How to Prevent Electrical Dangers at Home
Guest Post by Trent Anderson
Electricity is an essential part of modern life.
It does more than give you heat and light.
Electricity is now essential to keep people connected, run financial institutes, pay for items and even drive your car into town. But, that doesn’t mean it is not dangerous.
In fact there are 15 Australians killed every year and 300 hospitalized due to electrical accidents at home.
You need to implement these tips to ensure you are not one of these people.
Get An Electrician
You probably had your electrics inspected when you bought your home and have done nothing to it since.
This is normal, but dangerous.
You need to use a service such as Tiger Electrical that will offer you a complete inspection of your current electrical installation.
They will be able to advise of any issues you have, particularly faulty circuits that could increase the chances of an electric shock or a fire.
The sooner you have an electrical inspection the quicker you’ll be able to resolve any issues.
It is also essential that you get any new electrical installation completed or verified by a qualified electrician.
Just because you got something to work doesn’t mean that it is safe.
Overloading
It is easy to add an extension, or adapter, in order to run all the gadgets you have.
However, this can cause an overload of the circuit.
Each circuit is only designed to carry a certain load; going past this will increase the chances of the circuit tripping or you starting a fire.
Also when electricity passes through cables it generates heat, too much of this heat can cause the wires to melt and a short can start a fire.
This is why you should never leave an extension cable coiled up.
Inspect Appliance Cables
An electrician will inspect your installation but they can’t check that your appliances are safe; only you know what you plug in on a regular basis.
You need to visually verify that all cables are not damaged.
Don’t be tempted to use the item if the cable is damaged; this could result in an electric shock or a fire.
Water & Electricity Do Not Mix
You probably already know this but you may not have realized that there are strict regulations regarding wiring in bathroom s and kitchens.
You should never touch an electrical item if you have wet hands.
You should also make sure that all electrical items stay dry; this will prevent them from becoming damaged and potentially shocking you.
Use Surge Protectors
A surge can happen at any time and damage your electrical items.
It can also give you a shock if you’re holding the appliance at that moment.
To help reduce this risk it is a good idea to use surge protecting sockets or even whole house protection.
Don’t Modify Your Systems
You may be tempted to modify the wiring in your home to suit your own needs but you should never adjust the pins on your plugs or the wiring in a socket.
This will simply increase the likelihood of an accident happening.