Imagine a life without electricity. Indeed today, we are enjoying the benefits of having electricity in our households. Certainly we can do almost everything especially in our daily chores with ease and accuracy using our appliances and tools which are solely powered by electricity.
While we enjoy though the exciting and greater life brought to us with the help of our electrical system, we may not take safety for granted. Your home electrical system is very important so as its safety and yours.
Whether you hired electricians or you do the electrical connections yourself, it pays to secure everything that involved electricity not to compromise your family’s safety. If you are not sure of your electrical ability, be sure you hire the expert.
And when installing or changing your current electrical system, be sure not to miss these reminders:
- Use line tester.
Those who do the electrical work need an indicator light with two leads to test if there is power on a particular line.
* Keeping your fingers on the insulated portions of the tester, press the metal electrodes into a receptacle or touch them to the terminals you’re testing.
- Make sure of the main service entrance
Either in overhead or underground wires, the power from the utility comes in through your main service entrance. Make sure this is clear and no disruptions. From there, power foes to your home’s service panel where it is eventually broken down into series of circuits. Make sure also that you have circuit breakers or fuse at the panel control before the lines that take power throughout your home. In times of fire, just turn the circuit off to handle the current.
- Always Turn off the circuit when working with the connections
Whenever you work on your electrical connections, never cur corners where safety is concerned especially when you have not yet turned off the fuse. Remember to always turn off power or shutting off the circuit breaker at the main panel. But don’t stop until you confirmed that the power is off by testing the switches or the circuit with a neon circuit tester.
- Telephone outlets, television jacks, and thermostat and doorbell wires are easiest to install while wiring new electrical circuits. Install the cables when the framing is exposed, making final connections after the walls are finished.
- Use Wires that are large enough for the amperage rating of the circuit
Solid copper wires are best conductors of electricity. In mounting though, be sure to use the wires that are large enough to handle the amperage rating of the circuit. The one which is too small could become dangerously hot.
- Replace old switches
When you replace the switch, be sure you got the new device that matches the circuit where the power goes. Look for voltage and amperage. Switches with cracks need to be replaced to avoid danger.
- Make sure of your extension cords
Extension cords are essential especially when the appliance is too far from the source of electricity. However, make sure that the cord could carry enough current to handle the needs of the appliance. If the wires are too thing, it could overheat or eventually damage the cord and the worst your appliance.
One important tip:
In making changes to your electrical system, be sure to shut off the circuit breaker. It pays to know where this thing is located.
Source: http://www.dhandbelectric.com