Rainy days and storms are here. I can feel the fear to those who are living in areas where flash floods and landslide often occurs. Some of them might not have a good sleep, some can’t even roam around the streets. Some are afraid of Dengue, some are afraid of fungi. Rainy days for some, is scary.

I saw a video clip in Facebook, it happen in Bulacan, a live distribution wire was hanging in the flood streets, the man trying to helped another man who was experiencing electric shock, every time the man attempt to touched the victim, he was shocked too. That’s a scary scenario. Electricity is fatal. In this article, I will share to you some electrical safety tips these rainy days.

1. Avoid and never touch hanging cable/wires in the streets.

Cables in the streets are not all carrying high current and high voltage that can kill people, some of them are for internet (PLDT), cable TV, and telephone companies. However, if your not an electrical practitioner, stop pretending like you know how to handle them, better stay away from them, because a single mistake for a live wire might cause your life. I appreciate the effort of the man who tried to helped the victim I mentioned above, but if your not an electrical practitioner, when it comes to electricity, instead of helping, better asked an electrical engineer or electrician nearby to help the victim. First aid when it comes to electricity is different.

2. Stay away from trees near electric transmission line or distribution line.

I observed this specially in province because their distribution line often passed through tree branches. During windy days and rainy days, I advised you to stay away from trees near distribution wires. Why? Trees are 50% water, and water conducts electricity. When the wind blows, tree branches might hit the wires and current will pass through tree stems, then through your body. So to avoid electric shock outside, check out the tree first.

3. Make sure your outdoor outlets are GFCI and have watertight covers.

Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) are special outlet required by Philippine Electrical Code (PEC) in house exteriors, swimming pools, kitchen, bathrooms and garages. When short circuit occurs, GFCI protects. If you think your outlets are not GFCI, just make sure you cover them, because when the water enter your outlet, it will short circuit your electrical wiring and trip your breaker. If this happen, make sure to dry your outlet before you turn on again your main breaker to avoid electric shocked and sparks.

4. Switch-off your breakers before leaving the house.

If you don’t know where your panel board and breakers located, ask an electrical engineer or licensed electrician nearby to teach you how switch it off. It is very important to switch off your breaker before you leave for a church or take that weekend vacation. If your in flood zone, when the flood comes, water might short circuit the electrical of your house. Moreover, some bad guys might play with your outdoor outlets, who knows? It might cause sparks and burn your house. To avoid those possible consequences, make it a habit to switch off your main breaker before going to church, to work or vacations.

5. If water leaks in your ceiling, sealed it asap.

When water leaks, oftentimes, we just put a basin to contain the leaked water. That’s an instant solution however, electrical wiring of your house also run in ceiling. Some of the junction box, a box where wires connect with each other, are located in the ceiling. Although, wires are sealed by electrical tape, with sustained water flow, it will not protect the wires for a long time. Eventually, the tape will loose and the water will short circuit the electrical wiring. So, when water leaks, sealed it asap for electrical safety.

6. Either avoid using TV during lightning or ground your antenna.

Man, when your TV antenna was hit by lightning, you are one of the luckiest person alive. It’s almost impossible to be hit by lighting however, we will never know how lucky we are so better prepared for the strike. Your appliances has surge or lightning protection, if your electrical wiring has earth ground connection, your safe. Most of the time, we don’t have. If your not sure, asked a Licensed Electrical Practitioner (LIP) to install earth connection in your electrical wiring. Another way to protect your TV set is to install antenna grounding, when the lightning strike, it will direct the current to the ground, not on your TV. If you don’t want to stress yourself with all grounding protection, just turn it off.

Summary

All the electrical safety tips I mentioned above are based on my experiences and knowledge as electrical engineer. In electrical engineering, we follow the PEC standards to ensure electrical safety. When it comes to electrical installation, I advised to asked licensed electrical engineer and license electricians, of course with experienced already, to ensure electrical safety. If you have questions about electrical, feel free to message me at my Facebook page below. It’s free, don’t worry. Stay dry, stay electrically safe.