Home safety inspections are something you should have done semi-regularly, at least once every three to five years. You should also consider a safety inspection if you have recently purchased a home or do home renovations. These inspections can be done on a surface level by you, the homeowner. To guarantee that everything is operating properly, Wave Electric can help you ensure your home meets code requirements. To become more familiar with the process, and how you can be proactive about your home safety, here are some areas to focus on during a home electrical safety inspection.
Key Areas Of Focus During A Home Electrical Safety Inspection
Home Electrical Outlets
Your electrical outlets are the bridge between safe living space and live electricity. Making sure these are operating safely is critical to preventing electrical accidents. GFCI and AFCI outlets utilized in the appropriate locations can significantly help that effort. Whatever type of outlet you have, though, here are some warning signs that your outlet is malfunctioning:
- Heat
- Buzzing or crackling sounds
- Loose receptacles
- Unusual smell
Light Switches
Obviously, light switches provide your home with light. Having enough light switches, like at the end of each hallway and near doorways, is important to the safety of those in your home. Enough light switches mean anyone walking in the dark doesn’t have to for long, and should be able to reliably find a switch. Similar to electrical outlets, light switches bridge the gap between your safe living space. Ensure they are working properly by recognizing warning signs that your light switch is malfunctioning:
- Discoloration around the switch
- Loose switches
- Unusual smell
- Flickering power
Smoke & CO Detectors
Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are arguably the most important aspect to your home’s electrical system. These detectors can sense harmful gas or smoke and alert your family to get to safety. Faulty electrical can be a source of fire and smoke, so guaranteeing that these detectors are working properly can be a matter of life and death. Ideally, you should have both smoke and CO detectors on each floor. Oftentimes, code requires more than one. Test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors regularly to make sure they work correctly.
Electrical Appliances
Most major household electrical appliances involve some level of either heat or water. That’s why making sure these appliances are plugged into the appropriate GFCI outlets can prevent electrical shorts. It’s also important to consider wire placement. If your wire lies near a heat source, it would be wise to relocate it to avoid premature failure and other dangerous situations. Heat buildup doesn’t only affect the power cord, though. Allowing for adequate airflow around these appliances prevents your appliance from overheating causing a preventable fire hazard.
Home Electrical Panel
Your electrical panel is the home base for your home’s electrical wiring. Identifying any obvious issues, like mislabeled or unlabeled circuits, may be easy for you to do. But ensuring that they are functioning properly and that the wiring is to spec would likely take the expertise of a professional electrician, like Wave Electric. Improper function includes tripped breakers and blown fuses, so if those are regularly occurring, definitely give us a call as soon as possible so we can identify the cause of the issue.
Call Wave Electric today for your home electrical safety inspection, and check out our wonderful reviews on Google!
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