from water. That includes placing kitchen appliances at a safe distance from sinks any other fixtures or appliances that use water. Furthermore, you should be certain that all of the outlets in your home near a water source are ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) receptacles. These have a built-in safety mechanism that allows them to quickly shut off power at the outlet once they detect a short circuit, which is most often caused by water exposure.
Tip 2: Fight the Surge Scourge
Now that we’ve covered the basics, it’s important to go over surges and how to keep yourself and your family protected from them. You might think that you can rely on surge suppressor power strips to safeguard your home and your protect fragile and expensive electronics, but you should think twice.
Although many homeowners think that they can save money by using power strips for surge protection, that’s not the case. Insufficient surge protection will likely end up costing far more money over the long run as electronics are damaged and replaced. Unfortunately, power surges are much too thorny a problem to solve so simply, and not all “surge protectors” actually do what their name would imply. Many are, in fact, essentially just overhyped multi-socket extension cords.
Consider the way in which external surges – those that begin outside of your electrical system – travel through your home. A surge, being an electrical current, will flow through any wire it can into a house. This doesn’t just include power lines; external power surges can enter through phone, internet, and cable/satellite TV connections – or even through the structure of your home if lightning strikes close enough!
Some surges are severe (think lightning strikes) and caused by chaotic events outside the home (think birds crashing into electrical pole transformers). Many surges, however, are comparatively minor and originate from your electrical system. Internal power surges happen quite often, making up more than half of all surges.
You might even experience them routinely: if you’ve ever been watching TV or blow-drying your hair when the device suddenly turns off and comes back on, that’s most likely small internal power surge – especially if your home’s power goes out at the same time. Individually, these surges are less damaging than external surges – but that doesn’t mean they’re harmless. Over time, low-level surges can cause “electronic rust,” where power fluctuations gradually degrade electronics’ internal circuitry until it falters and eventually gives out completely. Frequent power surges can drastically reduce the lifespan of your appliances and digital devices, even if the surges are minor.
How to Prevent Power Surges
Although many of the so-called surge protector power strips are useless, there are reliable ways to protect your home and electronics from power surges. One of the most important steps you can take is installing a whole-house surge protector. This will help minimize the damage from big, high-amp surges. Typically, whole-house surge protectors are hard-wired onto the house service panel, meaning they need to be installed by a licensed electrician (the process takes about two hours).
“Insurance claims from power surges are grouped into the same category as lightning strike damage. Together they result in over a billion dollars in insured losses, with an average claim of over $4,500,” write Chicago-area contractors 4ABC in their blog post on the topic. “A whole house surge protector can prevent damage from outside threats like electrical storms and power surges within the home.”
At minimum, the whole-house protector you have installed should be rated to stop a 40,000-amp surge. Keep an eye out for features like thermal fuses and lights or alarms that tell you when a device has been hit with a surge. Usually, a whole-house protector sufficient for an ordinary 200-amp service system will cost around $500 plus the electrician’s labor costs. Ask your electrician if you should have separate, smaller whole-house units for the phone or cable lines.
However, whole-house surge suppressors aren’t always enough. They usually cover at least 85 percent of the voltage from a surge, but that means up to 15 percent can get through. This is where plug-in surge protectors may genuinely be helpful. They come in a wide range of prices and qualities, so do plenty of research before buying and consider asking your electrician for advice. Generally, though, it’s wise to opt for a plug-in protector that:
- Meets UL Standard 1449 (Second Edition)
- Has a clamping voltage (the amount that triggers the protective diversion of electricity to the ground) of 400 volts, maximum. The lower the clamping voltage, the better you’re protected.
- Absorbs 600 joules of energy, minimum.
- Protects all three incoming lines (ground, hot, and neutral). To check for this, examine the product’s specifications and look for the letters “L-N, L-G, N-G” (which mean “line to neutral,” “line to ground,” and “neutral to ground,” respectively).
- Stops working when it is damaged by a surge. This way, you will know when it’s time to replace it.
All things considered, most of the time you can protect your whole home from virtually any power surge for $1000-1500 or less. Compare that to the cost of replacing all your computers, modems, appliances, and other electronics – it’s almost always worth the cost.
Tip 3: Install a Backup Generator
Even if you follow every other tip in this guide and greatly reduce the risk of electrical problems, there are still things you cannot control–especially in SWFL where storm season is nothing to joke about–for instance, the electrical grid could fail due to city-wide power outages, or something in your home’s electrical system could break down suddenly. Regardless, it is wise to have a standby generator on hand in case you lose power. Just like your parents probably told you about taking a jacket or umbrella when you go out: it’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
Whether you need electricity to run appliances, keep medical equipment going, or simply to turn on the lights, a standby generator can be indispensable when you require a source of electricity that you can’t get anywhere else. Emergencies that cause power outages often occur during extreme conditions when you need power the most. This can be a huge problem, especially in regions with very high or low temperatures nowadays. If you live in a hot climate, high temperatures can increase the risk of heat exhaustion or heatstroke as air conditioning systems fail. If you live in a climate with a harsh winter, the failure of electrical heating can be equally catastrophic.
First, consider the size of the generator you need. The electrical kilowatt (kW) capacity is the measurement indicating the power wattage it can generate. Take the Generac generator, a very popular and reliable brand with a wide range of capacities. Their small generators can produce 7kW (7000 Watts) to 10kW (10,000 Watts). These units are ideal if you only need to power a few electrical appliances in the event of an outage. Generac’s mid-sized generators can produce 12kW to 20kW. Mid-sized generators are ideal for heating or air conditioning as long as you don’t need to power your home fully, but they are suitable for powering for a home that is 2,500 sq. ft. or smaller.
Large generators are more powerful. Generac’s larger units deliver about 22 kW to 45 kW. This is your best bet for powering your whole home. With this capacity, you can operate a central air conditioner or heating system as well as lighting, appliances, and most medical equipment. Still, determining the wattage needed for your daily electricity consumption can be quite a challenge. You could always consult your power bill statement as a general reference, but you should keep in mind that some electronics consume more power than others.
In general, you should expect the total cost of a new standby generator to run from about $5,000 to about $20,000, depending on your needs and circumstances. Schedule a consultation with a licensed electrician to determine your wattage needs and how much it might cost you to install a generator. Remember: power sources are often taken for granted until they fail. Power outages do not need to be a crisis if you’re prepared.
Tip 4: Contact an Electrician
At the end of the day, electrical safety is full of hidden pitfalls and easy mistakes. There is a reason that electrical accidents – whether they be small shocks or full-blown electrical fires – are so common. Whether you need a whole-house surge protector installed, you are considering getting a standby generator, you have repairs or maintenance to take care of, or you just want a general consultation to make sure everything is working safely and efficiently, it’s always smart to consult a professional.
Whether you need a primary or a backup generator, you should acquire the help of a certified electrician with generator installation experience. Or maybe you need some help with other electrical projects or repairs, today to learn how we can help you keep your home and family safe.