5 Electrical Safety Tips for Homeowners

Electricity plays an essential role in your daily life, but it can also present several types of safety hazards. Many of the potential hazards can be the result of misuse, while others can be caused by various critters accessing your electrical equipment. Check out these five helpful electrical safety tips, as well as an overview of how Critter Guard can help you protect your important electrical equipment from animal damage.

1. Don't Overload Your Outlets

One of the most common causes of electrical problems is overloading electrical outlets. Plugging in too many devices or extension cords into a single outlet can result in an outlet becoming too hot, potentially leading to an electrical fire. Your home has multiple outlets to make it more convenient to reach what you need from various parts of your room and reduce the need to use one outlet for multiple appliances.

2. Use Extension Cords Wisely

Extension cords are intended to provide a limited amount of additional access to electricity, such as lengthening a cord for a lamp or appliance that cannot reach an outlet from where you want to put it. However, extension cords should not be connected to one another, and they should only be used indoors unless their labels specifically indicate that they were designed for outdoor use. It is also important to periodically inspect your extension cords to make sure they are not frayed, have not been bitten by mice or other critters, or are otherwise damaged.

3. Keep Cords Tidy

Cords that are in use should be separate from one another, not knotted together. This makes it easier to quickly locate the source of a problem and unplug the right one if something does not look or smell right, as well as reduces the likelihood of cords blocking one another's circulation.

4. Allow Proper Air Circulation

It is normal for outlets to generate heat when appliances are plugged into them, which means that making sure there is plenty of space available for this heat to dissipate is a must. Outlets that have items touching them or do not have a clear path into your home to allow heat to escape increase the risk of trapping that heat and causing damage to your items or a fire.

5. Unplug Appliances When You Are Not Using Them

Appliances that are plugged in when you are not using them waste energy, even if they are turned off. They can also increase the risk of damage to your outlets, cords, or appliances.

Choose Critter Guard to Minimize Electrical Damage

Squirrels, mice, snakes, and other critters can also do a significant amount of damage to power lines and outdoor electrical cords, which means that taking steps to keep them from biting, climbing, and otherwise interfering with various types of wires is a must. Critter Guard's Line Guard and Pole Guard systems keep a wide range of critters from accessing power lines from the ground, trees, or other sources. To learn more about our products, contact us today!