Electrical fires can be deadly. They can also cause a lot of damage to your home or even obliterate it. The U.S. Consumer Safety Product Commission estimates around 51,000 electrical fires annually. Those fires cause an average of 500 deaths, 1,400 injuries, and over a billion dollars in property damage. Here’s how you can protect your home and family from electrical fires:
Unplug Heaters and Similar Appliances When You’re Not Using Them
Space heaters and other heat-generating appliances are the primary cause of electrical fires. Every winter, homes burn down because of space heaters. Never leave a space heater or a heat-generating appliance on for long periods, like overnight. And always turn them off and unplug them before you leave the house. Unplug space heaters anytime they are not in use. Heat-generating appliances include space heaters, electric kettles, curling irons, hair straighteners, and kitchen gadgets like air fryers and toaster ovens.
Use Grounded Power Cords
Always use grounded power cords. You can tell which power cords are grounded because grounded cords have a third prong. If your home only has two prong outlets, you can use a grounded surge protector to plug in electronics. But you should also have an electrician see if you can update your outlets to grounded outlets.
Toss Devices With Damaged Cords
Get rid of anything with a frayed or damaged cord. No exceptions. It’s never safe to do anything electrical with a damaged cord. If your puppy chewed the lamp cord, get a new lamp. Get a new one if your TV cord was damaged from being plugged in on its side instead of straight. Please don’t make changes when it comes to electricity. If you want to keep the item, have an electrician at Morrill Electric look at it to see if the cord can be repaired.
Follow Appliance Instructions
If you’re like most people, you put all of your appliance manuals in a junk drawer or lost them a long time ago. But there’s important information and warnings in those manuals. Dig them out or go to the company’s website. Often they will have digital copies of the manual you can download.
Update Your Electrical System
If your home is older, your electrical system may need updating. Knob-and-tube wiring or old aluminum wiring should be checked by an electrician and updated to more modern materials to lower the risk of having an electrical fire. Updating your home’s electrical system if your home is older is one of the best things you can do to lower the risk of an electrical fire.
Get An Estimate Today
If you’re worried about the wiring in your home or know your home needs to have the electrical wiring updated, don’t wait. Contact Morrill Electric and request a free estimate. Our professional electricians can check the wiring in your home and give you an estimate for your electrical repairs.