The wiring inside America’s first electrified house was wrapped in thin layers of cotton and tacked to the walls with wood cleats. The distribution lines leading to the house, bare copper wire with light cotton insulation, had even less protection.
But after illuminating his home with lightbulbs for two months, the proud homeowner, Henry James Rogers of Appleton, Wis., wrote a letter to the Western Edison Light Company, saying he couldn’t have been happier.
“I am pleased with them beyond expression and do not see how they can be improved upon,” he said. “No heat, no smoke, no vitiated air, and the light steady and pleasant in every way and more economical than gas and quite as reliable.”
Fortunately, everything about home electricity was improved beyond anything Rogers could have imagined — but the dangers it poses to people and property remain.
According to the Electrical Safety Foundation International, an estimated 51,000 home fires, nearly 500 deaths, more than 1,400 injuries, and $1.3 billion in property damage have been caused by home electrical fires.
An electrical fire can break out anywhere between the point electricity enters your home and the appliance it energizes. But there are simple steps you can take to protect your home, your family and your property from electrical fires.
“Home electrical safety is a tough one,” said Clark Public Utilities Safety & Environment Manager Gene Morris. “The biggest risks are when people try to do their own wiring jobs without any expertise. Another big risk happens when people overload circuits.”
When it’s time for a remodel or a new light fixture, don’t mess with the wiring if you don’t know what you’re doing. It’s easy enough to hang a big painting over a messy wall texture job; a rug will hide scratches in a botched flooring job. But there’s no masking a potentially dangerous electrical job.
To that point, be sure to use a stud finder when hanging anything from your walls. By hanging things off wall studs, you’re avoiding the wiring in your walls. If a wire is cut or contacted, but not severed by a screw or nail, electric current can move away from its intended path and cause a dangerous amount of heat.
Remain vigilant
Stay vigilant for loose outlet connections, loose wiring or any buzzing noises near your lights, switches or outlets. If you detect any, call an electrician immediately.
Most home circuits have a 15-amp breaker, which is surprisingly easy to overload. While extension cords and power strips with multiple outlets are convenient, they can cause wiring to produce a potentially dangerous amount of heat in the walls.
If you have to use a power strip, be sure it’s one with a built-in circuit breaker and surge protector.
Never plug microwaves, toasters or coffee makers into the same outlet with other devices. Never use an extension cord with a major appliance, such as a fridge, stove, air conditioner or dryer.
If your home has a breaker that pops easily, don’t just replace it and move on. That bad breaker could be a symptom of much bigger problems somewhere along the line.
Avoid running electrical cords under carpets, rugs or anything that could pinch and damage them.
When installing light bulbs, make sure the light fixture or lamp can handle the bulb’s wattage levels. Be especially careful with fixtures that require multiple bulbs — LEDs have very low energy requirements and are a good choice in multibulb fixtures.
If you have an older home, or you’re doing a remodel, it’s important to know the condition of its wiring. That doesn’t mean hammer into the walls for a visual inspection; call in an expert to look things over.
Homes built between 1965 and 1973 were often built with aluminum wiring. Because aluminum wiring oxidizes faster than copper, wall sockets, switches and cable connections of that era are frequently problematic. Anything related to electricity that seems out of the ordinary — discolored outlet covers, burning or “hot” smells, or heat — should not be ignored. As the old saying goes: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Energy Adviser is written by Clark Public Utilities. Send questions to ecod@clarkpud.com or to Energy Adviser, c/o Clark Public Utilities, P.O. Box 8900, Vancouver, WA 98668.
