Outlets

Out­lets are lim­it­ed. Indi­vid­ual elec­tric out­lets are designed to car­ry a set amount of elec­tric­i­ty, so remem­ber:

• Plug­ging too many elec­tri­cal devices into one out­let can cause a fire by over­load­ing the out­let.
• Safe­ty devices such as fuse box­es and cir­cuit break­ers help pro­tect you by pro­vid­ing a warn­ing of over­load­ing. But they can’t always pro­tect you.
• Nev­er ignore the warn­ing by over­rid­ing the fuse box with a pen­ny.

Plug into safety

• Don’t assume that because your appli­ances oper­ate their pow­er cords are in good con­di­tion. Check for frayed wires and cracked or dam­aged insu­la­tion.
• Nev­er alter three-pronged (ground­ed) plugs to fit two-pronged out­lets or exten­sion cords. The ground (third) is there for your pro­tec­tion.
• Use cau­tion with exten­sion cords and use the prop­er exten­sion cord for the job.
• When using elec­tric­i­ty out­doors, use only cords and plugs designed for out­door use.
• Rely on Under­writ­ers Lab­o­ra­to­ries (UL) cer­ti­fied equip­ment.
• Don’t leave pow­er tools and lawn acces­sories plugged in when not in use.
• Grasp the plug, not the cord, when unplug­ging.

To get opti­mum effi­cien­cy from all your home appli­ances, always use heat resis­tant cords and keep them away from heat sources. Use exten­sion cords spar­ing­ly.