Our ability to harness electricity has led the way for incredible advancements from light bulbs to smart phones to space travel. Electricity also brings incredible dangers. Over more than 20 years of providing electrical services the San Luis Obispo electricians from Electricraft have found and corrected thousands of hazardous conditions. Some of these conditions could have been life-threatening. Electricraft follows the best industrial safety practices and wants to help everyone be as safe as possible.
Here are four common electrical dangers you need to know about:
- Old wiring
- Electricity and water
- Overloaded circuits
- Children
Old Wiring
An old building is likely to have an outdated wiring system. Some may have been updated to more modern systems, which is definitely ideal, but others will have the old systems that have been patched. Any San Luis Obispo electrician will tell you that this is a safety problem. Not only are older systems less capable of handling today’s electrical load they are more likely to have loose connections that can catch fire.
If you occupy an older building, or are considering buying one, contact Electricraft. The company provides electricians throughout San Luis Obispo County and the Central Coast who can troubleshoot wiring for you.
Electricity and Water
Water is an excellent conductor of electricity, which means water dripping or flowing in your home can be a problem. Water around electrical wiring and appliances can cause:
- Electrical shock
- Fire
- Tripped circuit
- Blown fuse
- Ruined appliances
Electricraft wants to help you avoid dangerous situations and avoid costly repairs and perhaps property loss. Anytime water and electricity combine, the issue can become life threatening and the first thing to do is avoid contact with the water, leave the building if necessary. Call 9-1-1 if there is smoke, sparks, a fire or a medical emergency. If you suspect an electrical condition to any part of your home, call Electricraft and make an appointment with an electrician from the San Luis Obispo office.
Overloaded Circuits
Outlets, circuits, power strips, extension cords make your life easier. But they can only handle so much electricity. Overloading any of these devices can be serious.
The electricians from San Luis Obispo at Electricraft have several methods for preventing circuit overload, including the following advice:
- Be sensible about energy use
- Avoid power strips without built in circuit breakers
- Avoid adapters that allows for plugging in more appliances than the receptacle allows
- Children
Children are inquisitive. Crawling babies like to stick fingers into openings, toddlers drop stuffed toys everywhere, even near heaters. A fifth grader, intrigued with an electrical experiment in school might give it a try at home! Keep your home and kids safe by implementing a few manageable protective measures from the electricians from San Luis Obispo’s Electricraft:
- Use outlet covers
- Keep cords out of reach
- Unplug appliances whenever possible
- Install Arc Fault circuit breakers.
- Install Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) Receptacles
