{"id":3020,"date":"2019-03-12T11:01:16","date_gmt":"2019-03-12T16:01:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/?p=1382"},"modified":"2019-03-12T11:01:16","modified_gmt":"2019-03-12T16:01:16","slug":"power-strip-safety-tips-for-your-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/2019\/03\/12\/power-strip-safety-tips-for-your-family\/","title":{"rendered":"Power strip safety tips for your family"},"content":{"rendered":"

Power strips and surge protectors are a necessity in many homes today. With smartphones, tablets, streaming media devices, and gaming consoles, we have a lot of toys to plug in. Don\u2019t forget about TVs, lamps, and other household items. All these items plugged into a power strip can put stress on it.
\nMost people probably don\u2019t give much thought to how many devices are plugged in at any given time. Did you know that approximately 4,600 home fires start as a result of extension cord and power strip overuse each year? These fires account for 70 deaths and 230 injuries.
\nBefore I share some safety tips, I\u2019d like to explain the difference between each. While this may seem like common sense, it\u2019s important to understand they\u2019re slightly different.
\nHave you ever gone to the store wanting to buy a surge protector and when you got home your realized you bought a simple power strip? This happened to me with the mass confusion while trying to set up my daughter\u2019s dorm room.
\nA power strip and surge protector power strip look pretty much the same. They\u2019re both skinny, rectangular, plastic boxes with multiple outlets for you to plug in multiple devices. However, surge protectors:
\nMay be a bit more expensive;
\nMay have additional lights near the power button which light up when plugged in; and
\nContain internal components which can prevent spikes and surges in power from destroying your devices.
\nIf ordering online or buying at your local hardware store, always read the product description to make sure you\u2019re buying the right one. Personally, I\u2019d recommend buying a surge protector for all your household needs. This way you\u2019re not left guessing if your devices, TVs, computers, etc. are protected.
\nOne common misconception that I had is that surge protectors provide protection against lightning strikes. I\u2019ve learned lightning strikes are simply too powerful. Surge protectors provide protection from current fluctuations that travel down your power line.
\nHere are some things you can do to keep your home and family safe.<\/strong>
\nNever use power strips or surge protectors for high-power capacity items such as, space heaters, dehumidifiers, or other high capacity appliances. Plug them directly into a wall outlet.
\nDon\u2019t connect multiple power strips together to increase the number of outlets available. However, you can temporarily plug an extension cord into a power strip.
\nIf you\u2019re using power strips or extension cords in multiple places in your home, consider hiring an electrician to install more outlets. This is a safer alternative because the wires in your wall are of higher quality. Multiple extension cords or power strips was always my dad\u2019s pet peeve back in the day when he was an electrician.
\nNever use power strips or extension cords in a bathroom or on the kitchen counter top.
\nDo the math. Try to determine what the power strip can handle by looking at its specifications on the package. The most important number is watts. The higher the number, the better. Add up the number of watts used by the devices you\u2019re plugging in. This number should not exceed the total number of watts specified on the package. If buying a surge protector, look at the suppressed voltage rating as well. A lower number will provide better protection against surges. If you\u2019re like me and don\u2019t like math, talk to someone at the store that understands them.
\nDon\u2019t just look at price. Make sure you\u2019re buying the correct one for your household needs and that it\u2019s certified.
\nNever try to prevent trip and fall hazards by covering cords up with a rug. Repeatedly stepping on them can cause cords to breakdown, which could lead to a fire.
\nHere are some ways to prevent or tell if your power strip is overloaded.<\/strong>
\nSurge protectors are great because they provide several outlets. However, depending on what you\u2019re plugging in, not everyone should be used. Most things we plug in such as a phone, computer, or gaming console don\u2019t use much power. Items found in your kitchen such as a toaster, crockpot, or skillet would draw more power and could potentially cause issues.
\nIf the power strip or surge protectors feels hot, this is a good sign that you have too many things plugged in.
\nWatch for burn marks or melted plastic.
\nBefore plugging in your next electronic device, look at what\u2019s going on with your power strip or surge protector.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Power strips and surge protectors are a necessity in many homes today. With smartphones, tablets, streaming media devices, and gaming consoles, we have a lot of toys to plug in. Don\u2019t forget about TVs, lamps, and other household items. All these items plugged into a power strip can put stress on it. Most people probably […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3004,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3020","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3020","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3020"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3020\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3004"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3020"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}