Safety Tips and Articles

Please, always call us if you are uncertain about the safety of any electrical wiring or appliance!  Your safety is important to us!

And, don't forget to check back here from time to time as we continue to update our website. 

Scroll down for the most recently added tips or articles.

NEW! Breton Electric now publishes a safety tip article in the Wakefield Observer each month. 
Click HERE to read - December 2007: Wishing All a SAFE Holiday Season
Click HERE to read - October/November 2007: Following Up on Fire Prevention Week
Click HERE to read - September 2007: As The Temperature Falls
Click HERE to read - August 2007: Electricity is No Joke!
Click HERE to read - July 2007:  Knob & Tube Wiring Issues
Click HERE to read - June 2007: Air Conditioner Safety Tips

Click HERE to email us ideas for future columns.

The Electrical Safety Foundation International has a superb website containing seemingly endless information about electricity.  We've linked to a few of their articles, below, but we highly recommend that you Click Here and explore their entire website.  

Facts for Consumers, including Electrical and Home Safety
Click Here to check out this handy site provided by the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs. Along with safety checklists, it contains advice on hiring an Electrical Contractor. 

Test your GFCI outlets!!!

Did you know that a recent industry study showed that roughly 10 percent of installed ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) - the "TEST" and "RESET" buttons on outlets in bathrooms, kitchens and circuit panel - may be damaged under common circumstances including power surges due to electrical storms?  
Click Here for the full article, and Click Here for a GFCI Fact Sheet including step by step testing instructions,  Just 10 seconds a month can ensure your family's safety.

Make sure your older wiring is safe!

Owners of older homes may have a much more alarming problem than peeling paint and loose floorboards lurking behind their walls. According to the latest statistics from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), electrical distribution was the largest cause of property damage wreaking $643.2 million in property damage in home structure fires, and the third leading cause of home structure fires, causing 40,400 fires, the second leading cause of death (329) and third leading cause of home fire injuries (1,357) between 1994 and 1998, the latest data available.  
Click Here to read the complete article, which also includes safety advice for all homeowners and home buyers.

Avoidable Lightening Deaths Mount in 2005

Knob and Tube Wiring: handy homeowners, critters, and time are enemies of this vintage wiring system.

Tracking Down Knob-and-Tube Wiring:
A must before you insulate, this is a job for a professional

Allen Gallant, of This Old House, advises a couple planning to insulate their 1840s era house. Click here to read.

Electrical issues in old houses: When is it time to replace old electrical wiring?

Scott Gibson, of oldhouseweb.com, gives sound advice about old wiring, as well as stresses the importance of hiring a professional electrician with experience in older homes for your project. Here is an except:

Snaking wires through walls and ceilings
We once owned an old house in which a previous owner had installed an alarm system. Every door and window in the house was hard-wired to a control panel.

After years of working on the house I came to know its every dusty crevice and still couldn’t figure out how the installer ran wire where he did. I came to think of him admiringly as a magician.

The point is that a good electrician can keep disruptions to your house at a minimum. By drilling discrete holes in top and bottom wall plates and using fish tapes to route wires through wall and ceilings cavities, most of what has to be done to accommodate new wiring can be hidden.

Click Here to read the entire article.

May 2006
The Consumer Product Safety Commission and BRK Brands Inc., a subsidiary of First Alert Inc. of Illinois is recalling approximately 145,000 smoke detectors sold nationwide between June 2005 and March 2006. The alarms rapidly drain battery power, and may not detect smoke in the event of a fire or the presence of carbon monoxide. Click Here to read the press release, which includes back and front pictures of the First Alert smoke detector being recalled.

And, check out www.Recalls.gov, "Your Online Resource for Recalls" of all types.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) wants to teach families and kids how to keep cooking fires from starting in the first place. Click Here for some fast facts and safety tips about cooking fires.

Click Here to visit the NFPA homepage.

A Squirrelly Situation....In early September, 2006, there was a fire in Wakefield MA caused by squirrels chewing through wires in a home. Thankfully, it never got beyond the smoldering stage. But, if the residents had not been home to notice the smoke, things could have been worse.

Many pest-control companies say on their sites that it is estimated that 20% of home fires are caused by rodents chewing through wires.  We (Breton Electric) can't find the origin of that percentage, but we've seen many instances of chewed wires in homes that caused electrical problems and could very well have caused a fire.  Don't ignore any "scrabbling" sounds in your ceilings, floors, or walls!  Even those tiny mice can do a number on romex...

The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that Extension Cords cause about 3,300 residential fires per year. Sadly proving the point, there was a tragic fire in Wakefield in late October 2006 caused by an overburdened extension cord.
Click Here to read a great article presented by sixwise.com  on the dangers and safe use of extension cords.