The dark days and long nights of winter provide a great opportunity to reassess the safety of your home’s electrical power grid, lest your plans for seasonal lighting become worthy of a parody by National Lampoon, if not worse. To guard against such a dangerous event, we’ve gathered up the handy tips and product recommendations below to help you upgrade your infrastructure with safety and effectiveness in mind.
Safety Basics
Did you know that although power cords and surge protectors don’t have established expiration dates, they do have a limited lifespan? In general, it’s recommended to replace active units within 3 to 5 years, since the longer they remain in use, the less effective they become.
In addition to lifespan, all power cords are subject to a voltage drop that is directly related to distance. A longer cord will cause a larger drop than a shorter one, so for maximum safety and efficiency, always select the shortest length cord possible to fit your needs.
Then there’s the choice between a 3-prong (grounded) electrical plug and a 2-prong option, which does not provide grounding to prevent electrical shock. While it is possible to fit a grounded plug with a 3-to-2-prong adapter for use in a 2-prong outlet, when using this option keep in mind that the adapter’s small metal tab must be grounded under the outlet’s faceplate screw or else it provides no protection. Under no circumstances should the rounded grounding prong be removed to enable a plug to fit a 2-prong electrical outlet.
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