Congrats on your new home! In between all of the excitement, unpacking and settling in, having a basic understanding of your homes electrical system is important. These essential electrical tips can save you time, money and potential headaches down the road. You don’t have to be a master electrician to understand and utilize this information so put down the moving box and check out the information below! Cheers to this new chapter in your life!
Tip 1. Conduct an Electrical Inspection
This is crucial. A lot of real estate transactions require this when purchasing a home so you may have already had this taken care of. However, if you have not, it is highly recommended to have a professional come and inspect the electrical wiring in your home. Why is this important? This inspection will identify any potential hazards or outdated components that need replacing.
Tip 2. Get to Know your Electrical Panel
The electrical panel is literally the heart beat of your homes electrical system. Find it and familiarize yourself with it. Here you can cut power to your home when doing any electrical upgrades or projects. The electrical panel is full of breakers that control the power in certain areas or to certain appliances in your home. Take some time to identify each breaker and what it controls to save yourself a headache in the future.
Tip 3. GCFIs
GCFIs (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters) are safety devices that protect against electric shock. They are usually installed in places where water is present. Think bathrooms, kitchen laundry room etc. If you don’t have them get them. These devices monitor electrical imbalances and shut of power to prevent shock.
Tip 4. Test and Replace Smoke Detectors
Don’t roll your eyes. This is important. It could potentially save your life so take the ten minutes and change the batteries and replace the detectors every ten years.
Tip 5. Find a local Electrician that you Trust.
Electrical issues are bound to happen over time. It is important to find a local and reliable service that can answer your questions and fix issues if they arise. If you don’t have one and you are located in central Arkansas give us a call. We can either direct you to another local electrician or take care of your issues ourself. Either way we are here to help.