Colonial Electric Unveils Home Electrical Safety And Security Tips

Electricity is safe, when it's managed and handled properly. The pros at Colonial Electric have a few tips to make a home or business even safer.

Listen to a breaker.
A circuit breaker is designed to "break," or open and stop the flow of electricity before there is a problem. A breaker which trips almost immediately after being reset is doing that for a reason.

"It may be the breaker has gone bad. They'd o wear out. But more likely, the breaker is tripping because the load is too much," said Steven Gordon, a spokesman for Blulo which handles Colonial's public relations. "Something on the line is drawing too much power. Look around and see how many devices are plugged into that line."

Flickering lights need attention.
The Annapolis electricians say the usual cause of flickering lights is loose wiring. This is an added hazard because the wires could spark and that spark could create a fire.

A warm outlet is overloaded.
If the outlet is warm to the touch, there's a problem, Mr. Gordon said. The power to that outlet should be immediate turned off, the Maryland electricians said.

"This is not something to play with," he said. "Turn the power off at the break box. If you don't know which breaker it is, turn them all off until you isolate that line."

Wobbly outlets and switches.
If the switch or the outlet feels loose, it needs to be tightened or replaced. Loose fixtures can lead to loose connection said the Baltimore electricians. Loose wires can lead to sparks and then to fire.

Get professional help.
"If these maintenance items are too much, then call for help. In the case of a warm outlet especially, all for immediate help," Mr. Gordon said. "Colonial offers 24-hour emergency service. It's far better to be safe than sorry.

For more information, visit http://www.colonialelec.com/.