Spring Cleaning Electrical Checklist
Photo: Martinak15, Flickr Creative Commons
This time of year is a great for a little spring cleaning: sorting through paper work, dusting the moldings, maybe even cleaning out the drawers in the kitchen. In addition to the usual ways you spruce up your home for spring, consider adding these tasks! Here’s a spring cleaning electrical checklist, courtesy of the expert Bucks County electricians at Wes Carver Electric.
1. Protect against thunderstorms with surge protectors.
As the temperatures rise, you can be sure a thunderstorm or two will come our way! While it can be fun to watch lightning streak across the sky, those strikes can cause spikes in your electrical system’s voltage — which can fry your electronics! To protect your most valuable appliances, ensure that your home is outfitted with high-quality surge protectors.
2. Make sure electrical outlets are covered.
Outdoor electrical outlets should be covered at all times to protect against those frequent spring rains. (April showers lead to May flowers, right?) Take a walk around the outside of your home to ensure that wintry weather hasn’t damaged your covers. If anything is awry, replace it! Most home improvement stores carry outlet covers for a few bucks each.
3. Dig with care.
Warm evenings mean you can lounge on your deck after the sun goes down, so it only makes sense that you want to furnish your yard with some ambient landscape lighting. But if better outdoor lighting is on your electrical checklist this spring, be sure to enlist a professional. Installing landscape lighting can require breaking ground, but amateurs can accidentally strike utility lines — leading to hefty fines.
4. Tend to extension cords.
The Electrical Safety Foundation International reports that extension cords are responsible for hundreds of injuries every year. This is because extension cords aren’t meant to be permanent solutions, since they can become frayed and overheated when used indefinitely. If extension cords are part of your home’s daily electrical usage, be sure to replace them or better yet — have a Montgomery County electrician install more electrical outlets in your home.
5. Change the direction of your ceiling fans.
Most people aren’t aware that ceiling fans spin in both directions! In warmer weather, adjust your ceiling fan so that it pushes air down. (This ensures that the cool air coming out of your air conditioner stays where you can feel it, which eases the burden on the air conditioner.) Make this adjustment by stepping carefully onto a stool and locating the direction switch on the fan, then switching it so that the fan turns counter-clockwise.
Need help with any of these springtime electrical tasks? Contact the Montgomery and Bucks County electricians at Wes Carver Electric today!