July 03, 2018
With hurricane season upon us, it’s important to know how to protect your home if the weather takes a turn for the worse.
Properly protecting your home’s appliances and wiring before evacuating will not only make it safer to return—but will also save you thousands of dollars in replacement costs.
For example, the average costs to replace common household appliances include:
The grand total? $9,475.
Surely, the last thing you want to do after coming back home is to worry about replacing almost $10,000 worth of appliances, right?
We’ll show you how to prevent that.
In this article, we’ll walk you through a checklist of steps to take both before and after a hurricane hits.
Need an electrician in Florida ASAP?
To prepare your home for a hurricane and prevent having to replace major appliances, make sure you:
Let’s break down each step a little further.
For insurance purposes, you should take photos of your major appliances (washer, dryer, fridge, water heater, etc.). That way, you’ll have proof of ownership if you need to file a homeowner’s insurance claim for them.
If you can, take well-lit photos that include:
Pro tip: Take a video recording of your home both before and after the storm. That way, you’ll have a record of everything you own and what got damaged—all in one file.
Whether you take these pictures/videos with a digital camera or your phone, it’s a good idea to back them up somewhere (store them on a cloud or email them to yourself).
Do not turn off your gas supply at your home’s meter. That should only be turned off or on by the utility company.
As your gas line runs underground, you don’t need to turn off the gas service to your home. Instead, you should turn off the pilot and shut off individual gas lines to each appliance at a supply valve near the unit (most city codes now require these valves).
Gas shut-off valve on a water heater
You can learn more about how to prepare your home’s gas supply for a hurricane on the Florida Natural Gas Association’s website.
Unplugging electric appliances is the best way to protect them from being damaged by a power surge.
You might be thinking, “I have a whole-home surge protector. I’m good, right?” Unfortunately, you’re not. Even whole-home surge protectors can’t defend your appliances against lightning strikes, so it’s still a good idea to unplug everything in the event of a hurricane.
Some major appliances you should unplug:
Move portable appliances (TVs, microwaves, toasters, etc.) to something several feet off the ground (a countertop or dining table) in case your home floods. If you have a 2-story home, appliances would be even safer on the second floor.
Once you’re ready to evacuate your home, turn off your home’s power via the main circuit switch. This will help prevent electrical damage if your home floods.
The main circuit switch on an electric panel
Once authorities say that it’s safe to return home, follow these steps:
When entering your home after a hurricane, watch out for:
If your home is flooded, DO NOT turn your power back on without having your electric system checked by a professional electrician.
Here’s why: Turning your power back on before having your electrical system inspected by an electrician can short circuit appliances that were left plugged in (damaging them), or worse, start a fire.
It’s also a good idea to have the electrician check your unplugged appliances to make sure they’re still safe to use.
If your home’s wiring was submerged in water for days or even hours, you’ll need to replace it. The same goes for wiring appliances, too.
See, even if an electrician tests the wiring and it works, it will probably corrode in the future—especially if your home was flooded with salty seawater.
On the plus side, the most expensive part of a rewiring job is tearing into and repairing the walls. But your water-damaged walls will have to be torn out anyway, so this is really the best time to replace your home’s wiring.
Let’s say your home isn’t flooded but it’s without power (a typical problem after a storm). To avoid the hassle of being stranded without power, look into buying a backup generator.
Generators range in sizes, and you should be able to find one that powers exactly what you need—whether it’s a small portable generator to power only essential appliances or a standby generator to power your entire home.
But beware if you choose a portable generator and make sure it’s:
Just contact us
Whether you have questions on how to protect appliances or need your electric system tested after a flood, our licensed electricians are ready to help.
Posted in: Tips