Finding the right gift for Mother’s Day can be tricky. You want to give mom a present that shows love and appreciation for all she’s done. Hence why Roman Electric recommends gifting your mom with a DIY electrical inspection for her home!

This Mother’s Day, Roman Electric wants to honor Milwaukee moms by helping to maintain their electrical systems. Below are some DIY electrical inspection tips you can perform for mom!

Test Mom’s Electrical Outlets/Switches

Go through and identify every outlet and light switch in mom’s home. Furthermore, give the outlets a quick test using a small device, such as a nightlight, to see if they are functioning. Flip every light switch on and off as well. However, do NOT test an outlet or switch if it exhibits these signs:

• Burning Smell from Outlet/Switch
• Burnt Marks/Other Damages on Outlet/Switch
• Rumbling or Sizzling Sound Coming from Outlet/Switch
• Outlet/Switch Feels Warm to the Touch

If any of these signs are present in an outlet or switch, contact Roman Electric immediately for further assessment.

Test Mom’s Smoke and CO Detectors

Smoke and CO detectors are an invaluable safety measure in any home. Therefore, by testing mom’s smoke and CO detectors, you’re helping to prepare her in the case of a fire or carbon monoxide leak. Test each detector as follows.

Note: Before proceeding, alert everyone in the home that you will be testing the smoke and CO detectors. Testing them emits a loud beep which should be heard around the entire house.

• Testing A Smoke Detector – Have someone stand in a room of the home farthest away from the smoke detector being tested. Then, press and hold the test button on the smoke detector. After a few seconds, the alarm will sound off. If the person can hear the alarm where they stand, the detector is working properly. If the sound is weak or nonexistent, replace the batteries.
• Testing a CO Detector – Have someone stand in a room of the home farthest away from the CO detector being tested. Hold down the button on the CO detector until you hear two beeps being emitted. If the person can hear the alarm where they stand, the detector is working properly. If the sound is weak or nonexistent, replace the batteries.

For more information on maintaining smoke detectors, click here.

Identify Mom’s Circuit Breakers

Circuit breakers are how power is distributed to a home. Therefore, think of them as the nervous system of an electrical system. Each circuit breaker provides power to a specific circuit. By knowing the connection of each circuit breaker in mom’s home, you’ll be able to help assess a situation such as a troubleshooting a faulty outlet or shutting off an unstable electrical current.

There are a few ways you can help identify where each circuit breaker distributes power. The first idea that comes to mind would be to simply shut off a circuit breaker and see which circuits were closed. However, this is not recommended, as this wears down the breaker each time. Additionally, you don’t know which appliances you are shutting off power too. For example, if you shut off power to a water heater, it may consume excessive energy to power it back on.

One solution we do recommend is using a circuit breaker finder. This tool can be found at almost any department store and utilizes a transmitter and receiver to find the circuit breaker’s associated circuit.

For detailed instructions on how to use a circuit breaker finder, click here.

Give back to mom this Mother’s Day with our DIY electrical inspection tips! And when mom is ready to have her electrical system inspected by Milwaukee’s leading experts, contact Roman Electric today! Give us a call at 414-369-3798 for our electrical system maintenance inspection services!