Whether you are about to build your own new home, or you are renovating, it’s good to know what you need to do in order to keep your electrics safe and found. In fact, this is worth looking into even if you are not building or renovating, as homeowners everywhere should know at least the fundamentals about electrical safety in the home. And as it happens, there might be a lot more to these essentials than you might have believed.
In this article, we are going to introduce you to the major things that you definitely want to know about home electrics. This is a safer approach that you are going to be happy to know about, as it will help you to really engage with your electricity in a way that is safe for all. Let’s take a look at what’s involved.
It’s Always Safer To Hire An Electrician
The number one rule of thumb is that it is always safer to hire an electrician, rather than trying to do any electrics yourself. Electricity obviously has the potential to be incredibly dangerous, so it’s something that you are going to need to make sure that you are being careful around. And that usually means that mains work needs to be carried out by a licensed professional.
In fact, in most parts of the world, it is illegal to carry out this work by yourself unless you have the proper accreditation. So it really is hugely important to make sure that you are getting help from a professional electrician, even if you think you might be able to do the work yourself. This is the number one main way to ensure that you are keeping yourself and your family safe, and it should not be overlooked.
Get Surge Protection
Of all the problems that can occur with home electrics, one of the most common - and potentially troublesome - is power surges. These can happen to any home at any time, and when they do, it can cause havoc on your system, and in some rare cases can even be dangerous to the people nearby. Because the cause of such surges is usually on the grid, it’s not something you can do much about within the home - except for getting yourself some high quality surge protection, that is.
It’s vital that you learn about whole home surge protection and have it put into place by a professional, because that is going to ensure that your home is protected in its entirety from this kind of thing taking place. Having this protection is going to help you to feel so much better, knowing that you are a lot more likely to have safe electricity no matter what, so that is something that you really need to make sure you are thinking about.
If you don’t already have surge protection, look into getting it as soon as possible.
Avoid Overloading Sockets
There are also a number of everyday practices you can be aware of to ensure that your electrics are as safe as possible. One of the main things here is to make sure that you avoid overloading sockets. That’s when you put an adaptor into a socket and then lots of other plugs into that, and it’s something that can cause a huge problem. The danger is that an errant spark is that much more likely to fly out, potentially causing shocks as well as fires in the home.
It’s always best to stick to one plug per socket, wherever possible.
Be Wary Of Water
It might sound obvious, but do remember that electricity and water are a deadly mix. That means that you need to take particular care when you are using electricity in the kitchen or in the bathroom, where water is more likely to be present. Never handle anything electric when you are wet or your hands are wet, and ensure that you don’t plug in a wet plug, for instance. This is a simple but very important thing that you need to remember.
Teach Your Kids
Finally, you need to make sure that your kids know about electrical safety. This is the best way to ensure that the whole household is doing its part in keeping the home safe when it comes to electricity. If you can teach your kids about what is safe and what is dangerous, that is going to help a lot, and you can know that they are going to be so much safer on the whole.
