You know that old saying “A pinch of prevention is worth a pound of cure”? Well, this is true in most aspects of our lives, and especially when it comes to electrical fires. According to some data, electrical failures or malfunction in the electrical grid in homes contributes to 13% of the total household fires. That’s a lot! Most places that experience electrical home fires are the attic, kitchen, laundry rooms and living rooms.
In order to avoid this, it’s important to exercise electrical safety as much as possible. Today we will discuss 6 different ways you can prevent or minimize the risk of electrical fires in your home.
Electrical Fires Prevention Tip #1 – Have installations inspected
Every part of your home is subject to wear, tear and aging. That rule also applies to the electrical installation. Faulty or worn-down electrical installations can easily contribute to electrical fires. So, if your home is 10 years or older, it’s always a good idea to check if the electrical installations are in good conditions and whether they can cause any problems.
Hire an electrician who will inspect every inch of the electrical wiring in your house. At the end, you will receive a report if everything is okay OR recommendations if anything needs repairs.
Tips #2 – Don’t overload the electrical outlet.
In order to get the most out of each electrical outlet, people often use extension cords or power strips. Now just because every extension cord has six single outlets, doesn’t necessarily mean that you should use all six of them at the same time.
Every electrical outlet in your wall, has a specific threshold and the amount of electricity it can carry. When we plug in more appliances into it, we are running the risk of overloading the outlet and causing electrical fires.
You can easily prevent this by using only every second outlet on the power board and avoid filing all the outlets with high-powered devices.
Tips #3 – Surge protectors can prevent electrical fires
If you want to protect your appliances and prevent electrical fires, it’s highly recommended that you use surge protectors. As the name suggests, the sole purpose of these devices is to protect your appliances or anything else plugged into the outlet, from sudden power surges.
A power surge is a sudden increase in electrical energy that flows through the installations and outlets and overloads them. The excess power can cause the appliances to spark and thus cause an electrical fire.
Tips #4 – Check the plugs of appliances
Checking your electrical installations and wires is good but you shouldn’t stop there. That’s not the only thing that can become damaged or worn out by use. The plugs on the appliances can also wear down and get damaged. A damaged plug is not working properly and can easily contribute to electrical fires. So, if you notice that a plug is damaged, make sure that you replace them as soon as possible.
Tip #5 – Prevent electrical fires by using recommended wattage in light fixtures
Before you install light bulbs make sure that you check what is the recommended wattage for that specific lamp. If the light fixture specification recommends that you use a light bulb of up to 60 watts, don’t install a 100-watt bulb. You should never exceed the recommended wattage.
Yes, the stronger bulb might be lighter and it looks pretty, but think about the risk that that might cause. Also, when it comes to light fixtures, avoid using extension cord or power strips. And if you notice that the light is flickering or shuts down by itself and won’t stay on, then there might be a problem with the electrical switch and you should use that lamp until you determine what the problem is and fix it.
Tip #6 – Correct position of portable heaters
Portable heaters use coils to provide heat and they are potential danger and risk to electrical fires. These heaters should always be positioned away from flammable materials, fabrics, cloths etc.
Furthermore, portable heaters should NEVER be used for drying clothes because the moisture from the clothes can fall onto the coils and cause sparking, short circuits and electrical fires. In the event that your dryer is broken, we recommend drying clothes the natural way, hanging them or a clothes rack and leaving them to dry.
By following these electrical fire safety tips, you can greatly reduce the chance of an electrical fire and also fire damage. If your home was struck by fire damage, either from electrical fire or some other source, make sure to contact ASAP Restoration today. We have a 24/7 emergency service that’s here to help you remedy the situation as quickly as possible.
