The Facts of Electrical Safety

Courtesy of

Safe Living Through Safe Wiring

(NAPS) Owners of older homes can face a much more alarming problem than peeling paint and loose floorboards. Bad wiring could lurk behind your walls. If your home is more than 40 years old, was renovated recently or had the addition of a major new appliance, such as a refrigerator or electric furnace, you should have your wiring checked.
"Dim or flickering lights, loose receptacles, tripping circuit breakers or popping fuses and hot or discolored outlet cover plates may be your home’s way of saying you have a problem," warns Michael G. Clendenin, executive director of the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI).
ESFI also urges owners of homes with aluminum wiring to monitor it more closely. Aluminum wire oxidizes more rapidly than copper wire, creating resistance and heat buildup along the circuit. Aluminum wire also expands and contracts faster than copper wire, potentially creating gaps at connections that can produce hazardous arcs and glowing connections.
However old your home, you should understand the condition of its electrical system and the system’s capacity, limitations, and potential hazards. An electrical inspector or a qualified, licensed electrician can inspect your home’s electrical system to ensure the circuits aren’t overloaded and the electrical service can adequately supply the demand.
Electrical inspections can catch problems hidden behind the walls and correct them before they turn tragic. In many cases, ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) and newer arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) can be installed to help prevent a fire and accidental electrocution. GFCIs—the "TEST" and "RESET" buttons on some outlets—should be tested every month and after a fire or electrical storm.

Don’t Let Electrical Work Become a Shock

(NAPS) When it comes to do-it-yourself projects, people should make sure safety comes first—especially when working with electricity.
In fact, the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) cautions homeowners to think twice about doing their own electrical work. If you don’t know what you’re doing, consider hiring a qualified, licensed electrician.
The group offers consumers these tips for choosing a qualified electrical contractor:
 

*  Check the phone book, ask friends and family, or call the Better Business Bureau for names of contractors. Beware of door knockers—most reputable companies don’t need to go door-to-door for work.

*  Interview before you hire. Are the contractors certified, licensed, bonded and insured? Insurance should include property damage and workers compensation coverage. Are they members of a national or regional trade association?

*  Get estimates from two or three contractors—over the phone for small jobs, in person and with an hourly rate for larger jobs.

*  Find out what kind of work the contractors do. Large or small jobs? Residential or commercial?

*  Will a permit be required? It should be under the contractor’s name, not yours, and posted at the job site.

*  Get references from other homeowners and ask about their satisfaction with the work done.

*  Electricians generally do not repair holes cut or drilled in walls, trenches dug or landscaping that is disturbed in the course of the job. Know in advance what work will be left to be done after your electrical job.

What are the latest statistics

on residential electrical safety injuries?

The latest figures from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

(CPSC) indicate that there were 440 total accidental electrocutions

in 1999, 170 related to consumer-products. Twentynine

of those related to household wiring, and another 29 related

to small appliances. Twenty-two electrocutions involved large appliances

like air conditioners, heat pumps and clothes dryers, 15

involved power tools, 13 involved ladders, 12 involved garden/

farm equipment, 9 involved lighting, 3 involved antennas, and 38

involved a variety of other products such as pipes, poles, fences,

wires, chains, pliers, tree stands and flying toys.

But that is only part of the story. According to the latest statistics

from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), there is an

annual average of 111,400 home fires caused by faulty electrical

distribution systems, electrical appliances and equipment, or heating

and air conditioning systems, taking an average of 860 lives,

injuring 3,785, and causing nearly $1.3 billion in property damage.

How can consumers help protect themselves from

electrocution and electrical-related injuries?

Consumers should check for problems with their home electrical

systems, and be ever vigilant for electrical hazards around the home

and the workplace, like cracked or fraying cords, overheating cords

and wall plates, and the presence of overhead and buried power

lines when working outdoors. Check outlets and circuits to be sure

they aren’t overloaded. Make sure to use only the proper wattage

light bulbs in light fixtures and lamps. Use extension cords only

on a temporary basis, and be sure they are properly rated for their

intended use. And always follow appropriate safety precautions

and manufacturer’s instructions on all electrical items.

Make sure GFCI protection covers all circuits that come near water

sources, such as bathrooms, kitchens, and outdoors, and consider

it for whole house coverage. Consumers should also remember

to test their smoke alarms and ground fault circuit interrupters

(GFCIs) monthly. Replace smoke detector batteries twice a year.

Consider also having arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) installed

in your home’s electrical panel, particularly for older homes.

Consumers can use ESFI’s In Home Electrical Safety Check and Outdoor

Electrical Safety Check booklets to conduct an electrical safety

audit of their homes. And visit www.electrical-safety.org for all these

and other electrical safety tips.

If you have an old house with old wiring, how do you

know if repairs are necessary? How extensively and

costly can such repairs be?

Electrical systems age and deteriorate just like any man-made product,

and as they get older need to be monitored more frequently.

As homes grow in their dependence on electricity with the addition

of rooms, appliances large and small, and entertainment and

computer equipment, electrical systems designed to handle lower

electrical demands expected at an earlier point in time can become

overburdened and problems can develop.

The CPSC and ESFI recommend electrical inspections for the following:

• any house more than 40 years old,

• any house 10 years old and older that has had any major

renovation or major appliance added, and

• for any home at the time of resale, by the new owner who

can then begin their relationship with the new home with a

clear understanding of the home’s electrical system’s

capacity, limitations, potential hazards and opportunities.

An “electrical inspection” is different from a “home inspection” in

that it comprehensively covers only the electrical system, whereas

the home inspection goes skin-deep on the structure, plumbing,

electrical system and other aspects of the house. Your local city,
county or state should have an electrical inspector’s office, or a
qualified, licensed electrician can do the inspection.
The inspection will help identify problems like frequently blowing
fuses or tripping circuit breakers, loose connections at outlets,
older and deteriorated wiring, and outdated and overburdened
electrical service. Repairs could be minor and nominal in cost,
such as the cleaning and tightening of connections or the addition
of outlets, or more involved running into several thousand
dollars, such as the addition of circuits and subpanels, replacement
of degraded wiring, or, particularly with older homes, a “heavyup”
— that is, upgrading the electrical service from, for example,
60 amp or 100 amp service to the home to 200 amp service better
able to handle today’s electric demands. A qualified, licensed
electrician can determine if repairs or upgrades are necessary and
can estimate the cost.