Homeowner Electrical Tips

Your family’s safety is our number one concern. If you have any questions, please call us for information for any electrical problem.

Extension Cord Use

Extension cords are helpful when used properly, but can be extremely dangerous to your family if used improperly.
Extension cords are for temporary use only. If you need an outlet installed permanently call us for an estimate.
Use the wall outlet when using a space heater to lesson the risk of fire.
Extension cords are not a substitute for permanent wiring and should never be ran under rugs, carpets, floors or through walls.
Ensure that your extension cord is UL listed. This can be found on the tag near the end of the cord. If you are not sure your cord is UL listed, it shouldn’t be used.

If the area around an outlet is discolored or black, call an electrician immediately. This is a possible fire risk.
If an outlet is damaged (cracked or broken) it must be replaced before it can be safely used.
Never use an appliance with a frayed or damaged electrical cord.

Garages, bathrooms and outdoor outlets are usually GFCI protected depending upon the age of your home. When the GFCI outlet is not working properly, you may not have electricity to your outlets in these areas.
Kitchen outlets are also GFCI protected depending on the age of the wiring in your home.
Before calling an electrician and incurring a possible service charge, check to see if the GFCI needs to be reset per manufacturer's recommendations.

Circuit breakers trip for a reason and should not be ignored if this becomes a chronic problem. Continually resetting a circuit breaker causes wear and can result in failure of the breaker increasing fire risk.

All light fixtures and lamps have a wattage rating. Do not use a light bulb that is a higher wattage than recommended by the manufacturer.

Change the batteries in your smoke and CO2 detectors twice a year or as recommended by manufacturer.
The life of a smoke detector is about 10 years. If your smoke detectors are older than this, call us for replacement depending upon manufacturer recommendation.