Electrical > Indoor Electrical Safety Check - 03

Before You Plug Into Electricity,
Plug Into Electrical Safety - The Checklist



With your circuit map and power audit done, it’s time to take a run through the house with a keen eye on safety. Use the following checklist on a regular basis to en­sure your home remains electrically safe year in and year out. If you haven’t already had an electrical inspection performed by a qualified, licensed electrician or electrical inspector, this list can also help identify clues that an inspec­tion and/or repairs are needed.


Fuses/Circuit Breakers

Fuses and circuit breakers are safety devices lo­cated in your electrical panel that help prevent overloading and fires. They stop the electrical current if it exceeds the safe level for some por­tion of the home electrical system. Overload­ing means that the appliances and lighting on the circuit regularly demand more electrical current than the circuit can safely deliver.

If the demand for electrical current ex­ceeds the safety level, a fuse opens once and must be replaced to reconnect the circuit. A cir­cuit breaker “trips” its switch to open the cir­cuit, and the circuit is reconnected by closing the switch manually.


Fuses

Replacing a correct size fuse with a larger size fuse can present a serious fire hazard. Doing so will allow excessive current to flow and pos­sibly overload the outlet and the house wiring to the point that a fire can begin.

• Be certain that correct-size fuses are used (if you do not know the correct sizes, have a qualified, licensed electrician identify and label the sizes to be used).

NOTE:
Fuses should be rated according to the wire that makes up the branch circuit, not the connected load. Most of the screw-based fuses used should be 15 amperes. Ensure that all fuses rated higher than 15 amperes are compatible with the branch circuit wiring.


Edison-base/S-type Fuses

Consumers sometimes replace a fuse that re­peatedly “blows” with a higher ampere rated fuse. Although the new fuse may not open, it also may not protect the branch circuit. Do­ing so masks the real problem of too high a demand being placed on the circuit. The fuse will not open at the appropriate load for that circuit.

Instead of using an inappropriate fuse, take something off the circuit to bring the de­mand to an appropriate level.

• To prevent future installation of fuses that allow currents too high for your wiring, your fuse panel should be converted to S-type sockets that accept only fuses of the correct amperage rating. If you have Edison-base fuse sockets, have them fitted with the S-type socket inserts.

If fuses continue to “blow,” keep track of which branch circuits are affected and which appliances are in use when the power outage occurs. Consult a qualified, licensed electri­cian to correct the problem.

Circuit Breakers

Just like fuses, circuit breakers provide over­current protection by opening the circuit, or “tripping” when an unsafe level of demand has been placed on the circuit.

Circuit breakers are also rated for various current levels, such as 15 or 20 amps. Breaker systems offer more flexibility for new protec­tive technologies like ground fault circuit inter­rupters (GFCIs) and arc fault circuit interrupt­ers (AFCIs). They also offer you the ability to reset the breaker once ripped, getting lights up and running quickly to prevent accidents resulting from the lack of power in the home. Resetting a circuit breaker is quicker than re­placing a fuse and avoids the hazards of over-sized fuses.

When resetting a tripped circuit breaker, be aware that your circuit breaker may trip to an intermediate position close to “ON” in­stead of the “OFF” position (sometimes it is difficult to see that it has tripped). To reset, move the switch fully to “OFF” and then to “ON.”

• Before resetting a tripped circuit breaker, turn off or unplug appliances or lamps on the circuit to bring the demand back down to an acceptable level.

Outlets & Switches

Switches are used to turn the power on and off. Outlets, or receptacles, are usually mount­ed on a wall or floor to supply electricity through a cord and plug to appliances, lamps, TV, etc. These are the key points in our electri­cal systems that give us our first line of control to our electrical use, and they are critical con­nection points. With time and use, these con­nections can become loose, creating potential hazards.

• Check to make sure outlet and switch plates are not unusually hot to the touch. If they are, immediately unplug cords from these outlets and do not use the switches. Have a qualified, licensed electrician check the wiring as soon as possible.
• Look for discoloration as another indica­tion of potentially dangerous heat build­up at these connections. Stand across the room and look for a tear-drop shaped darkening around and above outlet and switch cover plates.
  With outlet and switch cover plates, warm to the touch may be okay, but hot is not.
• Check that all outlet and switch cover plates are in good condition so that no wiring is exposed. Replace any missing, cracked or broken cover plate.
• Be sure to use safety caps with unused outlets.

Power Cords

Power cords, part of electrical products and appliances, connect the item to the power sup­ply by plugging into the outlet. They need to be kept in good condition. Even an electrical item that is in otherwise good working order can still represent a shock and fire hazard if its power cord is damaged.

• Check to make sure electrical cords are in­tact and in good condition, not frayed or cracked.
• Check to make sure lamp, extension, tele­phone and other cords are placed out of the flow of traffic. Cords stretched across walkways may cause someone to trip. If you must use an extension cord, place it on the floor against a wall where people cannot trip over it.
• Whenever possible, arrange furniture so that outlets are available for lamps, enter­tainment products, or appliances without the use of extension cords.
• Check to make sure furniture is not rest­ing on cords.
• Check to make sure electrical cords do not run under furniture or carpeting, or behind baseboards.
• Check to make sure electrical cords are not attached to the walls, baseboards, etc. with nails or staples. Disconnect power before removing nails and staples from on or around electrical cords.
• Do not attempt to repair cords yourself. Take any item with a damaged power cord to an authorized repair center, or cut the cord, safely dispose of the item, and pur­chase a new one.

Extension Cords

Extension cords can be very helpful in deliver­ing power right where we need it. However, no matter what the gauge or rating of the cord is, the extension cord is designed as a temporary

solution, not as long-term extension of your household’s electrical system. With continu­ous use, the extension cord can more rapidly deteriorate, creating a potentially dangerous electric shock or fire hazard. In addition to the same safety tips that apply to power cords, keep the following principles in mind when using extension cords.

• Extension cords should only be used on a temporary basis; they are not in­tended as permanent household wiring. Unplug and safely store extension cords after every use.
• A heavy reliance on extension cords is an indication that you have too few outlets to address your needs. Have additional out­lets installed where you need them.
• Make sure extension cords are properly rated for their intended use, indoor or outdoor, and meet or exceed the pow­er needs of the appliance or tool being plugged into it.
• Assume 125W per amp when calculating power (wattage) to determine if the exten­sion cord you intend to use is properly rat­ed for the appliance being connected to it.
• Replace No. 18 gauge cords with No. 16 gauge cords. Older extension cords using small (No. 18 gauge) wires will overheat at 15 amps or 20 amps.
• Change the cord to a higher rated one or unplug some appliances, if the rating on the cord is exceeded because of the power requirements of one or more appliances being used on the cord.
• Use cords with polarized and/or three-prong plugs.
• Buy only cords approved by an indepen­dent testing laboratory, such as Underwrit­ers Laboratories (UL), ETL-SEMKO (ETL) or Canadian Standards Association (CSA).

Power strips and surge protection

Power strips give us the ability to plug more products into the same outlet, which can be a help, but also a hindrance to safety if used in­appropriately. Power strips and surge suppres­sors don’t provide more power to a location, just more access to the same limited capacity of the circuit into which it is connected. The circuit likely also still serves a variety of other outlets and fixtures in addition to the multiple electrical items you might be supplying with the power strip. In addition to the tips above, keep these safety principles in mind when us­ing power strips and surge suppressors.

• Be sure you are not overloading the circuit. Know capacity of the circuit and the pow­er requirements of all the electrical items plugged into the power strip and into all the other outlets on the circuit as well as the light fixtures on the circuit.
• A heavy reliance power strips is an indica­tion that you have too few outlets to ad­dress your needs. Have additional outlets installed where you need them.
• Understand that surge suppressors only protect the items plugged into it, not back along the circuit into which it is con­nected.
• In the event of a large surge or spike, such as a lightning strike, the surge suppressor is a one-time-use protector and will likely have to be replaced.
• Consider purchasing surge suppressors with cable and phone jacks to provide the same protection to your phone, fax, com­puter modem and television.
• Not all power strips are surge suppressors, not all surge suppressors can handle the same load and events. Be sure the equip­ment you buy matches your needs.
• For homes in areas with a high incidence of lightning, consider having a surge ar­restor installed at the fuse box or breaker panel for whole house protection