Winter Electrical Safety

The winter season can be busy and full of family and festivities. Decorating for the holidays, shopping, and hours of cooking and baking – it’s easy to get lost in the festivities and forget to keep fire safety in mind.

You can play an active part in helping to ensure your home stays safe with the change of season. Here are three to-do list items that our licensed Denver electricians at Bell Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical recommend following to help protect your home and family.

Your Holiday Fire Safety Checklist

#1: Inspect Your Outdoor Decorations

Giant snowflakes, inflatable reindeer, and flickering holiday lights – decorating your home for the upcoming holiday season can be such fun! But with it comes the potential for a variety of fire hazards.

Here’s how to decorate safely:

• Ensure outdoor cords do not sit in standing water.
• Check all cords for fraying, bare wires, or other damage before plugging them in.
• Don’t penetrate cords with staples or nails, or cinch too tightly, when putting up string lights, which could damage the protective insulation and the wiring beneath it.
• Unplug & deflate decorations before going to bed.
• Don’t overload your power strips, extension cords, or outlets – follow the manufacturer’s recommendations, and keep the load on any given circuit to within its designed limit!

#2: Safeguard Your Kitchen

Comfort food and baking are at the heart of the season. With holidays approaching, your kitchen may become busy, and you may become distracted – unattended cooking is the leading cause of kitchen fires.

Protecting the heart of your home involves just a bit of mindfulness:

• Turn off the stove burner if you must step away.
• Don’t overcrowd outlets. For example, if you’re using an air fryer and blender at the same time, avoid plugging them into the same outlet/circuit. And unplug as you go!
• If a plug sags in your kitchen outlet, it is time to replace the outlet. Sagging plugs cause poor connections, which can lead to arcing, heat buildup, and a fire.
• Keep the kitchen clean to avoid fire hazards from grease or debris buildup in outlets.
• Don’t use extension cords for crockpots, slow cookers, and pressure cookers. Though handy, they can draw a lot of electric current. Never use an extension cord, and make sure the plug is plugged in ‘snug’ to the outlet. Keep it plugged in an out-of-the-way spot to minimize the risk of it being snagged and spilling its hot contents.

#3: Rake Those Last Leaves Away!

With all the fun of changing seasons comes the chores, which may include cleaning up your yard of leaf piles, sticks, and other debris.

Fall cleanup not only keeps your yard looking beautiful, but it’s also a good time to inspect and protect the outside of your home:

• Rake leaves away from the foundation of your house, cords, lights, heating/cooling units, and outdoor outlets.
• Check your leaf blower and other electrical equipment for fraying or wire damage before using them, and avoid running over cords when in use.
• Store your equipment safely in a dry place, properly stowing the cords away to avoid wear and tear on them.
• Use weatherproof outlet covers to prevent rain, dust, and snow infiltration, and inspect them for cracks, chips, or overheating.

Bell is Here to Help this Holiday Season!

If at any point you detect an electrical hazard, or if something doesn’t seem right, play it safe! Bell’s licensed electricians can help you verify the hazard and figure out the next steps to get it fixed.

Stay safe, and enjoy the holiday season!

Call (303) 731-5469