A Reminder From Your Home Inspector That Electricity is Dangerous
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I’ve said it before and I feel certain I’ll say it again: electricity is no joke. Many house fires would be prevented if homeowners were more aware of what was happening with the electrical systems in their homes. So it’s always a good time for a reminder of some of the ways that we can become “electricity blind” in our own homes.
Here are some electrical home inspection finds that you can make sure to avoid in your home:
Let Me Count the Ways
LOTS going on here! First of all, while we often show you pictures of electrical panel boxes with the covers off, that’s just for the picture. This one just doesn’t have a cover, which is a problem. The cover is important both to keep people from accidentally touching a live wire and getting shocked and to protect the breakers and wires from the elements. This brings me to my next point: the elements have been busy in this panel box, creating quite a collection of debris. This is not just messy, it’s dangerous. Allllll of that is a fire hazard. Think how quickly those dry leaves would light up if a stray spark were to go off in that box.
It’s almost as if people are so used to having electricity, they forget to be careful around it.
No Pointy Things Around Electricity
The panel box comes with blunt screws for a reason, and this is a video about that reason, minus the horrible injury or death that could occur when you drill a pointy metal screw into a live wire. It’s almost like people look right at electrical wires and don’t realize there’s electricity running through them.
GFCI Outta Here
I set this video to start and end just on Inspector Alex’s part about testing GFCI outlets, but if you have some time, I really recommend watching the whole video for some great info on the tools, technology, and history behind this safety device. It’s another aspect of the electricity in our homes that we mostly only notice when we’re, say, drying our hair or trying to use the blender while simultaneously microwaving with all the lights on.
Much like surge protectors, GFCIs do the very important job of detecting and preventing electrical shock and damage by shutting off power when they sense an imbalance in the electrical current. Did you know you’re supposed to check them periodically to make sure they’re working? Did you know the main exterior one is probably located in your garage like Alex’s example? The fact that the red button shoots across the room when the outlet has expired is new info for me. See? We all learned something new today.
GFCI outlets are required in homes, so if you live in an older home and don’t have them, make sure you get and install them. It’s an important safety measure that could prevent a fire.
If there’s one thing you should try not to become blind to in your home it’s the electrical system. Take this as your friendly reminder to go check out your panel box, and acquaint yourself with your GFCIs. If anything seems amiss, call an electrician. Whatever you do, don’t DIY electricity.
