Electrical safety tips and warning signs

Practical guidance for older panels, outlets, breakers, generators, surge protection, and common home electrical hazards.

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Helpful Electrical Safety Articles

These older Wire Nutz resources have been brought forward because they answer real questions we hear from homeowners and property managers. They are a starting point, not a replacement for an onsite inspection.

Aluminum Wiring

During the 1970s, aluminum wiring became very popular and used all over the United States. Since that time, aluminum wiring has been sh...

Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCI)

Arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCI) are devices that replace standard circuit breakers in electrical your home’s panel. Arc faults ar...

Danger of Overloading Electrical Circuits

Electrical circuit overloads happen when more amperage is put across an electrical wire or circuit than it can handle. This can be the ...

Electrical Circuits Without Ground Wires

Many wiring systems installed in the 1950s and earlier used non-metallic wiring, which lacked a ground wire. The ground wire provides a...

Federal Pacific Electric

Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) was a popular manufacturer of panels and circuit breakers from the mid 1950s to the early 1980s. Their p...

Fuses

A fuse is a type of over-current protection device. The essential component in a fuse is a metal wire or strip that melts when too much...

Generator Safety

A generator is a machine that can provide electricity to your home in the case of a power outage. This can allow you to keep using some...

Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI)

A ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) is like a fast-acting circuit breaker designed to shut off electrical power in the event of a...

Knob and Tube Wiring

Knob and tube wiring was an early method of electrical wiring in buildings commonly used in the United States from the 1880s to the 197...

Polarized Plugs

A polarized plug can be found at the end of an appliance’s electrical cord. For safety reasons, the polarized plug has one blade wider ...

Pushmatic Bulldog Breakers

Pushmatic/Bulldog circuit breakers and electrical panels were distributed around the United States, dating from the 1950s. These circui...

Reversed Polarity

Reverse ground/polarity is caused by an error in wiring and/or in older homes without ground wires and homes with a knob and tube elect...

Surge Protectors

Most homes and businesses use modern electronic equipment such as computers, entertainment centers, microwaves, and cordless phones. Al...

Wall Heaters

Wall heaters are a critical part of your home environment. Without proper maintenance they will not work efficiently and will cost you ...

Zinsco Electrical Panels

Zinsco has circuit breakers that do not offer the level of over-current and fire protection provided by most other electrical panels an...

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