Warning signs, GFCIs, and real hazards to know.
A cord ran out from under the flap by our back door for three winters. The flap did exactly what it was built to do, and what it was built to do never included a cord.
7 min CKT 61 Safety · BeginnerOurs chirped at two in the morning and turned out not to run on the battery at all. The wire behind it, and the circuit it lands on, are decisions somebody made.
7 min CKT 55 Safety · BeginnerA, B, and C are on the label, but only two of them carry a number. The one that doesn't is about whether the agent conducts electricity back to your hand.
7 min CKT 51 Safety · BeginnerThe wire nearest your gutters is your own service drop, and the coating on it is not insulation. What ten feet and twice-the-ladder-length are really for.
7 min CKT 45 Safety · BeginnerThe national dig-notification call is free and covers utility-owned lines. The circuit somebody ran out to the shed isn't on that list — and it's the one nearest your shovel.
7 min CKT 41 Safety · BeginnerWhere the pack sits, which charger it uses, and whether anyone is awake carry nearly all the risk — plus the UL numbers that mean it was tested.
7 min CKT 36 Safety · BeginnerThe two mistakes that turn a portable generator deadly have little to do with the storm: carbon monoxide, and backfeeding your home's wiring. How to run one safely.
7 min CKT 31 Safety · BeginnerWhy a heater belongs directly in the wall, never a power strip — and the three-foot rule of empty space that prevents most heating fires.
6 min CKT 05 Safety · BeginnerWhat a ground fault actually is, why bathrooms and kitchens require GFCI protection, and how to test one safely.
6 min CKT 06 Safety · ReferenceHow arc-fault detection differs from ground-fault protection, and why so many existing homes still lack it.
6 min CKT 07 Safety · BeginnerReading gauge and amperage ratings, safe placement, and why cords are a temporary solution, not permanent wiring.
6 min CKT 08 Safety · BeginnerWarm outlets, burning smells, repeat breaker trips, flickering lights, and buzzing — and why each means it's time to call a pro.
6 min CKT 23 Safety · BeginnerThey look identical on the shelf, but one diverts voltage spikes away from your electronics and the other passes them straight through — here's how to tell which one is on your floor right now.
7 min CKT 24 Safety · BeginnerThose stubborn slots in newer outlets are spring-loaded shutters that only open for two prongs at once — what they block, why codes commonly require them, and the straight push that makes plugs seat.
6 min