Electric Consumer

Leave space for your space heater

Electric co-op mascot Willie Wiredhand says: Leave at least 3 to 4 feet of space between a space heater and things like furniture that can catch fire!

Digital illustration by Richard G. Biever

As we move through November, the days get noticeably shorter and the nights draw longer and colder. If your family uses an electric space heater to take the chill out of a bedroom or family room, here are some safety tips to keep in mind:
• Keep the heater at least 3 to 4 feet away from things that can catch fire like bedding, clothing, draperies, furniture, newspapers and rugs.
• Keep little sister or brother and your dog or cat away from the space heater.
• Never stick your fingers, little green Army men, Barbie’s hair or other objects through the protective guards. This can cause a fire or shock you.
• Keep your space heater away from areas with water.
• Never go to sleep with a space heater still on.
• Do not use a space heater to warm bedding or dry clothing or other objects.
• Never leave a space heater unattended. Turn it off and unplug it when the last person using it leaves the room.
• Be sure the heater’s plug fits snugly in an outlet. The cord and plug may feel warm when operating since the unit draws so much power, but they should not feel hot. If they do, unplug it and tell your parents to have a qualified repair person check for problems. Never use an extension cord with a space heater.

For more safety tips and some nifty interactive electrical games, go to SafeElectricity.org’s “Electrical Safety World.”

OCTOBER 2008 TIP: Don’t let hazards haunt Halloween!

Electric co-op mascot Willie Wiredhand says: Carry a flashlight with you when you’re trick-or-treating … and watch out for electrical hazards, too!

Digital illustration by Richard G. Biever

Halloween is the most festively frightening night of the year. But don’t make yours fraught with danger. Here are some safety reminders:
• As you’re decorating, make sure you and your parents check for cracked sockets; frayed, loose or bare wires; and loose connections.
• Fasten all outdoor lights securely to trees and other firm supports. Do not use nails or tacks that could puncture the insulating cords and damage the wires.
• Make sure decorative lighting is well-ventilated, protected from weather and a safe distance from anything flammable like dry leaves and shrubs. Do not coil power cords or extension cords while in use or tuck under rugs or drapes.
• Make sure all outdoor electrical lights and decorations are plugged into an outlet protected with a ground fault circuit interrupter. If your outlets aren’t equipped with GFCIs, have an electrician install them or buy a GFCI adapter plug.
• Don’t overload outlets with too many extension cords and strands of lights.
• Keep the cords off the walkways and porch where trick-or-treaters will trod. You don’t want them to trip.
• Have mom or dad leave your porch light on for trick-or-treaters, and be sure to turn out all the spooky lights and decorations before leaving home or going to bed. This will also save energy.

For more safety tips and some nifty interactive electrical games, go to SafeElectricity.org’s “Electrical Safety World.”

SEPTEMBER 2008 TIP: Stay out of HOT WATER!

Electric co-op mascot Willie Wiredhand says: NEVER leave baby brother or sister alone in the tub for even a second … he or she could drown or turn on the hot water and be burned!

Digital illustration by Richard G. Biever

If one of your responsibilities is to occasionally help mom or dad bathe a baby brother or sister, you should feel honored. That means your parents have a great respect for your abilities to take care of a loved one. But here are some safety reminders:
• Make sure the water is not too hot. What might feel warm to you, could be too hot for baby. And he or she might not be old enough to tell you. Water should be about body temperature; make the room warmer so baby doesn’t get chilled.
• Have mom or dad check the temperature setting on your water heater. To prevent scalding, it should be set below 120 degrees if young children are in the home. (It will also save energy and money!)
• Never leave baby alone in the tub — not even for an instant. He or she could slip beneath the water and drown, or turn on the hot water and be burned.
• Make sure all electrical gadgets that plug into outlets, like hair dryers, curling irons and radios, and their cords are kept far away from the tub and sinks so they can’t fall into water. Never, ever reach for one if it does; immediately tell an adult. They should then turn off the power to that outlet at the electrical panel.
• Never use electrical items if you’re wet or if you have to stand on a wet floor.
• Have mom or dad make sure all outlets in the bathroom are equipped with a ground fault circuit interrupter that instantly shuts off power at the outlet if it detects a problem. An electrician should install them if your older home doesn’t have them. GFCIs save lives!

For more safety tips and some nifty interactive electrical games, go to SafeElectricity.org’s “Electrical Safety World.”

AUGUST 2008 TIP: Stay safe around trees and power lines!

Electric co-op mascot Willie Wiredhand says: Look out AboOOOOve!! Never climb a tree that has power lines running through its branches or within reach!

Composite photo by Richard G. Biever

Do you like to climb and play in trees? Follow these tips to help keep yourself and your friends safe:
• Never climb in or play in trees that are growing next to power lines.
• Never touch a power line with your hand or with any other object, whether you are in a tree or on the ground.
• Don’t build a tree house, fort, or anything else in a tree that is next to power lines.
• Tell an adult if you see trees growing close to high-voltage power lines or contacting these lines. (High-voltage lines are the ones at the very top of power poles.)
• If you see a power line that has fallen into a tree or onto the ground, stay away and tell an adult immediately. Even if they are not sparking or humming, fallen lines can kill you if you touch them or the ground nearby.
• Plant only trees that will not grow tall or wide enough to contact nearby power lines. Call 8-1-1 before planting a tree to make sure you won’t dig into underground power lines.

For more safety tips and some nifty interactive electrical games, go to SafeElectricity.org’s “Electrical Safety World.”

JULY 2008 TIP: Electricity and water … DO NOT MIX!

Electric co-op mascot Willie Wiredhand says: DON’T TOUCH THAT DIAL! Never touch an electric device when you’re wet!

Every summer people are injured or killed by electrical appliances in or near water or wet areas!

NEVER touch anything that plugs into an outlet when you are wet! If it plugs into a wall, keep it away from water and wet surfaces.

Parents, always make sure electrical appliances used outdoors or in bathrooms, kitchens or anywhere near water are plugged into an outlet with a ground-fault circuit interrupter!

Please remember 12-year-old Caitlyn MacKenzie who lost her life last year in a water-related electrical accident. To see her story, go to SafeElectricity.org .

JUNE 2008 TIP: Enjoy fireworks … in the sky!

Electric co-op mascot Willie Wiredhand says: Enjoy your “fireworks” — but only as a spectator. DO NOT OVERLOAD ELECTRICAL OUTLETS!

Everybody loves fireworks, especially as the Fourth of July approaches. But the only fireworks you want to see are the ones in the sky — NOT ONES FROM OVERLOADED ELECTRICAL OUTLETS!

Every year, people die from house fires started from overworked outlets like this one pictured. The outlet and wiring inside the wall isn’t made for such an electrical load. The wires get too hot and can start a fire.

If you see outlets like this, tell adults you trust that that’s dangerous! If more outlets are needed, an electrician should come to the home to add outlets and upgrade the wiring to handle the load.

Here’s an animated video on this subject.

MAY 2008 TIP: Play it safe … far from electrical stuff!

Electric co-op mascot Willie Wiredhand says: Play it safe … by NOT playing on or around these green, pad-mounted transformers.

May is National Electrical Safety Month — a time we especially want readers of all ages to be aware of some of the dangers that exist if you do not respect the modern marvel of electricity.

Electricity comes to your home through a system of power lines, poles, substations and other equipment. Each part has its job bringing electricity from power plants where it’s generated to your wall outlets.

Never play on or near any of this equipment. That includes utility poles, guy wires, substations and pad-mounted transformers — those green boxlike things you see in many suburban neighborhoods. They are for buried power lines. Just because they might sit between your yard and your neighbor’s doesn’t mean it’s something to play around or on.

APRIL 2008 TIP: Stay in the car! STAY IN THE CAR!

Electric co-op mascot Willie Wiredhand says: STAY IN THE CAR if your car hits a utility pole. Call for help and wait till you get an OK from an electric lineman or a trained rescuer before stepping out.

If you’re ever riding in a car and for any reason it leaves the road and hits a utility pole, do you know what to do? The answer: STAY IN THE CAR!

Your first instinct may be to get out and see if everyone’s OK, but you can’t do that when you hit a utility pole. Don’t open the doors; don’t step outside. Your life may depend on it. Warn those you are with to stay in the car, too!

The reason? Power lines may have fallen and could still be energized.

Overhead power lines are tightly mounted atop poles. But whenever a car or a truck strikes a pole, power lines can break loose and fall to the ground.

They could fall on your car or drop nearby. If you get out, you could become the path to ground for the electricity. It could go through you and kill you. Or, you could brush up next to a fallen power line, or step on one; they are hard to see, especially if it’s dark. Fallen power lines can even energize the ground nearby.

Please stay inside your car. You’ll be safe there. Call 9-1-1 on a cell phone or yell to others to get help. Tell others to stay away until the electric linemen come to make sure the lines are clear and safe. Then you can get out.

Only in the rare case of fire should you try to get out. Then look for a safe place and leap clear from the car — never touching the ground and the car at the same time. Then bunny hop with feet together away from the pole to safety. You hop with feet together or shuffle away so that — should the ground be energized by a line — one foot doesn’t fall into a different voltage zone than the other.

(Electricity spreads out through the ground like ripples like a pebble dropped in water. The voltage is highest in the ring closest to where the power line is touching the ground and decreases with distance.)

Also, if you ever come upon an accident involving a utility pole, do not leave your vehicle to approach the scene. Again, downed power lines are hard to see and you could walk right into one, or they could be energizing the ground and you could be shocked just walking toward the accident.

Here’s a link to an animated safety tip on the same subject.

MARCH 2008 TIP: Go fly a kite — safely!

Electric co-op mascot Willie Wiredhand knows how to fly his kite — in an open field far away from power lines!

If someone tells you to “go fly a kite” this spring, take him up on the suggestion. Kite flying is a lot of fun. Only be sure to do so SAFELY.

ALWAYS fly your kite in an open field far away from overhead power lines.

Power lines are high on poles for a reason: to keep people away from them. They carry 7,200 volts and that can kill anyone who contacts them.

When you’re flying a kite, the string you hold could make contact. That would allow electricity to flow down the string to you.

Also remember:
• If your kite ever does drift or fall toward a power line, let go of the string.
• Call your electric cooperative if your kite ever gets hung up on a pole or a power line. Never get it yourself.
• If your kite gets hung up in a tree, make sure there are no power lines running through or near the tree before you try to get the kite down.


^{Willie Wiredhand ©NRECA}