If you’re at home and the power goes off for an unexpected reason, it can take you by surprise. But once you get over the shock of not having power coming to your home, whether it’s due to a storm or because a transformer failed, there are a few things that you’re going to want to check on to ensure that your family and property are safe during this time.
To help you know just what can and should be done, here are three things to check when your power goes off.
Check Your Perishable Food Items
If the power to your home is off for more than an hour, you’re going to want to check on your perishable foods to ensure that they’re at a safe temperature.
In some cases, you might want to move food from your refrigerator into a larger freezer in order to keep it colder for a longer period of time. Additionally, you can move food from your refrigerator to a cooler and fill it with ice to help keep those foods actively cold. And, when your power does come back on, make sure no food in your fridge has gotten too warm or else you might need to throw it away to keep from ingesting bacteria that could have grown on it.
Protect Your Electronics And Appliances
When electronics and appliances lose power unexpectedly, they can suffer damage to their more sensitive electronic parts that could cause the entire machine to fail. Especially if there are power surges that take place while the power is trying to come back on in your home, even more damage could take place.
To keep this from happening to your electronics and appliances, when the power goes off at your home, it’s best to unplug your appliances and electronics until the power comes back on. This way, you’ll be protecting these items from power surges that could come through their power cords.
Get Your Heat Source Ready
In the event that your power goes out in the winter months, you’re going to want to make sure you have some way to keep your home and family warm.
There are all kinds of alternate heat sources that you can use aside from something that uses electricity. If you have a fireplace, you’ll want to get this ready so that you can keep your home warm. Additionally, if you choose to use a generator, make sure you know how to safely operate it without putting your home and family in danger of things like carbon monoxide poisoning.
If you ever experience a power outage at your home, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you know what things to check and protect.
