With the holidays right around the corner, it’s time to prepare for the extended use of your oven, furnace, thermostat, holiday lights and decorations. This time of year is the perfect time to have everything looked over carefully, checked and tweaked for optimum performance.

Here are a few ways we suggest you tune up your home’s electrical system for the upcoming holidays:

• Trees - trees and holiday lighting can get tricky. Check to be sure the new tree growth isn’t threatening the wires around your home. If the wind can blow a branch into your electrical wires, you need to schedule a tree service to have the threatening branches trimmed back to avoid downed power lines and electrical fires.
• Electrical Panel - look inside your electrical panel carefully for any signs of burns or scorching around the fuses or breakers, which could indicate a loose or sparking wire. If these are noticed, contact an electrical professional immediately.
• Outlets -  look closely at all outlets in your home (even if they are not often used) to check for tell-tale signs of loose or sparking wires indicated by the presence of burn or scorch marks and if any are discovered, immediately contact your electrician.
• GFCIs - the easiest way to make sure your GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters) are properly working is to carry a small lamp with you to each outlet, plug the lamp in, and press the “test” button on the outlet, making sure the lamp turns on and off each time you press the test button. Use this same test for each outlet to ensure they all work.
• Make a list - look around your entire house for leaks, breaks, cracks, wear, loose outlet covers, boxes, and receptacles and jot down anything you find may cause an issue to give to your electrician.
• Schedule an Inspection - using your list, contact the electrical professionals at DUT to plan a thorough and comprehensive inspection of your home’s entire electrical system. Your electrician will be able to address any issues you’ve discovered as well as provide you with information on repairing anything you may have overlooked.