Electrical safety in your home should start from the ground up. From an entertainment and family center to a utility area that serves as a hub for your home’s major appliances, your basement offers many uses and has some special electrical safety concerns to keep in mind.
Here is a basement safety checklist to get you started:
- Vent all fuel-burning equipment, such as furnaces, stoves, and fireplaces, to the outside to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Install smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.
- Set temperature on the water heater to 120 degrees or less.
- Clean and have the furnace inspected annually by a licensed professional.
- Label circuit breaker box with the date of the last electrical inspection. This should be done once a year. If the date has passed or is approaching, contact a licensed, qualified electrician to schedule an inspection.
- Label circuit breakers or fuses with the amperage and corresponding rooms, circuits, or outlets.
- Inspect standard circuit breakers and talk with your licensed electrician about replacing them with arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs).
- Always keep the breaker panel door closed and secured. Do not place anything in front of the door. Never open and touch the panel while standing in water or on a wet or damp floor. If the basement is flooded, turn off power to the house before entering the basement.
- When resetting a circuit or replacing a fuse, use one hand and turn your head away as a simple safety precaution.
For more safety tips follow our safety blog at nremc.com/blog.
