Most home electrical fires and shocks don't come from rare, freak accidents — they come from small, everyday habits that quietly add up over time. The good news: a handful of simple practices can dramatically lower your risk. Here are the ten we share most often with homeowners across Texarkana and the ArkLaTex.
That octopus of plugs behind the entertainment center is one of the most common hazards we see. Power strips are for low-draw electronics, not space heaters, microwaves, or window AC units. High-wattage appliances belong in their own wall outlet — never daisy-chained through a strip or extension cord.
An extension cord running under a rug or stapled along a baseboard has become permanent wiring — and it wasn't built for that. If you're relying on a cord month after month, you actually need an added outlet. It's an inexpensive fix that removes a real fire risk.
GFCI outlets (the ones with the test/reset buttons) shut off power in a fraction of a second if electricity tries to travel through water — or a person. They're required near kitchens, baths, garages, and outdoors. AFCI breakers protect against arcing faults, a leading cause of electrical fires. If your home is older, you may not have either.
Smoke alarms have a service life of 8–10 years — after that, the whole unit should be replaced, not just the battery. Combination smoke/CO detectors handle two threats at once, and interconnected units sound everywhere when one goes off, which buys your family precious time.
Frayed insulation, cracked plugs, or a cord that's warm to the touch are all signs of trouble. Don't tape it and hope — replace it. The cost of a new cord is nothing compared to what a damaged one can start.
Putting a 100-watt bulb in a fixture rated for 60 watts generates heat the fixture wasn't designed to handle. Switching to LED bulbs solves this neatly — they run far cooler and use a fraction of the energy.
It sounds obvious, but it's worth the reminder: never operate switches or plug-in devices with wet hands, and keep hair dryers, radios, and chargers away from sinks and tubs. This is exactly what GFCI outlets are there to back up.
A breaker that trips repeatedly isn't being annoying — it's doing its job and warning you that a circuit is overloaded or faulting. Resetting it again and again without finding the cause is how small problems become dangerous ones.
If a breaker trips more than once, or an outlet or switch feels warm, stop using it and have it checked. That's a five-minute conversation that can prevent a very bad day.
If you have little ones, tamper-resistant outlets are the gold standard — they have built-in shutters that block anything but a real plug. They're inexpensive, code-standard in new homes, and easy to add to an older one.
You change your oil and check your smoke alarms — your electrical system deserves the same attention, especially in older homes. A licensed electrician can spot aluminum wiring, ungrounded outlets, an overloaded panel, or a worn meter loop long before they become an emergency. At LiveWire, our 40-point safety evaluation is built exactly for this.
Schedule a LiveWire safety evaluation with a licensed, background-checked electrician.
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