Electrical Safety
Indoor Precautions
First - hire a qualified electrician to make sure your wiring is installed correctly. If your lights dim or the picture on your TV screen gets smaller when large appliances are turned on, your wiring is probably inadequate. Upgrading your wiring system won't make you use more electricity, but it will help you use energy more efficiently and safely.
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Safety features are not in place to cause you inconvenience - they are there for your protection. NEVER bypass them.
Water and electricity make a dangerous combination. Keep hair dryers, curlers, shavers and radios away from water when in use. Kitchen and bathroom plug-ins should have ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI). Also, the
garage and all outdoor plugs should have GFCIs installed. These devices detect uneven power flow and interrupt it automatically to prevent shocks.
Babies, puppies and kittens are curious - that's how they learn. So protect them by installing safety covers on outlets. Chewing is a natural activity of all kinds of babies, so be extra careful of placing extension and electric appliance cords where they can reach them.
Outdoor Precautions
Proper planning can prevent trouble. When planting trees, first consider what size the tree will be when it reaches maturity. Plant it well away from power lines. Before you dig (in Iowa) call 800.292.8989. The information provided by that call will help you avoid underground power lines.