Upon my daughter’s college graduation, she moved home, but when she told me she was prepared to move out again, we got ready for the big change together. Having a child move back home is a blog for another site, but making the next big step in her life meant we started looking at apartments in the first-ring suburbs of Cleveland (a term for the suburbs that touch the city of Cleveland).

The first house we went to look at was a quaint duplex on a quiet street. As we walked into the living room, I noticed a huge TV mounted on the wall then I saw the mass of electrical wires going to a surge protector that then was plugged into an extension cord to an ungrounded plug. It only got worse when we went down the basement and I saw the original 60 amperes (amp s) service box.

Many older homes and apartments are underpowered. Today, a two-bedroom 1,000 square foot apartment would be built with 100 amp service for each unit. More electronics = increased demand. The home theater system that I saw when we walked into that first house had the TV, DVR, subwoofer, and a blu-ray player! Add in laptops, tablets, and charges for smartphones, you can see that 60 amps is not enough power for apartments.

As a building owner, there are several things you can do to check units before you call in a licensed electrician to make needed repairs. Are switches or outlets warm to the touch? Are there burn marks around the outlet? Is there buzzing or crackling or loose fittings? If any of these issues are present, immediate repairs should be made. Communicate with your tenants about the use of extension cords, and to not run cords under carpets. Have your tenant communicate with you if a fuse keeps failing or a breaker keeps tripping.

After touring a few underpowered buildings, we eventually found the right fit, settling for an apartment with adequate electrical needs.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, there are almost 48,000 fires involving electricity, by following these simple tasks you can reduce your risk. In addition, the loss control services of your Trusted Choice Insurance Company can help you in identifying additional electrical issues. Contact Richey-Barrett Insurance to learn how an Independent Trusted Choice Insurance agent can help you.