You can barely run any appliance nowadays without electricity. While it has undoubtedly eased life, electricity has also exposed your home and commercial building to a considerable risk: electrical fire. Unlike most types of fire, this burns fast because electric cables run through all nooks and crannies in your home, causing it to spread quickly. Unlike water damage, you will barely salvage anything from a property damaged by fire, and insurers will almost always fault you and deny compensation.
With an experienced electrical service in Salt Lake City to handle the elements that might contribute to a fire, you will be protected. Even if you still suffer an electric fire in the future, you only need evidence of the electrical service for you to prove that you took all the necessary measures to minimize the risk. This guarantees compensation from relevant authorities who should have done something to stop it.
Here are some of the common electrical fire hazards you should focus on and handle correctly:
Outdated Wiring
This is one of the common causes of electric fires. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to know if your electrical cables are outdated and need replacing. If, however, you experience frequent power surges or outages, tripping circuit breakers, and shocks from electric sockets, these might be signs of outdated cables. The cables cannot ordinarily handle modern electronics in your home and might destroy them in addition to causing a fire.
Permanent Use of Extension Cords
Extension cords are not meant as permanent solutions for plugging multiple devices into one power outlet. Plugging the appliances directly into a socket is the safest option. If you are have been using extension cords as permanent solutions, get an electrician for the installation of grounded outlets. This way, you will avoid the excessive use of an extension cord. When temporarily using an extension cord, ensure you do not run it under rugs and other materials that might be flammable.
Misuse of Light Fixtures
People assume that the replacement of light fixtures is easy. Even so, if you do not use the recommended light wattage for your fixtures, you are increasing your risk of an electric fire since the bulb might overheat. The use of flammable materials as lampshades will also increase your chances of an electrical fire.
Carelessness with Space Heaters
Space heaters account for about 25000 fires in homes annually. Most people will use them for extra heat in cold months without observing some safety rules. The coils of the space heaters cause grave injuries and ignite fires when in contact with flammable materials. It would help if you do not leave a space heater unattended and always keep it away from flammable materials.
Electric fires can happen in an instant. As such, you need not wait for signs of a problem with your electrical circuit for you to call an electrician to sort out or guide you on how to handle the above issues. Fiddling with your circuit under the guidance of an online resource will often ignite a fire or increase its risk.
