Power Strips have gradually become essential in almost every household. You probably have one under your desk and one in every room of your house. They come in handy due to their dual purpose of providing you with an extra number of plugs as well as protecting your electronics from sudden voltage surges. But you still need to figure out whether these power strips are safe? Are you overloading a power strip? How do you know if a power strip is about to go out?
Here are tips to keep your power strip, your devices, and you safe:
1. Don’t keep your power strip in a moist environment
You need always to remember that water and electricity coming together spell danger and lead to fatal repercussions. Your power strip or surge protector must thus be kept away from any liquids to ensure the safety of your home, family, and devices. Especially if you have a power strip in a kitchen, bathroom, or garage that is not climate controlled, you must be doubly careful. Have it hard-wired against the fall to avoid any accidents with moisture or water. Certain power strips are designed for moist environments with built-in failsafes that help keep them safe in the event of contact with debris or moisture.
2. Don’t use a power strip outdoors.
With the moisture point said, you definitely know that keeping your power strip or surge protector outdoors, especially in a rainy or damp season, can be equally dangerous and may cause a short circuit or electrocution. There may be hazardous results in case bugs, tree debris, or other elements come in contact with the power strip. If you need one absolutely, choose a power strip designed for outdoor purposes.
3. Don’t daisy chain power strips.
Whatever Instagram hacks have to say about it, never resort to daisy-chaining your power strips as both your personal safety and your electronics are at a huge risk lest something goes wrong. Also, a surge protector should not be plugged at the end of an extension cord. It would help if you never had more than one power strip or surge protector plugged into a single duplex outlet either, as you may end up overloading the circuit.
4. Use the right power strips.
Before purchasing the power, strips, check if either Electrical Testing Laboratories (ETL) or Underwriters Laboratories (UL) certifies it. You are likely to find a sticker stating the certification on the packaging of the power strip. These certifications ensure the standard of quality and safety for any electrical device, and you must never compromise on it. Also, ensure that you buy a power strip for more amperage than required to get overloaded quickly.
5. Replace power strips at the first sign of failure
If you see the indicator light on the power strip flickering or going out, you need to replace the power strip. You’ll find an indicator light in all certified power strips, which indicates that the strip is functioning safely if it is solidly lit at all times of use.
With these tips in mind, you are deviating from any electrical tragedy you might have taken on yourself. We at Europlugs ensure that all our products are designed to keep our customers safe from electrical tragedies and happy with our products and services!
