Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 38 views

    Common Electrical Hazards - Udini

    Uploaded by

    sapik87
    The document discusses six common electrical hazards found in homes and provides tips on how to fix each one. The hazards include loose or cracked receptacles, overloaded light socket receptacles, overloaded receptacle taps, broken light fixtures, adapter plugs bypassing grounding, and shallow underground wiring. The fixes range from replacing parts to adding GFCI protection to ensure safety.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Common Electrical Hazards - Udini

    Uploaded by

    sapik87
    38 views2 pages
    The document discusses six common electrical hazards found in homes and provides tips on how to fix each one. The hazards include loose or cracked receptacles, overloaded light socket receptacles, overloaded receptacle taps, broken light fixtures, adapter plugs bypassing grounding, and shallow underground wiring. The fixes range from replacing parts to adding GFCI protection to ensure safety.

    Original Description:

    electric?

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    The document discusses six common electrical hazards found in homes and provides tips on how to fix each one. The hazards include loose or cracked receptacles, overloaded light socket receptacles, overloaded receptacle taps, broken light fixtures, adapter plugs bypassing grounding, and shallow underground wiring. The fixes range from replacing parts to adding GFCI protection to ensure safety.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    38 views2 pages

    Common Electrical Hazards - Udini

    Uploaded by

    sapik87
    The document discusses six common electrical hazards found in homes and provides tips on how to fix each one. The hazards include loose or cracked receptacles, overloaded light socket receptacles, overloaded receptacle taps, broken light fixtures, adapter plugs bypassing grounding, and shallow underground wiring. The fixes range from replacing parts to adding GFCI protection to ensure safety.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 2

    

    &RPPRQHOHFWULFDOKD]DUGV8GLQL

    Common electrical hazards


    author

    Johnson, Duane

    publication

    The Family Handyman

    issn
    volume
    start page

    0014-7230
    45
    70

    published
    issue
    added

    October 1, 1995
    9
    12:10 PM

    My house has them, and I'll bet your house has a few of them tooa broken light switch you
    never get around to replacing, a "temporary" extension cord that has become permanent, or
    a loose receptacle with a cracked cover plate. Nothing big or dramatic; just a number of little
    hazards that, as accident statistics show, can cause big trouble, perhaps a fire or a lethal
    electrical shock.
    In this article we'll point out six of the most common electrical hazards and tell you how to fix
    them. We won't go into stepbystep detail on the fixes, but most of them are easy and
    inexpensive, and if you're a novice, look up the articles we refer to for help with the details.
    Whether novice or expert, follow these precautions:
    1. Turn off the power at your main panel before you begin.
    2. Test the wires with a voltage tester ($3) to make sun the power is off before handling them
    (Photo 2)even professionals can be surprised!
    3. Have your work checked by the electrical inspector to make sure you did it correctly. (You
    may need a permit for certain types of work.)
    Use screwin receptacles with caution.
    You can easily overpower a receptacle that screws into a light socket. That's because light
    sockets typically have a maximum power rating of about 700 watts, or about 6 amps, well
    below the 15 amps available through most regular receptacles. So if you plug a 10amp
    electric heater into the light socket receptacle, you'll cause it to overheat, melt the wire
    insulation, and perhaps cause a fire. Warning: The circuit breaker won't shut off to protect the
    light socket, because the electrical current still falls within the circuit's safety limits!
    It's safer to provide regular receptacles for all plugin devices, and use extension cords for
    temporary needs.
    AVOID OVERLOADING RECEPTACLES WITH TAPS.
    Taps, sometimes called octopus plugs, allow you to plug more than one cord into a single
    receptacle. You can buy several types, but all are designed for temporary use.
    Taps can cause trouble in two ways:
    * They make it easier to overload the circuit and cause a circuit breaker to shut off or a fuse to
    burn out at your main electrical panel. If an overload occurs, move some of your pluggedin
    appliances to other circuits.
    * They often wear out and result in poor connections. Poor connections cause the receptacle
    to heat up, eventually ruining the electrical contacts and causing the electrical wires to harden
    and become brittle. This is a fire hazard!
    The best solution: Provide enough wallmounted receptacles for your plugin appliances. For
    instance, install a larger electrical box in the wall and convert a duplex receptacle to
    double duplex (Photo 1). (See March '95, p. 72, or March '93, p. 66, for details.) A pro would
    charge about $65 for this service.
    REPLACE BROKEN LIGHT FIXTURES.

    XGLQLSURTXHVWFRPUHDGGRFIDEDD

    

    

    &RPPRQHOHFWULFDOKD]DUGV8GLQL

    DO IT THIS WAY
    I don't know how many times I've twisted a light bulb in the attic on and off because the switch
    on the fixture was broken. And burned my fingers in the process. I should have replaced the
    $2 fixture long ago.
    Installation notes: First, observe box size rules referred to at the bottom of the page. Second,
    if the new fixture requires high temperature wire, confirm with a professional electrician or
    your electrical inspector that your existing wiring meets the requirement. If it doesn't, you must
    replace the wiring.
    AVOID USING ADAPTER PLUGS
    Adapter plugs allow you to plug a threeprong plug into an oldfashioned twoprong
    receptacle, but in doing so you bypass a safety feature. That third prong represents the
    ground wire in the cord, which helps to protect you from lethal shocks. And the screw on the
    cover plate is rarely a substitute ground.
    It's usually difficult to add a ground wire to an existing receptacle, but there's a simple, safe
    alternative: Replace the twoprong receptacle with
    GFCI receptacle ($10). The GFCI provides shock protection even without the ground wire.
    (Note: Some computers may not boot without a ground wire.)
    Installation note: The 1990 National Electrical Code increased the requirements for the size
    of the electrical box in the wall. When upgrading, make sure the electrical box size meets
    these requirements. (See March '93, p. 66, for details.)
    SET RECEPTACLES AND SWITCHES FLUSH WITH THE WALL
    Every home has probably had a receptacle that's set too deep in the wall, so that the cover
    plate finally cracks when plugging in the vacuum cleaner. However, it's easy to space them
    out properly with small steel washers (Photo 5). But follow these rules: If the wall material is
    nonflammable (drywall, plaster, concrete), the edge of the electrical box itself must be no
    more than 1/4 in. behind the surface of the wall. In flammable material (wood, hardboard, etc.)
    the box must be flush with the wall surface.
    If the electrical box doesn't meet these requirements, either readjust the box or add an
    extension ring (Photo 6). (Photos omitted)
    HAND DIG WHERE UNDERGROUND WIRE MIGHT BE PRESENT
    Utility companies remind you to call them before you dig in your yard, especially when using
    power augers or other power equipment. They don't want you to accidentally hit any electrical,
    gas or water service lines. However, they aren't responsible for underground electrical lines
    that serve detached garages or other parts of your yard. These lines used to be at least 12 in.
    below ground (18 in. is now required by the National Electrical Code), but don't assume
    they're always that deep. Landscaping changes could have made them shallower.
    To find these lines, locate the spot where they leave the house and where they arrive at the
    remote location. The cable usually runs in a straight line between the two points. (Trenching is
    hard work, so electricians usually take the shortest route!) If you're lucky, you'll find a shallow
    depression where the ground has settled after the trench was refilled.
    In any case, if you suspect an electrical line nearby, turn off power at the main panel and dig
    carefully with
    shovel (no power equipment). If you cut through the insulation on a cable, hire a licensed
    electrician to fix it before turning the power on.

    XGLQLSURTXHVWFRPUHDGGRFIDEDD

    

    You might also like