The holiday season is here, and that means it’s time for family and friends to get together to celebrate. Whether you’re throwing a haunted house bash to celebrate your favorite spooky season or putting up inflatable snowmen and reindeer in the front yard, there are so many ways to decorate your home for the upcoming festivities. But before you have guests over this winter, it’s important to make sure that you’ve taken some safety precautions to prevent fire hazards, tripping, or just skyrocketing electric bills.
Here are a few electrical updates that can keep your family and your guests safe during the holidays:
Control Your Cords
This is a big one that many people miss, but it’s essential to consolidate and protect your cords before inviting a large number of people over to your home. If you have a lot of decorations plugged into the wall, chances are they all have cords and all those cords are run every which way over the floor. This is a huge hazard and can trip family members as well as damage home décor and the outlet itself. Avoid this problem by investing in extension cords and protection materials for any remaining cords, that will keep those cords out of sight and away from danger.
Upgrade Your Electrical Panel
Your electrical panel controls the flow of electricity throughout your home, so it’s important to have it inspected regularly to ensure it is functioning properly. Some older homes may not be properly equipped to handle the amount of extra strain holiday decorations will place on the panel, so it’s important to have a licensed electrician do an inspection before making any major changes. If you do overtax your electrical panel, you could cause an electrical fire or lose power to your home entirely. Flickering lights that dim without explanation, a crackling electric panel, or appliances that aren’t operating at full power are all sure signs you may need to upgrade your panel soon.
Invest in Serious Surge Protection
In the case of an unexpected winter storm—especially with this unpredictable Texas weather—surge protection is a must-have. You can’t just plug all your holiday lights into one outlet protector and call it a day, either, since that will only overload that outlet and cause further issues—and would not protect from major external power spikes like a lightning strike. Surge protection for your entire home is a multi-step process that is best performed by professionals like our team at Colvin Electric. Our Whole Home Surge Protector protects all of your electrically connected equipment from harmful power surges, external or internal, in less than a nano-second.
Don’t risk your holidays getting ruined by damaged wiring or sudden surges. Call Colvin Electric now, and we can before the electrical updates your home needs in order to be properly protected and ready for your friends and family to enjoy. With our experienced Service Technicians at your back, you’ll be able to keep the lights on all winter long—so don’t wait. Contact us today to get started.