What Electricians Want You To Know About Preventing Electrical Fires

Electrical fires almost always end in tragedy. In the United States, household electrical fires reach up to 25,000 and up. It’s a staggering number. The sad part about it is that all of these fires could have easily been prevented. Calling an electrician when there’s an electrical issue at home is one solution. However, it’s also important to apply measures that prevent electrical problems, to begin with. As always, prevention is better.

Here are some tips on how to ramp up electrical safety in your household

1. Never overload those outlets – the outlets in your home are rated to a certain capacity. If the load is too high, the circuit breaker will trip. However, that’s not always the case. There are random incidents where overloaded outlets cause short circuits or fires. To prevent this, never put too much load on a single wall outlet. For instance, don’t hook up an extension cord and plug in a number of appliances and run them all at the same time. It’s a basic red flag that you should avoid. It’s an easy step but can make a huge difference.

2. Use GFCI outlets in areas near water – areas like your garage, bathroom, kitchen, or perhaps any place where water is used must be fitted with GFCI outlets. Unlike your conventional wall outlet, GFCIs can detect whether there’s a short circuit in the system. In case you somehow get the outlet wet, you won’t have so much as a slight shock. A GFCI outlet will switch off the power to the outlet when a short circuit happens. This makes it safer and highly unlikely to cause fires in your home.

3. Never store flammable items near outlets – while it may seem harmless, there’s some danger to storing flammable objects near wall outlets. If ever the outlet becomes faulty, it may produce more heat than intended. Other than that, it may cause sparks which could ignite any flammable liquid nearby. That’s part of the reason why you should never store such items near the wall outlet. Again, this is one simple step but can greatly improve electrical safety at home.

4. Unplug appliances when not in use – it is wise for any homeowner to unplug appliances when not in use. Some appliances still consume electricity even when turned off. There’s a standby mode that most appliances have which consumes a little bit of electricity to keep the system on. Unplugging appliances after usage can eliminate the risks of electrical fires through appliance issues.

5. Schedule electrical inspections – most think that it’s just fine to skip electrical inspections. If there’s nothing wrong then there’s nothing to inspect, right? Wrong! Electrical inspections must be scheduled and done by a North Myrtle Beach electrician. The reason for this is simple. Electrical systems, like any other systems you have at home, may continue working for a long time but will still require some maintenance. The only way to keep your electrical system in good condition and away from any issues is to have it checked and maintained by the likes of NMB Electrician Pros.

Call NMB Electrician Pros if you are looking for a reliable electrician in your area.

NMB Electrician Pros
North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582
(843) 491-4489
http://nmbelectricianpros.com
info@northmyrtlebeachhomeservices.com

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