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Home Safety – Electrical Safety

Home Safety: Electrical Safety

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Electrical Safety Foundation, every year incidents involving electrical equipment, such as extension cords, receptacles, and light bulbs, result in more than 41,000 residential fires that claim about 350 lives and cause over 1,400 injuries. These fires also cause more than $620 million in property damage annually.

Extension Cord Safety

  • Never run an extension cord under a rug.
  • Do not consider extension cords part of your home’s electrical system—use them only for temporary situations.
  • A frayed or cracked cord could cause a shock or fire. Replace old and damaged extension cords.
  • Make sure the cords you buy are approved by an independent testing laboratory.
  • Never overload an extension cord; that could cause a fire. Check the rating labels on the cords and the appliance. If necessary, upgrade to a higher-rated cord.

Source: Consumer Product Safety Commission

 

Receptacle Safety

  • Receptacles are inexpensive. Replace any that are broken, no longer hold a plug securely, feel hot to the touch, or spark or make noise when inserting or removing a plug.
  • Replace broken faceplates so you don’t accidentally touch a plug to a live portion of the receptacle.
  • Never alter a polarized plug to make it fit into an old unpolarized receptacle.
  • If you must use a grounding adapter, first verify that the receptacle is grounded (use a neon tester, the simple directions are on the package), then be sure to secure the tab on the adapterunder the coverplate screw.
  • Do not use a multi-plug adapter for extended periods of time. If you need more receptacles, add a new receptacle (and circuit, if necessary).
  • When replacing a receptacle, make sure the new one is properly rated—never install a 20-amp receptacle on a 15-amp circuit.
  • Never install a three-slot receptacle where there is no ground available, unless it is a GFCI receptacle. While it would be better to run a ground wire and install a properly grounded receptacle if there is a need for one, the next best thing is to install a GFCI. While it won’t be grounded, it will provide some degree of shock protection.
  • Use lockout receptacles or childproof plugs if young children will be present.

 

GFCIs

The purpose of a GFCI (ground-fault circuit interrupter) is to prevent shocks; they are code-required in wet areas such as bathrooms, kitchens, garages, and laundry rooms. That’s because even on a grounded wiring system, electricity can leak from the hot lead without tripping the circuit breaker. If that happened while you were particularly well grounded (turning off a faucet while turning on a defective hair dryer, for example), the result could be fatal.

A GFCI device constantly monitors current levels on the hot and neutral sides of a circuit. If the GFCI senses an imbalance of just 1/2000 of an amp, it trips the circuit in 1/40 of a second or less.

 

Testing a GFCI receptacle

Plug a radio, hairdryer, or other appliance into the GFCI, turn the appliance

on, then press the test button. The receptacle should shut itself off. If it doesn’t, press the test button again. If it still doesn’t shut off, the

receptacle needs to be replaced. By the way, don’t be too surprised if the receptacle doesn’t shut off. It’s estimated that up to 25 percent of all GFCIs in this country are malfunctioning due to power surges or lightening strikes. If the receptacle did pass its test, press the reset button; the power should come back on.

 

AFCIs

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, problems in home wiring, like arcing and sparking, are associated with more than 40,000 home fires each year. These fires claim over 350 lives and injure 1,400 victims annually. A new product, the arc-fault circuit interrupter, also referred to as either an AFCI or an arc-fault breaker, is designed to trip in response to heavy arcing. The latest edition of the National Electric Code requires AFCI protection for bedroom circuits in new construction starting January 2002. These breakers, available in both 15- and 20-amp versions, should be installed by a pro.Typical situations in which an arc fault may occur include damaged wire insulation, loose connections at the receptacle or the box, damaged or worn appliance cords, and damaged or worn extension cords.

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Source: Home Safety – Electrical Safety

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Home Electrical Safety

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Home Electrical Safety

In today’s world, families live life on the go. With all the running around, we often put household projects on the back burner. One project that should not be put off is evaluating the electrical safety of your home. There is no time like the present to take a good look around your home and make the necessary changes to eliminate electrical hazards that can potentially lead to fires or electric shock. Learning the difference between GFCIs and AFCIs is a great place to start.

Below are some highly useful facts & tips to consider:

Evaluating Electrical Safety in Your Home

A good start is to take inventory of the outlets both inside and outside your home. If you do not have Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) outlets in areas that contain exposure to water or which are prone to dampness the home may not be as safe as it could be. Remember that electricity and water don’t mix! Don’t know if your house is equipped with GFCI outlets? They’re easy to spot. They have two buttons on the face – one to test the outlet and the other to reset the protection following an interruption of power caused by a ground fault. A GFCI helps protect people by interrupting the flow of electricity when it detects a problem such as a ground fault.

“GFCI protected outlets are essential in areas such as bathrooms, kitchens, basements, laundry areas, garages and outdoors,” said Bill Grande, a Leviton Manufacturing Company product expert. “In fact, the National Electric Code requires GFCIs in these areas for all new construction.”

In terms of maintenance, GFCIs should be tested monthly to ensure they are in working condition. Testing your GFCI takes less than a minute when following these simple steps:

  • Plug a lamp into the GFCI and turn it on. The light should now be on.
  • Push the “TEST” button of the GFCI. The GFCI should “trip” and the light should go off.
  • Push the “RESET” button. The light should come back on.

If the device either did not trip or reset as described the GFCI should be replaced.
While checking the outdoor outlets, it is also a good idea to inspect any weather-resistant covers. The elements – particularly cold and snow – can potentially damage covers. Covers which appear cracked, have damaged hinges or are otherwise compromised should be replaced in order to provide maximum protection.

Keep an Eye on These Other Electrical Safety Hazards

Electrical outlet safety is just one facet of overall home electrical safety. Homeowners should also be alert to other hazards such as overloaded outlets, frayed wires and dimming or flickering lights. According to the National Fire Protection Association, an average of 53,000 electrical home structure fires occur each year, claiming more than 450 lives, injuring more than 1,400 people, and causing more than $1.4 billion in property damage (National Fire Protection Association, 2002-2006).

Don’t let your home become a statistic – practice periodic home electrical safety inspections and call in an electrician to address any problems you may uncover.

Facts and Tips From Electrical Safety Foundation International (EFSi)

According to the EFSi, arcing faults cause more than 30,000 home fires each year in the US alone, resulting in hundreds of deaths and injuries – atop more than $750 million in property damage. The CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) estimates that AFCIs could prevent more than 50% of these electrical fires each year.

According to the EFSi:

  • Extension cords hidden in walls or under carpets can cause them to overheat, possibly leading to a dangerous arc-fault
  • The most common AFCIs are advanced circuit breakers that replace the standard breakers in a home’s electrical service panel
  • The National Electrical Code® currently requires that AFCIs be installed in bedrooms and living areas of all newly constructed homes
  • Standard circuit breakers can easily be upgraded to AFCIs
  • AFCIs need to be tested monthly to ensure their efficacy

The EFSi also cites that approximately 2,400 children suffer from shocks and/or burns from sticking foreign objects into outlets – that’s nearly 7 a day in the US alone. It’s estimated that there are 6 to 12 fatalities a year related to this. Tamper-Resistant Receptacles (TRRs) look ordinary from the outside, but inside they contain spring-loaded cover plates designed to close off the receptacle openings, or slots, when anything other than a standard plug is inserted. When a standard plug is inserted, equal pressure is simultaneously applied to both sides, and the receptacle’s cover plates open to allow the plug to make proper connection with the receptacle. Tamper-Resistant Receptacles have been required in hospital pediatric care facilities for more than 20 years, according to the EFSi. They’ve been proven so effective that the National Electrical Code now requires them to be installed in all newly built homes.

TRRs cost roughly 50¢ more than a traditional receptacle. In homes being newly constructed, TRRs would add as little as $50 to the total cost of the home. In existing homes, standard electrical outlets can be replaced with TRRs for as little as $2 an outlet – a very small price to pay for a safer living space.

A U.S. CPSC’s study, cited by the EFSi, has concluded that there are nearly 400 electrocutions in the U.S. each year. Roughly 15% of these are related to consumer products, and about 8% involve power drills, saws, sanders, hedge trimmers, and other electric power tools. Additionally, 9% of product-related electrocutions each year are caused by accidents involving lawn or garden equipment and ladders, which come into contact with overhead power lines. Electrical conductors do not always have to be touching an electrical source to receive its current; currents can jump to the nearest conductor from up to 10 feet away.

Here are some power tool safety tips outlined by the EFSi:

  • Use GFCIs with every power tool to help protect against electrical shock
  • Do not use power tools with an extension cord exceeding 100 feet in length
  • Never use power tools near live electrical wires or water pipes
    Use extreme caution when cutting or drilling into walls where electrical wires or water pipes could be accidentally touched/penetrated
  • If a power tool trips a safety device (ie. GFCI, AFCI) while in use, take the tool to a manufacturer-authorized repair center for service
  • When working with electricity, use tools that have insulated grips.
  • Wear all appropriate personal protective gear when using power tools
  • Do not use power tools without proper guards
  • When using a wet-dry vacuum cleaner or pressure washer, follow all of the manufacturer’s instructions to avoid electric shock

Source: Home Electrical Safety