Electrical Spring Cleaning Checklist
Bre at Cleaning’s A Breeze put out her Spring Cleaning Checklist, and it got me to thinking of the things I wished our clients did for their electrical. We tend to think of our electrical as this thing that always works and is never worked. However, electricity is just like water and cars. It’s always moving. That’s how electricity functions. And when you think of it, we use electricity more than we use both water and cars together. So, here are a few things to consider when you’re doing your spring cleaning.
Living Room/Family Room/Dining Room/Bedrooms
Pull the sofa, chairs, and tables away from the walls and check your electrical plugs, the cords plugged into the electrical outlets. If the cords are kinked, replace it with a cord that is flat or goes in the right direction.
Check for loose receptacles. If the plug is falling out or is loose, it’s time to replace the receptacle.
Check for charring. Because electricity is always moving and because power surges can wear connections loose, it’s important to keep an eye out for fires that started in your box. Electric boxes, if installed correctly, are UL listed to keep the fire contained inside the box, smothering the fire before it can go too far. However, if it’s a repeat situation, the fire can eventually spread. Remove the device (receptacle or switch), tighten the connections inside the box, make sure all the wires fit snugly inside the wire nuts, and replace the receptacle.
Check for receptacles and switches that have stopped functioning. Receptacles are working every time power runs through them, so sometimes, they wear out. Replacing the receptacle is an easy way to fix that. If the receptacle still doesn’t work, then there’s an issue somewhere between it and the panel. If you’ve swapped out the receptacle and it’s still not working, call an electrician.
Office
In addition to doing the same things as you would in the living room, look at how many power strips and extension cords you have. If you have more than one power strip, it’s time to think about getting another circuit into your office.
The issue with having too much plugged into one circuit is undervoltage. When you have too much demand and not enough power, your equipment (computers, monitors, printers, recording equipment, etc) have to work harder. They’re like you in that way. When you have too much to do and not enough resources, you tire easier and burn out. Computers do the same thing, but when they burn out, you have the chance to replace them.
Kitchen/Laundry/Garage/ Exterior
The kitchen is the most on-demand area of the house, and it could be under powered. Pull things away from the walls and locate all of your receptacles. That includes the one buried behind the appliance or shelves you never move.
Test each of your GFCI receptacles by pushing the test button. If it doesn’t reset, swap it out.
Look at the condition of your appliances. Are they living as long as they are supposed to? If you purchased a dishwasher five years ago and you’re already having to replace it, call an electrician to look at the circuit. Each major stand-alone appliance should have its own circuit. Not because they’re power hogs, and most aren’t, but because of the additional demand you put on that same circuit when you’re using the crockpot and baking at the same time. It’s the same thing as having too many power strips in your office. There’s only so much power and when you make your appliances work harder with less, they wear out faster.
Clean out the hood and dryer vents as dirty vents create a fire hazard and make motors work harder.
Bathroom
Test your GFCI receptacle and make sure it resets. If it doesn’t, replace it.
Run your bathroom fan for five minutes. If it’s changing pitch or starts to make a grinding noise, check to see if it’s full of filth. Fans—even in the bathroom—suck up a lot of lint, dust, and…well, gross stuff that combines and gums up fan blades, making the motor work harder. Be sure to clean out the hose leading to the exterior and your outside duct cover as well.
Check all of your lights. Now’s a great time to replace light bulbs and make sure they’re all the same color.
Panel
You don’t need to do much in your panel, but open it up and visually inspect it. Does it look okay?
Take a look at the labeling. Is it labeled properly, or are there a couple of circuits that need to be updated?
Are there handles that are loose?
Are there breakers that don’t reset?
Is there charring?
If there’s anything going on in your panel, call an electrician. Do not remove the deadfront and don’t further investigate.
Conclusion
Spring cleaning is a chore, but it can be good as well. Be proactive and not reactive. It just saves energy. Keep your home working as efficiently as possible by keeping a good steward eye on it.
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If you would like to have an All Phase Electric certified electrician help you with your upgrades, be sure to give us a call at 907-376-1200, or you can text us at 907-531-4328.
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