Electrical 101 (NAPSA)—A house’s electrical power needs to be maintained just like any other part of a home. A good place to start is with the service cable—or where power enters your home from the street. Of course, rule number one is to never touch exposed cables and to never get near a powerline with a ladder. In fact, most issues with service cables should be addressed by the utility company. But there are still steps homeowners can take to keep power Give your home’selectrical service wire a periodic visual inspection. The experts at HouseMaster, leaders in the home inspection industry, recommend doing a visual inspection of the powerline that runs to your home. Are any tree branches encroaching on it? Does it hang too low? Is its covering frayed? If you see any of these conditions, contact the utility company. If the service entrance cable is buried, assume it runs in a straight line from your meter to the nearest utility pole and make certain no digging, trenching or stake driving takes place along that line. For more tips on electrical issues and other areas of home maintenance, visit www.house master.com/homedefects.
