Outlets critical to keeping docks safe
Recognizing the danger of electrical shocks that exist around docks, the Fannin County Building Department is working to educate dock owners of those dangers and their responsibility.
“As the dock owner, it is your responsibility to ensure the dock is safe,” a flyer from the Building Department and Fannin County Emergency Management Agency Director Patrick Cooke says.
That flyer is scheduled to be placed on every dock on Blue Ridge Lake before Labor Day. That’s 560 docks along the 60 miles of lake shoreline.
Building Inspector Keith Nicholson talked last week about the dangers and precautions needed when electricity and water are close to each other.
“All elements weather,” Nicholson said. For example, “Take a wire, bend it back and forth so many times and it’s going to break.”
Docks wired for electricity are especially vulnerable. As they are moved in and out, as the lake level changes or they are rocked by waves, any movement can affect the wiring, connections can loosen, become eroded and fail, Nicholson explained. “That’s why it’s important to check your electrical components at least once a year,” Nicholson said.
He said Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) outlets should be used anywhere electricity and the weather meet.
These outlets are designed to protect against electrical shock by constantly monitoring the electrical current flowing through a circuit. If a difference between the incoming and outgoing current is detected, the power flow is stopped, preventing an electrical shock. This happens in less than a second.
But just like all other electrical components, these outlets should be checked regularly, Nicholson says. This can be done by the owner with tools purchased from any hardware store.
The newest GFCI outlets automatically check themselves every three seconds. “If they go off, they don’t come back on,” Nicholson said.
He also urged the use of GFCI circuit breakers for all exterior electrical wiring.
Another important safety measure is that outside circuits should always be run with UF wire, which is “tougher than the wiring used for houses,” Nicholson said.
“Beware of anything that produces electricity, such as generators or solar panels, since these can also create an electrical shock,” he said.
He urges dock owners to have a licensed electrician inspect all circuits and bonding connections annually.
Making sure a dock is safe is “the ultimate responsibility of the property owner,” Nicholson said.