Summer’s coming, and if the last few years have been any indication, we could be looking at some serious storms heading our way. Now is a good time to go over a few tips on what to do if the power goes out! Power outages can be more than inconvenient—if you don’t know how to respond, they could get dangerous!

Never use generators, pressure washers, grills, or any other gas-powered appliances indoors—even in the basement or garage. These appliances can generate carbon monoxide, which can be deadly even in small doses.

Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed until the power goes back on. If the power is out for less than four hours, all of your food should be safe. Click here to view the USDA’s guidelines for what to do if the refrigerator is out longer than four hours.

Water treatment facilities are generally some of the first places to get power back. Even so, avoid drinking tap water until you have been assured by local authorities that it is safe to do so.

Wear loose-fitting, light clothing, keep hydrated, and do what you can to stay cool in the summer. Heat stroke can happen to anyone, especially young children and the elderly, and can cause death or permanent disability if not treated properly.

Stay far away from downed power lines, even if you don’t think they are live. If you are in your car and power lines fall on your vehicle, remain in the car and call 911.

Call the power company and let them know your power is out—even if you think all your neighbors have already called. The power company uses call data to determine which neighborhoods to prioritize when working to get the power back on.

Pepco, one of the largest energy companies in the DC area, has a detailed summary of their response to power outages in the area. In summary:

First, they collect information from homeowners and business owners to determine the extent of the power outage. Using this data, they determine which areas are down so they can pinpoint the locations where they need to send crew members.

Once they have arrived on scene, they eliminate public safety hazards like downed power lines while working to restore power to public health and safety facilities.

Next, they prioritize customers when determining how to restore power: public health facilities like hospitals, police and fire departments, and water treatment plants come first, followed by areas of high population densities. Once they restore power to these “vital” areas, they work their way down secondary distributions that serve neighborhoods, commercial areas, and subdivisions. Finally, they turn their attention to individual homes and businesses that have not yet been reconnected.

You can read more about Pepco’s response to power outages here!

Knowing how to react following a power outage can lessen the inconvenience and keep you safe. For more tips or for electrical service in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, DC, call Kolb Electric!

Smoke detectors are very crucial pieces of safety equipment in your home and it is now also mandatory in NSW that residential properties have at least one smoke alarm on every storey. Not many people are aware of this, but a large percentage of fires in homes cause massive destruction because the smoke detectors didn’t function the way they should have.

The unfortunate fact is that we almost always take these fixtures for granted; we get them installed and rarely even notice they are there on the ceiling until they get set off accidently or when their batteries go dead. Improperly installed smoke detectors or even poorly-maintained ones will only end up letting you down exactly when you need them.

It’s important that you make smoke detector maintenance a part and parcel of your regular home maintenance routine. There two main types of smoke alarms used on residential properties:

These have minuscule quantities of radioactive material that reacts to the particles that are emitted when a fire breaks out, and that sets-off the alarm. These alarms are extremely effective in the detection of fast-flaming fires in which there isn’t too much of visible smoke.

These have photocells with a light beam that shines away from the cell. If smoke enters its test chamber, the smoke particles scatter some of the light; this hits the cell and triggers the alarm. These types of smoke detectors are ideal for detecting smouldering/smoky fires, which is how residential fires typically are.

Regardless of the types of alarms installed on your property, it doesn’t take more than a few minutes annually to ensure that these devices are in a working order at all times. The few steps you should take are:

Aside from the regular maintenance, it’s also very important that you consider how many smoke detectors you have and how they are powered. The best way to increase the effectiveness and safety of these devices is to upgrade your home’s smoke detection setup. The things to focus on are:

There are instances where NEC and other regulators recommend dedicated circuits for certain loads. Typical loads to put on individual branch circuits include sensitive electronic equipment such as computers. In addition, water heating systems, large appliances, and other high capacity loads that zap power require a dedicated circuit.

Run cables all the way to the main service panel and avoid connecting to other existing circuits. The same conductor size should be used throughout the branch circuit.

Electric water heaters, HVAC equipment, hot tubs and other appliances should each have a nearby disconnect that is easily visible and accessible. The power disconnect can be provided by the main or sub panel breaker, a dedicated switch, or a power cord that can be unplugged.

The branch circuits should have adequate current carrying capacity, adequate and grounding.

Typical branch currents include: