Few things make a home more ready for the holidays than beautiful, bright decorations to celebrate the season. With this in mind, we’d like to provide you with some essential electrical safety tips to avoid any emergencies that tend to come up around this time of year.
1. Avoid stapling Holiday lights to your home’s exterior.
Although a staple gun might seem like the quickest way to get your home decorated for the holidays, this method poses a risk to your safety. The staples can puncture or cut into the insulation around the wiring and expose it, which increases the risk of an electrical fire. Instead, opt for clips and hooks.
2. Never use indoor-only extension cords, lights, and electrical decorations outdoors.
Before using an extension cord outdoors or hanging up your holiday lights, check the label on the cord or the original container. There should be something written there that states whether the cord is for indoor use only or okay for indoor and outdoor use. The insulation around indoor-only cords is less likely to hold up against sunlight and the elements, making them riskier to use outside.
3. Use caution with multi-outlet converters and power strips.
Overloading a wall outlet or power strip can cause a fire. If you need to use a multi-outlet converter or power strip, only plug in things that draw a relatively low amount of power, like Holiday lights, a lamp, or your smartphone.
Never plug appliances into a multi-outlet converter or powerstrip because there is a huge chance you’ll overload it. Even appliances that are smaller in size (like coffee makers, toasters, slow cookers, and microwaves) draw a lot of power, so you should only ever plug these directly into a wall outlet.
4. Keep an eye on pets, especially puppies and kittens.
Along with sight and smell, many animals explore new things with taste. This is especially true of puppies and kittens, and it can lead to a very dangerous situation when you start plugging in holiday decorations. Keep a close watch over your pet to make sure they aren’t chewing on any cords. You can also use a cord protector or taste deterrent spray.
If you need a professional Austin electrician for your home or commercial property, trust 1st Home & Commercial Services. Call us now at (512) 957-2992 or use our online form!