Think about Electrical Safety in the Home

By Bill Primavera

The Home Guru

As Published in The Examiner, The Putnam Examiner and The Yorktown Examiner

It was a squirrel that made me respect the power of electricity.  It seems that the poor creature somehow managed to get fried in an electrical transformer close to my house. That caused a surge that blew off my electrical panel box from the wall in my basement and everything cooked enough to fill my house with smoke.

Luckily the tenant in my accessory apartment was home and, once she stopped screaming, had the presence of mind to call the fire department and New York State Electric & Gas.  That episode was responsible for my being gifted with a new electrical panel box from NYSEG, one with circuit breakers instead of the fuses I had been using until that time.

But soon after, on a bright sunny day following a heavy summer rain, I looked out my window and saw a sight worthy of Cecile B. DeMille’s Ten Commandments.  The tops of a long row of leafy trees which hugged the electrical wires a short distance from my home were ablaze with fire.  That is the only time in my life when I realized that I too was screaming as I called 911 and the fire department. By the time help arrived,  everything had miraculously calmed down. “That just happens around wires sometimes when there is a lot of moisture in the air and branches are close to the wires,” I was told. From that day forth, I never complained when the electric company came to trim branches from near its wires.

As though those two episodes weren’t enough to have me convert from electricity to candlelight, my next up-close and personal event with electricity happened one morning when I was in the buff before my bathroom mirror and touched the metal plate of my switch near the sink and was jet-propelled across the room with a shock that I’ll never forget. “You’re lucky you’re still alive,” my trusty electrician told me after he had installed a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) that protects against electric shock.

I think we all shudder when we hear about a house that catches fire due to faulty wiring or a frayed cord, and probably most of us think about having our wiring checked, especially if we live in an older home, but somehow that’s one of the chores that frequently gets tossed to the back burner, to coin a phrase, much like checking the batteries of our smoke detectors.

We can’t all know what the condition of wiring is inside our walls and for that reason, it’s a good idea to have your wiring checked if your house is more than 40 years old, or if you’ve have renovation done. Signs of electrical wiring problems can be flickering or dimming lights.

There are simple steps we can take that doesn’t require an electrician’s license to help guard against the possibility that we might sustain one of the 68,000 fires that occur each year from home electrical problems, or worse, be among the 500 deaths or 2,500 injuries that take place from the same kind of problem. According to the Electrical Safety Foundation, these are the precautions we should take:

Outlets: Check for outlets that have loose-fitting plugs, which can overheat. Replace any missing or broken wall plates, and make sure there are safety covers on all unused outlets that are accessible to children.

Cords: Make sure cords are in good condition and that they are placed out of traffic areas. Cords should never be nailed or stapled to the wall, baseboard or to another object. They should never be placed under carpets or rugs and, certainly, furniture should never be rested on them.

Extension Cords: They should not be overloaded and should never be used on a permanent basis; they are not intended as permanent household wiring. Also, they should have safety closures to help prevent young children from shock hazards and mouth burn injuries.

Plugs: Make sure your plugs fit your outlets. Never remove the ground pin (the third prong) to make a three-prong fit a two-conductor outlet; this could lead to an electrical shock. And, avoid overloading outlets with too many appliances.

Ground Fault Circuit Interruptors (my greatest learning experience):  GFCIs can help prevent electrocution. They should be used in any area where water and electricity may come into contact. When a GFCI senses current leakage in an electrical circuit, it assumes a ground fault has occurred. It then interrupts power fast enough to help prevent serious injury from electrical shock.

Light Bulbs: Yes, a simple light bulb can cause major problems. Make sure they are screwed in securely because loose bulbs can overheat. Check the wattage of all bulbs in light fixtures to make sure they are the correct wattage for the size of the fixture. Replace bulbs that have higher wattage than recommended; if you don't know the correct wattage, check with the manufacturer of the fixture.

Space Heaters:  These are meant to supply supplemental heat only. Keep space heaters at least 3 ft. away from any combustible materials such as bedding, clothing, draperies, furniture and rugs. Never use them in rooms where children are unsupervised and remember to turn off and unplug them when not in use. Do not use extension cords for space heaters, but plug them directly into an outlet on a relatively unburdened circuit.

With December approaching, be aware that most electrical fires take place during this month, with more indoor activities, an increase in lighting, heating and appliance use.  So maybe this is the best time of year to check for any potential problems associated with the points above.

Bill Primavera is a Westchester, NY-based realtor ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) and marketing practitioner ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) who can be reached for questions or comment directly at 914-522-2076.