January Home Maintenance Tips
This content is provided courtesy of USAA.
Overcoming Power Loss
If you lose electricity in a blizzard or ice storm, warm up cautiously.
- Never use charcoal briquettes, camping stoves, or other propane- or kerosene-powered appliances indoors.
- If you need extra warmth and don't have an alternate heat source, such as a fireplace or wood stove, layer on loose clothing, put on a hat and grab extra blankets.
- If you use a portable generator, keep it outdoors. Its exhaust has odorless-yet-deadly carbon monoxide fumes, the top cause of poisoning deaths in the United States.
- Make sure your home security system has a back-up system that will work even during a power loss. That way it will continue to protect your family and household from break-ins, smoke, fire or carbon monoxide in the air.
- Be ready with Plan B, like a friend's home or a local Red Cross shelter where you can stay if needed.
How Safe is Your Home?
Find out by using the Safer Home Checklist provided by the Institute for Business & Home Safety's DisasterSafety.org, or IBHS.
Monthly Reminder
To avoid electrical fires and severe electric shocks, check all ground fault circuit interrupters, or GFCIs. These electrical devices are usually attached to electrical outlets that are outdoors, in bathrooms and kitchens and other areas where electrical appliances come in contact with water. To check if they are operating correctly, follow these directions provided by the Consumer Product Safety Commission:
- Plug a nightlight or lamp into the outlet. The light should be on.
- Press the test button on the GFCI. The reset button should pop out, and the light should go out.
- If the reset button pops out but the light doesn't go out, the GFCI has been improperly wired. Contact an electrician to correct the wiring errors.
- If the reset button does not pop out, the GFCI is defective and should be replaced.
- If the GFCI is functioning properly, and the light goes out, press the reset button to restore power to the outlet.
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Sources: Centers for Disease Control, Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, Institute for Business & Home Safety, Insurance Information Institute