Holiday Electrical Safety Tips

The holiday season is upon us once again and this is a time when many people decorate their home for the holidays. The key is to be safety conscious when decorating your home because no one wants the holidays to end in a disastrous accident.

1. Inspect Everything & Look for the UL label: Before using any holiday decorations, ensure that you inspect it closely. You will be looking for missing or broken bulbs, plugs or sockets that are cracked or damaged, wires that are loose or bare and any other type of damage. You will also want to inspect any extension cords that you use to connect holiday decorations. Remember, your holiday decorations have been in storage for the last year, holiday decorations can deteriorate or become damaged while in storage.
2. Do not overload electrical outlets: One of the most dangerous mistakes that people make decorating for the holidays is overloading electrical outlets. Ensure you only plug one high wattage appliance into each outlet. It is also a good idea to use extension cords or power strips with s built - in overload protector installed as another level of safety.
3. The Christmas Tree: Once a Christmas tree is cut, it can dry out quickly, so be sure to water your tree every day to keep it as fresh as possible and do not have it in the house for an extended period of time. Dried out Christmas trees are one of the top fire causing hazards in homes during the holiday season.
4. Candles: Most people love the look and scent of candles burning in their home during the holidays. Unattended candles cause more then half of holiday fires. If you must burn candles for your holiday celebrations, do so with caution. Never allow them to burn unattended and ensure that all candles are out when you to bed.
5. Keep Clearance around heat sources: If you are burning a fireplace, have an electric baseboard heater make sure all combustible materials are at least 3 feet from the heat source. Combustibles include furniture, curtains, gifts with wrapping paper, the Christmas tree and anything else that can catch fire easily and burn quickly.
6. Protect cords from Damage: When you are installing your holiday decorations always keep in mind where the cords will be when you are done. Ensure electrical and extension cords are protected from being damages. Make sure that they are not pinched by furniture, hit by a vacuum etc. If they are used outdoors, do not leave cords lying across driveways or walkways and make sure all connections are waterproof. Another thing to watch for is closing doors or windows will not damage electrical cords and keep them at least 3 feet from any heat. Never install cords through windows, walls or doors!
7. Stay in kitchen while cooking: This safety rule applies all year round. When you are cooking holiday meals and snacks stay in the kitchen. Pans can boil, unheated cooking equipment can malfunction etc.
8. Bedtime: The last person that goes to bed at night should make sure that all decorations are turned off, unplugged and extinguished. Unattended holiday decorations result in many home fires during the holiday season.

If you have an comments or concerns feel free to contact us!

609.861.1409
www.qualityelectricservice.com




Follow Us