Why You Shouldn't Upgrade Your Home Entertainment Centre Before Thinking Carefully

In the space of only a couple of generations, people are able to recreate in their living room something that they were only able to experience if they went to a fully-fledged movie theatre. They are able to get the latest televisions with amazing clarity, all in high definition. They are able to hook these up to powerful sound systems and even special lighting equipment, so that they get first-class entertainment every night for the whole family. Yet the average home was not built to cater for this type of power requirement, so before you go out and purchase a new home theatre for yourself, what do you need to consider?

Not Enough to Go Round

Unless you have the very latest designer home, it's likely that there are only a certain amount of electrical outlets in your living room. As a consequence, most people pick up a number of different extension cords from the superstore, when they are buying all of this new equipment. This can be a false economy, however, as these cords are not meant to be permanent additions and overuse could generate the risk of fire or electric shock.

Isn't This Essential?

Most people don't look at this is a problem. They realise that they don't have enough electrical outlets, but argue that they have to get power for all these new gadgets, which are "essential." They have no alternative but to get extension cords, they would argue. They do, however, understand that they're not very nice to look at and when they hook everything up they may try and hide them in an area which typically has poor airflow and where a lot of heat could build up. In short, they are compounding the potential problem.

Can You See What's Happening?

Out of sight, often means out of mind and these hidden extension cords could easily be damaged without you knowing it. If they get squashed behind the entertainment centre, this can seriously compromise their operation.

Two Into One Doesn't Go

Some people can even get desperate, when they are trying to plug in the system to watch the latest movie. They may try to fit two extension cords together by removing the grounding connector from one cord, so that it fits into a two-pronged receptacle on another. This almost goes without saying, but it's an extremely dangerous thing to do. Apart from anything else, two separate extension cords should never be added together, in order to reach a faraway electrical outlet. This could cause a drop in the required voltage, which could cause an overload and damage to the equipment.

What Is the Answer?

The solution is to call in a qualified electrician to install a new range of outlets in the ideal location. This takes some work, but it is infinitely preferable to overloading your current system.