By: Emilie Sims

Electrical outlets are found in nearly every room of the home, which represents a constant risk if you have small children. According to the National Fire Protection Agency, approximately 2,400 children each year suffer severe shocks and burns from inserting objects into the slots of electrical outlets. Additionally, there are an estimated six to 12 child fatalities each year related to this. Prevent this from happening to your family by childproofing the electrical outlets in each room of your home.

Also known as safe plates, these are additional covers that sit on top of your existing outlet and are held in place by a screw. There is a spring-loaded plastic cover that prevents your child from poking anything inside of the outlet.

Installing tamper resistant receptacles (TRRs) around the home provides a permanent solution to help reduce the risk of childhood shock and injury. TRRs, which look like ordinary outlets, are designed with small, spring-loaded receptacle plates that close off the slots, but open when equal pressure is applied to both sides. This design prevents children from inserting fingers or other foreign objects into the slots, and reduces risk of electrical shock or injury.

There are also several types of childproof electrical outlets that you can choose to install that will provide a permanent way to reduce risk of child injury.

This tamper-resistant outlet contains both a switch and an outlet to plug in devices. The dual mechanical shutter system blocks the insertion of objects into the outlet, increasing your child’s safety.

A ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlet can be identified by the “test” and “reset” buttons located on the receptacle. A GFCI outlet helps protect you from electrical hazards by shutting off the electricity circuit when it detects an imbalance. The National Electrical Code requires these outlets to be installed in water susceptible areas, such as the kitchen and bathroom. Test these outlets once a month to ensure they are working properly.

These receptacles look similar to standard ones, but the two outlets have the ability to spin 360 degrees. These outlets also allow you to use two large plugs at once.

Visit the Electrical Safety Foundation International and the National Fire Protection Association for more information on keeping your family safe around electrical outlets.

The frequency of accidents caused by the incorrect usage of electricity has increased as our dependency on electronic devices has increased over the last several years. Every year, accidental electrical fires cause millions of dollars in property damages. Because of this, you should always practice as much electrical safety as possible whenever you use your electrical appliances and devices. To make sure that your home is as safe as it can be from electrical accidents, you should also consider talking to an electrician in Glendale about performing an electrical safety assessment, updating service panels and ensuring that your home is properly grounded.

Can you use any size fuse or circuit breaker in your electrical panel?

Many older homes still utilize an outdated fuse box inside the service panel, instead of a safer and more modern breaker panel. If you still have a fuse box, then it is very likely that your electrical system is not prepared to take the amount of electricity that you use every day. This results in fuses blowing very frequently for many homeowners. Rather than replacing blown fuses with the appropriately sized replacements, some homeowners choose to oversize the fuse in order to reduce the frequency of blown fuses. This can be very dangerous, though not nearly as dangerous as replacing the fuse with something that cannot blow, such as a coin. Doing either of these should be avoided. Fuses are protective devices that are designed to stop electricity from flowing into a circuit whenever it reaches a level that is dangerous. Whenever you oversize or bypass a fuse, your circuit can overload. This can lead to overheating, fire and electrical shock.

One of the best ways to deal with an older fuse box is to have your electrical service upgraded by one of the technicians at The Electric Connection. We can send someone out to upgrade your service, and install the appropriately sized circuit breakers in your new electrical service panel. If you are experiencing any issues with your electrical panel, please don’t hesitate to give us a call today.

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