Did you know that electrical fires are responsible for an estimated 5oo deaths each year, more than 1400 injuries, and more than $1.3 billion lost in property damages?
These statistics should catch your attention.
Electrical fires can be extremely devastating to lives, property, business and even nations on a large scale.
So, if electrical fires are so damaging, then we should look out for anything that threatens to start them or has the likelihood to cause them.
It is imperative that you are aware of the dangers and cause of electrical fires so you learn how to avoid them. Incase dangerous situations do occur, do contact 24 hour electricians in Melbourne for guidance and help as electrical issues can be dangerous.
In this article. We will share with you what causes electrical fires so you can learn to avoid them.
Here are four common culprits behind many electrical fires.
- Outdated or Worn-out Electrical Wiring
- Cords and Electrical Circuit Overloads
- Old Appliances
- Light Fixtures
Ready to avoid having your home or business ravaged by an unnecessary electrical fire? Then read on.
1. Outdated or Worn-out Electrical Wiring
Too often, many electrical fires are caused by outdated or worn-out electrical wiring. Many times, receptacles (electrical outlets) and sockets are worn out, and when sockets that are worn out are not properly grounded, they can result in an electrical fire.
Just like everything else, outlets and switches get old and the wiring behind them wear out as well and need to be changed. This is because when wires are strung around a place for a while and get loosened overtime, they can break and this would eventually lead to a fire.
This is a major culprit in electrical fire outbreaks, but it can be avoided.
Electrical wiring draw a lot of power, and units with damaged or frayed cords pose extreme risk of starting a fire.
You can avoid this by paying attention to the state of your wiring. Replace loosened or old outlets immediately you spot them. This is if you cannot tighten them.
This can automatically reduce your risk of experiencing an electricl fire.
2. Cords and Electrical Circuit Overloads
Many people do not know this, but constant unrestricted use of extension cords can lead to a major electrical fire outbreak.
You most likely have never heard it before, but when your TV, home theatre, computer, and all other appliances are all plugged into one single extension cord, it causes excessive power load on that single socket and too many times, the socket is not designed to handle that kind of load.
So, for every time you overload your circuit, your home or location is at as erious risk of an electrical fire outbreak.
This means you must make conscious efforts to not ever overload your outlets.
If you don’t have enough outlets to bear the load of all your electrical appliances, then call a trusted electrician to install additional outlets for you.
Doing this will keep you, your family, business and property safe.
Also, ensure you go for heavy-duty extension cords for all your applications.
Never run your cords under your floor rugs as this could generate excess heat and cause a fire outbreak.
In addition to these, you cannot afford to permanently depend on extension cords. It’s safer to have more outlets installed if you don’t have enough.
3. Old Appliances
As examined in number one, old appliances are more likely to have damaged or frayed cords than new ones and these faulty wiring can catch or cause a fire easily.
In most cases, people prefer to repair old appliances, but it is safe to just buy new ones because sometimes, due to the high level of flammability of the old insulation, an electrical repair may not address the issue.
Also, these apply to your toasters, fridges, and stoves. If they are old, chances are that they don’t have they are not up to the standard when you talk about safety regulations, wattage usage, and quality of material.
You risk your life and property if you don’t upgrade our electrical appliances from time to time.
Make sure to upgrade your appliances from time to time.
Pay attention to your appliances and check your cords for excessive heating and exposed wires. If you hear any strange noise in your appliances, get it checked immediately!
4. Light Fixtures
This is another major fire outbreak causer. You can unknowingly fix a bulb with a wattage that is too high for the light fixtures and lamps and this is a leading cause of electrical fires.
This is why we recommend that you employ the services of a professional electrician.
And ensure to check the maximum recommended bulb wattage on any lamp or fixture and never go beyond the recommended amount.
This will help to ensure you never make it into the statistics for electrical fire outbreak.For all other electrical inquiries, contact your local emergency electrician in Melbourne.
Did you find this article useful? We hope you do.
