Home » Blog » Miami Electrician Explains the Need for a Home Electrical Safety Checkup

You flip on a switch, the light comes on; you then walk to the fridge to pull out a nice cold drink. Everything is working just fine, so you never give a second thought to the wiring and circuitry which makes our energy rich homes work efficiently. What homeowners don’t always realize, however, is that electrical systems can become worn out and ineffective. Just as you take a car in for a tune up and set an appointment with the doctor for an annual physical, your home can benefit from a safety inspection performed by a licensed electrician in Miami FL.

Danger of Electrical Fires

According to the United States Fire Administration (USFA), over half of all house fires are caused by electrical problems. This results in over a billion dollars in property damage annually, as well as numerous injuries and hundreds of deaths. A Miami electrician, such as Elcon Electric Incorporated can keep your home from becoming a statistic.

The USFA lists the following major causes of home electrical fires.

Faulty electrical outlets
Old, outdated wiring
Worn out switches and receptacles
Faulty lamps and appliances
Placing wiring under rugs or other flooring which results in unnoticed wear and tear
Overloaded circuits

Electrical Safety Precautions

There are several precautions you can take as a consumer to help prevent fires including the following:

Only purchase appliances which have certified by a testing laboratory such as underwriters laboratory (UL).
Check your cords frequently and replace them when they are frayed.
Dispose of worn-out appliances that have shorts, give off smoke or exhibit any other signs of electrical wear and tear.
Don’t supplement a lack of outlets with extension cords.
Replace any broken outlet covers

Other safety issues are not as easy for a consumer to spot but can be identified by an electrician. Miami FL frequently updates various building codes, including those for electricity to incorporate the latest safety developments, and a professional can share this information with you. In addition, they will check the following.

Are there sufficient circuit breakers for the number of appliances you currently use in the house? This can be a significant concern in homes built in the 1980s and earlier. If you find your breakers frequently switch off when too many appliances are running at the same time then you probably need a Miami FL electrician to upgrade your circuit breakers.
Are there sufficient outlets in each room? Are they three-prong outlets?
Are your three-prong outlets wired properly, or were they simply “converted” by a past home owner who simply changed outlets? Converted outlets pose a serious safety hazard.
What is the overall condition of your wiring?
Do all of your outlets work?
Do you have ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlets in your kitchen, bathrooms, near the hot tub or in other areas close to water? This is a simple, inexpensive electrical safety upgrade a Miami electrician, such as Elcon Electric Incorporated can install.

Other Electrical Upgrades

While you are assessing the electrical safety of your home, you can also ask your Miami electrician to show you how to improve other areas of your home, such as adding security lights to the exterior and increasing the effectiveness of the interior lighting. For years homes were built with no overhead lighting in many of the living areas, a situation which can make reading at night a challenge. Affordable lighting systems can improve your light while adding elegance and style to the room.

Every year thousands of homes catch fire due to electrical problems – don’t become one of those statistics. Call Elcon Electric, your Miami electrician, to arrange a electrical home safety check up today.