Prevention of electrical hazards is key to reduce your Property’s risk of power outages or worse yet electrical fires. Electrical fires are the cause of over 40,000 residential fires each year, incurring over 1.5 billion dollars in damages. Here are our recommendations to ensure your property remains stress and risk free of all electrical hazards:

1. Inspection or clear expectations for tenants’ use of electrical extension cords

If you have residents regularly using extension cords, you may need additional outlets installed in some units. Always meant to be a short term solution, these cords end up being frayed, or connecting too many electronics or items to one receptacle, risking overload.

2. Install Tamper resistant outlets

Especially if small children are around, tamper resistant outlets are an easy way to ensure no one gets shocked or no inappropriate objects are getting put into outlets. They work by only permitting a two pronged plug to be inserted into the outlet, not an object going into one side of the outlet.

3. GFCI Outlets are Working Properly

Unit inspections will ensure all of your GFCI outlets are working and reduce the risk of electrical shock to your tenants. National Code requires them in all kitchens, bathrooms, garages, and outdoor areas because the risk of electric shock is real if water is nearby. These outlets “trip” if detecting a current where water maybe present. They are believed to have cut electrocutions in half since inception of their use.

4. Inspection of Panel and AFCI receptacles

Both work to ensure safe conditions if an arc fault is detected. An arc fault is when damaged wiring or a device creates a hot or unsafe situation. Both AFCI’s and AFCI breakers will cut off electricity if unsafe conditions are present. Many times we are called out for emergency appointments due to partial power situations-this occurs due to your electrical detecting something not safe. You can be proactive by getting your electrical inspected regularly for these type of concerns.

5. Combination Smoke Detectors and CO2 Detectors

Now with 10 year batteries, these combination detectors are a huge convenience and improvement to ensuring safe conditions for your tenants. And, it is the law to have these installed in Maryland Properties. They must be installed outside every bedroom, and on every level of the home. They should be interconnected so that if there is smoke in one room of the home, everyone in bedrooms would be able to hear the alarm.

If electrical inspections have been on your “to do” list, know that Walter Electric is ready to help keep your property in the safest condition. And while we are here for you for your electrical emergencies, preventing these emergencies from happening in the first is really why we are here to serve you.