Electrical Safety: Smoke Detectors, Surge Protection, and Carbon Monoxide

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 Smoke Detectors Save Lives!
Smoke detectors (smoke alarms), when properly installed and maintained provide early warning when fires break out.  The most fatal fires occur at night when people are asleep.  Often, victims never wake up.  A working smoke alarm will sound an alarm to alert you, giving you precious time to escape.  Early warning increases your chances for you and your loved ones to get out of a fire safely.  Contact Mick's Electric Inc in Rapid City for an appointment 605-348-2335.

Smoke Detector Safety Tips

• Install smoke detectors on every level of your home, corridors and also sleeping areas.
• Do not install smoke detectors in bathrooms, near heating appliances, or in kitchens near ovens or stoves.
• Install smoke detectors on the ceiling or high up on a wall.
• Test your smoke detectors once a month, keep them in good working order.
• Replace your smoke detector battery at least once a year.
• Smoke detectors do not last forever, replace them with new ones every ten years.
• Create a fire escape plan, regularly practice exit drills.

According to NADI (North American Detectors Inc.) every year, 1,700 people die from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning in North America and over 10,000 more are treated or hospitalized.  However, there are many preventable steps you can take to ensure your family is protected against CO poisoning.

10 tips to carbon monoxide safety:

1. Replace CO detectors installed before October 1998.
2. The best defense against CO poisoning is installing CO detectors on every level of your home, especially near sleeping areas.
3. Press the TEST button on your CO detector monthly to ensure the alarm sounds.  Remember, the TEST button is not testing the ability of the device to detect CO, but rather the ability of the detector to sound the alarm.
4. Have fuel-burning household heating equipment (furnaces, water heaters, portable heaters, fireplaces, etc) checked every year before the cold weather sets in.
5. Check all chimneys and chimney connectors for proper installation, cracks, blockages, or leaks.  Ensure repairs are complete before using the chimney.
6. When using a fireplace, ensure the flue is open for sufficient ventilation.
7. Never use a barbecue inside the home or garage.
8. During colder weather, never warm up a vehicle inside the garage, even if the garage door is open.
9. If a CO alarm does go off inside your home, immediately open windows and doors to air out the house, leave and call the fire department.
10. Because CO has no color, smell or taste - never ignore and alarm - even if your family members don't feel any symptoms: headache, nausea, dizziness, or fatigue.

 What causes power surges?  Lightning, problems with the utility company’s equipment, large appliances cycling power on and off, faulty wiring, and downed power lines are just a few things that cause power surges.

What is at risk?  All items that have a microprocessor are at risk during a power surge.  This includes items like:  televisions, computers, tablets, refrigerators, washers, dryers, ovens, alarm systems, heating and cooling systems, microwaves, telephones and cell phones.  It is amazing how many items in your house actually need to be protected from an electrical surge.  If an electrical surge were to occur today, how much money would you stand to lose?

Wouldn’t it make sense to have ONE surge protector that would protect your entire house?  Mick's Electric Inc. offers options for Whole House Surge Protection in Rapid City.  

It’s a wise decision to be ready before the next electrical surge hits your home.  Get a whole-house surge protection systems in Rapid City SD, that will protect not only your power lines, but your cable and telephone lines.  If you protect yourself from a power surge at the source you will experience benefits like:

Saving Time and Money – After an electrical surge all your neighbors will be spending time calling electricians to come out and replace the microprocessors in all their electronic devices.  Your neighbors will have to shell out countless dollars to replace electronic devices that no longer function.  But, if you have a whole home surge protector you will be able to sit back, relax and be secure in the fact that once the power returns, all your expensive electronics will return to normal.
Insurance for Your Electronics – Whole home surge protectors provide inexpensive insurance compared to the cost of replacing all your electronics.
Peace of Mind – You can relax the next time a lightning storm occurs or the next power surge takes place in your area.  You can rest assured that your electrical devices are protected.
It only takes seconds to destroy countless expensive electronic devices, so don’t wait until it is too late!
Call Mick's Electric Inc. in Rapid City today to get your whole house surge protection!  

605-348-2335