What to Do During a Power Outage in Florida

To Tampa residents, power outages are nothing new. We’ve dealt with all kinds of crazy storms and annoying weather in our time here, and it can be quite flustering if you’re not sure how to handle things. But if you’re prepared and know what to do, an outage can become little more than brief annoyance. Find out what to do during an outage with the help of the experts at Hoffman Electrical & A/C!

Considering a generator installation for your Florida home or business? Contact the team at Hoffman Electrical & A/C today!

What to Do During a Power Outage: Safety Tips

The first and foremost thing of importance is, of course, safety! Outages come with some pretty big potential dangers, and being ready with the proper knowledge and equipment can keep you and your loved ones safe. When an outage occurs, be sure to do these:

• Use a flashlight for navigation. Emergency candles have been a thing for a long, long time. But the fact is that modern flashlights are a better light source, and far safer. In an outage, the chance for accidents is high and the mishandling of an emergency candle could start a fire in your home. They aren’t very effective as a light source, anyway. Stick with a trusty flashlight!
• Shut off major tools and appliances. When power is restored, there is a slight risk of your appliances misbehaving a bit, which can result in overloads that can kill your power all over again or damage the appliances. Large equipment like stoves, refrigerators, and HVAC systems should be unplugged or shut off at the panel if possible. Sensitive tools like computers are also at a very high risk and should be prioritized to avoid frying them.
• Avoid moving around too much. Don’t expose yourself to unnecessary risks in the dark. Once you’ve secured any supplies you might need and cut power to the possibly dangerous appliances in your home, go to a predetermined safe place and stick there.
• Use a radio or portable television to keep up with news. If the outage is due to storms or dangerous events, keep up to date with news to keep track of progress on the event and to catch any evacuation notices or civil instructions.

Preparing for Power Outages: Generators

Keeping a stock of good flashlights and preserved food is always a good idea, but if you want to take things a step further and really prep your home, nothing beats a standby generator. A reliable generator supplies your home with the power it needs to remain functional or nearly fully functional in a time of emergency or even during a simple grid outage.

This is indispensable for Florida home and commercial business owners, as it allows us to essentially go on with our lives in the face of an outage, or can help us stay safe in the face of an emergency. The worst thing about an outage is its unpredictability and a generator works around the problem flawlessly.

Home Standby Generator Services from Hoffman Electrical & A/C

Whether you want power restored automatically (without power loss delay) or you have a portable generator that you would like to use with a manual transfer switch, Hoffman Electrical & A/C can provide you with the generator and transfer switch wiring that you need. It doesn’t matter what sort of generator issue you are having, give us a call if you live in the Clearwater area. Whether you want to install a new generator or repair and maintain an older one, Hoffman Electrical & A/C can help.

Contact us today to schedule your home standby generator service from Hoffman Electrical & A/C! We have been servicing the Tampa area since 1989!