Six Steps to Get Your Home's Electrical System Ready for the Approaching Winter

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As the winter season approaches it is important to make sure that your home is ready for whatever Mother Nature can throw at you. You need to make sure that your plumbing system is able to cope with any freezing temperatures for sure, but give your electrical system the once-over as well, just to be safe. Many home fires occur at the beginning of the winter season, as this is the time that homeowners switch on their heating systems after months of laying dormant. If you can do some checks in advance, you can help ensure that you don't become another statistic.

Six Areas to Check

1. Firstly, have a look outside to make sure that any power lines situated around your home are clear of any obstructions, especially tree branches. You'd be surprised just how much those trees may have grown during the long, hot summer. Call an arborist if you need to trim any branches away from wires.
2. Go to your home's main electrical panel and have a look at the switches and fuses. Are they properly labelled? You don't want to be fumbling around here when a problem arises.
3. Check to see if you have any water leaks. In addition to preventing any potential damage to furniture or fittings, you need to head off any problems caused by water interacting with your electrical system. This is a good time to make sure that your outdoor sockets are GFCI protected, also known as RCD in Australia.. Whenever an electrical power point is mounted in an area that could be exposed to weather, ABYC regulators require that it has a ground fault circuit interrupter installed.
4. As your entire system will become more heavily loaded during the winter due to additional heating and lighting requirements, you need to avoid any circuit overload. Check to see how many items you have plugged into a single outlet and avoid the use of extension cords, except as a temporary measure.
5. If you use surge protectors with valuable equipment, get a professional electrician to have these hard wired. By doing so, you reduce the risk of fire. Remember that commercially available surge protectors are not meant to be permanent fixtures. They have an inherent "shelf life" and should be replaced on a fairly regular basis.
6. Lastly, check each piece of electrical equipment to see whether the wiring is becoming frayed, or is showing signs of cracking.

Whenever you're not sure, you should call in the services of a professional electrician such as Barry Allen Electrical Services for help.

21 January 2015