Help keep your family safe: Don’t overload your home’s electrical system
With power strips and outlet converters (a multiple outlet “bar” plugged directly into an existing outlet), we can plug in multiple items in or near the same outlet.
But just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.
(I can eat a whole box of chocolates, but that doesn’t mean I should.)
Just like chocolate consumed in excess can overload your body with too many calories, attempting to draw too much power from an outlet or circuit can overload your home’s electrical system. Depending on how your home is wired, you may get away with it — or you may not. If too much current is drawn, usually a circuit breaker would trip or fuses would blow, but this is never guaranteed.
The results of overloading a circuit could range from a damaged appliance to starting a fire. That is because when too much electrical current flows thorough a circuit, things can overheat. Whether it is a wire, an outlet, or any other part along the electrical path, excess heat can cause serious problems.
Arkansas Valley Electric Cooperative Corporation and Safe Electricity remind you of the following electrical safety tips to help prevent overloading a circuit:
- Do not plug too many things into one outlet, extension cord, power strip, multi-outlet device or outlets on the same circuit.
- Look for loose connections or damaged or corroded wires, which can also cause an overload.
- If you continually upgrade your home with more electrical demands (lighting, appliances, electronics and so on), your home’s circuits may not be able to handle the increased load.
- Plug in a space heater to a dedicated outlet (with nothing else plugged in) and do not plug a space heater into an extension cord.
- Major appliances (e.g., refrigerator, stove, washing machine) should be plugged into their own outlet since they draw a lot of power. For smaller appliances, do not plug more than two into one outlet.
- Know how much power you draw on an outlet or circuit; some experts recommend no more than 1,500 watts per outlet or circuit.
- Consult a qualified electrician to assess your home’s electrical system, especially if you have an older home.
Although we take for granted that our homes are electrically sound or that we can plug in “just one more thing,” don’t take chances. When in doubt, have a qualified electrician assess your home, and mention any odd symptoms you may notice, like flickering or dimming lights, warm or discolored outlets or cover plates, and frequent blown fuses or tripped circuits.
What is a Circuit, Anyway?What is a circuit? Think of it as an electrical highway in your home: it is a path in which current can flow. The “highway” starts at the circuit breakers or fuses; then current is transported through it, but not in a straight line from point A to point B. (Think of how the wires run through your walls.) A circuit can cover one room or part of a room, depending on what might be plugged in, or it can supply electrical current to one item. Case in point: most large appliances in a home require their own dedicated circuit to avoid overload. Overload can happen in several ways, but the causes boil down to too much stress on the highway, including plugging too many things into one outlet, plugging in too many high-draw items into one outlet or circuit, or by having too many outlets installed on one circuit. |
Do the MathWhen thinking about what and how many things to plug in, common sense goes a long way. However, if you are interested in the math, and you actually liked those story problems in high school algebra, here is the formula to use to find out if you are overloading a circuit: [Total wattage of devices plugged into the circuit] ÷ [voltage of the circuit] = [amps drawn from the circuit] Farm and Fleet’s blog gives a good example: So, let’s say you’re running a 150-watt lamp and a 1,500-watt space heater on one outlet in your living room. From the map you made of your circuit breaker panel, you also see that there are two more electrical outlets and a 100-watt light running on that same circuit. You also see that the circuit is 120 volts. The other two outlets are empty. You want to use a 3-way adapter plug in another 150-watt lamp into the same outlet as the heater and the first lamp. So, you first need to add up the wattage of what’s plugged into the electrical outlets and light fixtures: 150 + 150 + 1,500 + 100 = 1,900 So, you’ll have a total of 1,900 watts running on that 120-volt circuit. The amperage would be: [1,900 Watts] ÷ [120 Volts] = [15.83 Amps] This will be fine if the circuit is governed by a 20-amp breaker, but it will overload a 15-amp one, and you’ll have to plug the lamp in somewhere else. |
For more information about electrical safety, visit safeelectricity.org.