2021 was a winter to remember. Temperatures dropped to the single digits, and ice and snow glazed roads and powerlines. Simply put, it was a wintry mess that left millions in the dark for days after ERCOT’s grid was overwhelmed.
While winter storms like that don’t happen often in southeast Texas—staying prepared can go a long way.
KPRC 2 asked electrician Sean Flanagan, the owner of Gladiator Electric, about what homeowners can do to prepare their homes for the winter season.
KPRC 2′s Daji Aswad: “What is one of the biggest threats to a home after a winter storm?”
Sean Flanagan: “During a winter storm, with downed power lines and people putting generators on or everyone’s inside, there’s massive fluctuations in voltage around the city. And with that, it sends spikes of voltage into people’s homes, and it goes directly into their main breaker box. And then from there, it branches out to all the receptacles in the home... So, a couple good spikes could take out thousands of dollars and people’s refrigerators, units. So, the best protection is to install a whole home surge protector.”
Flanagan says winter storm or not, there are other things to check electrically around your home:
- Check fire alarm batteries and make sure they are all connected to prevent a person from missing an alarm going off
- Do not over-plug a circuit. Too many Christmas decorations/lights into one outlet; it can lead to a fire.
- Make sure your breaker panel is sealed properly to prevent ice or liquid from damaging the breaker.
- Avoid using space heaters because they often to lead to fires.
