Electrical Safety Tips for Bryan & College Station, TX

What does “home” mean to you?  Well, among other things, we hope yours is a place of top level comfort, convenience, and safety.  It’s what we all strive for, and yet sometimes it’s very easy to overlook some very simple but effective ways to improve our living environments, especially when it comes to personal and property safety.College Station

As Master Electricians serving businesses and home owners throughout Bryan and College Station since 1995, McKinzie Heating & Air  is pleased to offer you four tried and true electrical safety tips:

Minimize Your Use of Extension Cord

Extension cords:  it’s not always easy or possible to function smoothly without them but, at the other end of the spectrum, it’s super easy to over-depend on them, too.  If your home has multiple electrical appliances or equipment plugged into the same outlet, you have an increased risk of electrical short circuits and fire.  One way to solve the problem is to contact us to install one or more new outlets in your home.  In the meantime, and if you must use extension cords, be sure to use only those that are UL listed and no more than 3-feet in length.

Don’t Use Light Bulbs with Higher Wattage Capacity than the Fixture Itself

About 95% of what incandescent light bulbs generate is heat, and only about 5% light.  So in general, it makes good sense to replace your incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents.  But where you still do or prefer to use incandescent bulbs, please be sure that the fixture wattage limitation matches the bulbs you’re using now or for replacement purposes.

Install GFCI Outlets Wherever Water Can Come in Contact with ElectricityCollege Station 2

 

Ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) are specifically designed for use near water, indoors and outdoors.  A GFCI outlet measures incoming and outgoing current and, if it senses a discrepancy, trips to stop the flow of electricity.  They are very effective in preventing electrical shock, and worse.

Use Only Properly Sized Fuses or Circuit Breaker

If you’re still using a fuse box to power your home, just be sure to replace a 20 amp fuse with another 20 amp fuse, and so on.  The larger the fuse, the more power it draws.  If it’s drawing more than the wires are capable of generating, you run the risk of causing an electrical fire.

Need a little help making your home a safer living environment?  Well, that’s just one of the things we’re here for, so give us a call and let’s get started.

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