Common Safety Mistakes: Top Tips from an Electrician
Don’t run cords under carpet or rugs. This is an easy mistake that many people make. Any repeated friction on cords will eventually wear away at the protective, outer layer. Once that layer is gone, you’ve got a spark and a large, dry, flammable material enveloping it. Essentially, running cords under a rug with high foot traffic is basically ‘How to Start a Fire: 101’. Let’s save those steps for our next camping trip and keep cords out from underneath carpets in our homes. Instead run cords along walls or under no-traffic furniture with some space to move.
Don’t tie or twist power cords. This may solve a temporary problem but try not to put unnecessary strain on any power cords. The protective plastic is meant to protect the wiring and it’s just not designed to be twisted heavily. Wear and tear can cause the inner wiring to be exposed, which is a fire hazard, or it can simply mean a shorter life for your electronics.
Don’t plug power bars into power bars. This simply adds too much load to circuits and may mean a few, annoying trips to your electrical panel to turn your breakers back on - or worse. If your house is still using a fuse panel breaker, you could risk overloading the circuit which is - you guessed it - a fire hazard. Side note: If you have a fuse panel, you need to get it replaced or upgraded as they are no longer considered safe. Sauga Electric offers these services.
Don’t cover lights / lamps with anything. Don’t get cute with lamps and light fixtures. We’ve seen all kinds of DIY trends where people cover either light fixtures or lamps with scarves, crafting materials or (the newest trend) pillow stuffing. Don’t do it. Sure you may have an argument about why your DIY project is safe but - why risk it? Take the time to find a lamp or light fixture that you love and invest in that instead. Lamps are regulated by the same governing bodies that make sure light fixtures are safe to install. More about that here, in our blog post called “Is Your New Light Fixture Safe?”
Check the rating when replacing LED light bulbs. This is a sneaky one. So, we’ve all been there: We need to replace a lightbulb so we run into the hardware store and take a minute looking at the choices. LED seems to be the smartest option and it appears the only choice is between the varying softness levels of the light. Easy peasy - right? Well, that depends - are you replacing a lightbulb in an open fixture? Or an encased one? Oddly enough, it actually matters. Not all LED bulbs are rated for enclosed fixtures, here’s a good article about the topic from a lighting blog.
Replace damaged light switches and receptacles ASAP. There simply shouldn’t be any damage to any parts of the electrical system. It might be easy to write these things off as just aesthetic but it’s certainly not. A crack or, particularly anything burnt, can indicate that something very wrong is happening just behind that switch plate and it’s all too common. If you see any signs of burning around your receptacles - call a licensed electrician immediately. Where there is smoke, there is fire.
Outdoor plugs should be upgraded to bubble covers. Standards in electrical safety have changed over the years and when Michael and I compiled this list, this tip seemed the most intuitively obvious. Remember the grey, outdoor outlet covers that flip up to give you access to the plug? The ones that basically provide a little, tiny umbrella for your electrical connection - outside, where water lives. Yeah, it makes no sense when you actually think about it and this explains all those times you’ve had to run back inside to flip the breaker back on when working out in the yard. The bubble cover (also called the in-use cover) is now the standard for all new construction and slowly, but surely, will replace the old grey plate we’re all familiar with. Don’t leave your outdoor outlets with a tiny umbrella when they can have their own, little, cozy, enclosed cabin.
If you can see wires - call a pro. Apologies to the handymen out there for this one but, boy-oh-boy - you guys are a low key, terrifying bunch when it comes to electrical work. I’ve said it in previous posts, I’ll say it again, electrical fires are one of the top causes of property damage and loss here in Ontario. It’s not a marketing ploy or a sales pitch, it’s a very real issue.
Michael is regularly correcting the work of DIYers, showing me pictures of bare wire, inches away from wooden beams, exposed electrical connections sitting in insulation and lots of nowhere near up-to-code handy work. If you can see exposed wire or anything questionable in your home - just call a pro. It’s well worth the investment to have someone come over for an hour or two to just take a look. A licensed electrician can pretty quickly assess if the previous home owner hired a pro or decided to get crafty. It’ll help you sleep at night and possibly prevent problems in the future.
