National Electrical Safety Month

May 16, 2021

May is National Electrical Safety Month

Since May is National Electrical Safety Month, Peter Needham Electrical would like to take this opportunity to remind you of some important safety factors to ensure in your home.

Electrical safety may not be something you think about every day of the week, but it is important if you live in a home with electricity. Older homes built before many of the newer safety standards should be inspected by a licensed electrician to ensure proper electrical code is in place.

Additionally, if you plan to buy an older home, be sure to have the electrical system properly inspected. Ungrounded outlets, no gfci’s and many other issues may be present in an older home. These issues are safety hazards and should be addressed. Read on for more information about electrical safety in your home.

Does Your Home Have These Electrical Safety Devices?

AFCI breakers and outlets protect against arc-faults which could lead to fires
Grounded outlets protect against electric shocks
GFCI outlets and breakers are required where water and electricity may come into contact and protect against ground faults (The NEC 2020 committee added a handful of new GFCI requirements for residential and commercial installations to provide better protection from electrical shock.

In dwellings, the code now extends the GFCI requirement to 125-volt and 250-volt receptacles in finished and unfinished basements, within six feet of a sink, and laundry areas. For example, with this new criteria, electric dryers and kitchen ranges within six feet of a sink will require GFCI. It’s worth noting that many dryers and ranges come with connected neutral and ground wires that must be separated for GFCI protection.)