7. Ignoring the power restrictions of your circuits
Five outlets in your bedroom doesn’t mean five completely separate electrical circuits. It pays to know how many circuits you have in reality—and actually what kind of electrical load they can support—before you put yourself in harm’s way.
“As a general rule of thumb, you should not exceed 80% of [the electrical capacity] of any single circuit,” says Fattizzi. However, there’s an easier way to prevent this mistake, he says: “Anything that you plug in should have a label on it telling you the amount of power it draws.”
8. Not changing old wiring throughout your home
“The wiring that was used prior to 30 years ago is very brittle and has sub-par insulation protecting it,” says Fattizzi.
“After years and years of abuse, the wire is at a much higher risk of failure.” What should you do? “If you want to play it safe, have an electrician replace your older wiring and upgrade your electrical service to accommodate your appliances,” he says.
