Preparing Your Home's Electrical System for Hurricane Season

Featured Communities: Spruce Creek, Riverwood, Countryside, Beville Road corridor, South Daytona border area

So where to start for a home located in the Port Orange and surrounding area’s such as Spruce Creek, Riverwood and others located along the Beville Road corridor near the South Daytona border? Much like with plumbing, a home’s electrical system can also be negatively impacted by a hurricane. So as you are preparing your home for the storm by closing windows with pin and purchasing plenty of supplies for after the storm, do not forget the other major component of your home that will need to be prepared.

For those that can afford it, the best solution for extending power to your home is to install a whole-house generator or install a transfer switch in your main electrical panel for use with portable generators. This would allow you to hook up your generator to your home’s electrical system by simply plugging it in. In the event of a long extended power outage in Volusia County, extending power to your home for days, keeping your refrigerators running, medical equipment operating, and your air conditioning on during the end of summer can be worth every penny.

Make sure that your portable generator is vented properly. Running a portable generator in a garage or even near a home can cause carbon monoxide poisoning. There are reports of dozens of deaths each year during hurricane season from portable generators. Make sure you run them in well-ventilated areas outside of homes and make sure that there are no open windows or doors. A transfer switch installed by a licensed electrician allows you to plug in your portable generator and run it through your home’s electrical circuits safely and without worry of back-feeding through the utility lines to the danger of restoration workers.

Another valuable component of your homes electrical system is a standby generator. This is a machine that is installed outside of your home and is powered by either natural gas or propane. In the case of a power outage the generator automatically begins to supply electricity to your home until utility power is restored. Standby generators are perfect for homes with individuals who have medical needs that require constant power to operate, as well as homes where someone works from home and requires electricity to do their job.

Additionally, we can help protect your home from damage caused by power surges when the power goes out during a storm and then is returned to your home. We carry a full line of power surge protectors in the form of individual appliance protectors and whole house surge protectors that can be installed at your home’s main electrical panel.

Also make sure that your electrical panel is not showing any signs of wear, corrosion or overloading. Florida’s hot and humid weather can cause a lot of the electrical components in your home to deteriorate rather quickly. And a critical failure of one of the most critical systems in your home during a hurricane is not something you want to deal with.

Inspect outside receptacles, light fixtures and electrical splice boxes for weather-tight covers. Make sure they are in good condition and not deteriorating. Electrical shock and/or fire can occur when rain enters into the smallest opening and makes contact with electrical components. All outside receptacles are required by code to be GFCI protected to prevent such occurrences.

Before a hurricane makes landfall make sure you know where the main electrical shut off for your home is and then make sure that everyone in your home knows how to operate the shut off in the event of a flood. This simple preparation can protect you, your home, and your appliances from serious damage during a hurricane.

By spending a few hours to properly prepare your home’s electrical system for the hurricane season you will save a lot of time, money and grief when the storm hits. Start preparing your home’s electrical system before a named storm arrives and avoid last minute rush.