Power Strip Safety Tips to Prevent Fire Damage in Southeastern WI

Fire damage, along with the water damage that occurs as a result of a home fire, can be prevented. We need to regularly go through our homes and make sure that we are protecting ourselves against electrical fires.

If I asked you how many power strips or surge protectors you are currently using in your home, could you tell me? Chances are most of us couldn’t give the exact number, but I bet I would be hard pressed to find someone who says “I don’t use them.”

These days with all the electronics that we have, power strips are a must for most of us. This is never truer than if you live in an older home that was built before the advent of computers and all the gadgets that we just can’t live without that require a power source.

I know in our home, we have several power strips…..we have 2 home offices and each office has at least one, if not two strips. There is one in the master bedroom; two in the guest bedroom, etc…..don’t even get me started on the den, the basement, and the storage room.

We buy the power strips, plug them in, use them; and think nothing about them until:

The photo above is of a power strip that was in one of our home offices. There was a popping sound, but the sound couldn’t be placed, so work continued. Next came the smell of something burning, and a frantic search was done to locate the source of the smell. The above power strip was the culprit. Needless to say, power to the strip was shut off, and the power strip was thrown away.

The scary part though is what would have happened if that “pop” sounded, and the power was never turned off to it? Especially if no one was home to take care of it. Better yet, what would have happened if this incident occurred during the night and everyone was in a sound sleep? Chances are good I would be standing outside, waiting for the flames to be extinguished by the fire department, thinking “I NEVER THOUGHT THIS WOULD HAPPEN TO ME!”

We are now replacing all of the power strips with better quality ones, as well as determining if we can use fewer of them. We are also making plans to have an electrician come out and install more outlets for us.

What about you, though? How many power strips are you using? Have you checked them recently?

Below is a list of safety tips for using power strips. Again most of know this information, but every now and then, it is good to have a bit of a refresher. If you are like me, the last thing you want to be doing is standing outside, waiting for the flames to be extinguished, wondering how this happened to you.

• Make sure the power strip has an internal circuit breaker that will trip the breaker when overloaded to prevent overheating. (Ours did not!)
• Power strips vary in their capacity but should only be used for items that require light loads such as computers, printers and clocks, for example. They are not made to handle refrigerators, coffee makers, portable heaters or fans, (another item I am guilty of).
• Be sure you are not overloading the circuit. Know the capacity of the circuit and the power requirements of all the electrical items plugged into the power str
• Do not connect one power strip to another power strip. Also known as “daisy chaining.”
• Make sure the power strip has been tested by an independent testing agency such as Underwriters Laboratory (UL) or the Electrical Testing Laboratories (ETL).
• Check to be certain the markings are readily visible on the back of the strip indicating the name of the manufacturer and testing lab used
• Visually inspect all power strips regularly to ensure they are not damaged, pinched, crushed or abused in any way.
• Use strips with three –prong grounded plug or one with a polarized plug.
• Do not use standard power strips in moist environments, such as a bathroom, a kitchen countertop, or a garage that is not climate controlled. Water and power strips don’t mix, and if they do, a fire may result. If you must use a fire strip in an area that is prone to moisture, buy one that is specially designed to be safe in such conditions. If you require a power strip in your garage, have a professional electrician hard wire a moisture-resistant one and mount it to a wall.
• Power strips should be used only temporarily. If you are using them regularly, it is time to call out an electrician and have more outlets installed.
• Never put power strips where air circulation is limited, which may lead to overheating, such as beneath carpeting, or behind furniture.

Put the above safety tips to good use and chances are you will never hear the “pop” or smell the smoke, as we did in our home.

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