Five Ways to Prevent Electrical Fires

11/14/2018 (Permalink)

Faulty Toaster On Fire

Electrical fires can get out of control quickly. Prevent them from ever occurring with these tips.

Over 14670 people sustain injuries or 3400 deaths due to electrical fires during 2017 in the United States. And almost every one of those injuries or deaths could have been prevented. The fact is that many fires of this nature happen because of human error. Taking preventative steps now will help you avoid a fire in the future. Here are 5 ways you can prevent such a fire in your McHenry County home or business.

Replace or fix broken plugs and cords

Frayed or nicked electrical cords or broken pugs can overheat or cause sparks. Both of these can cause a fire. It is not difficult to replace most appliance cords or plugs. If you are not able to do the work yourself, an electrician can do the work for you.

Don't overburden electrical outlets

Plugging too many appliances or electronics into the same outlet can cause overheating. An overheated plug can spark or short out completely and cause a fire. If you need to plug more than one thing into an outlet, use a power strip with built-in overload protection.

Have faulty wiring fixed

If you have flashing blinky lights, buzzing outlets, breakers that constantly trip or funny smells, you may have faulty wiring somewhere. Older homes often contain aluminum wire or even white ceramic "knobs" and black "tubes" that encase the copper wiring, which are both prone to cause fires more than modern copper wiring. It may be time to rewire your century-old building. Faulty wiring is often hidden in the walls or ceiling cavities. So, leave faulty wiring to an electrician. He can diagnose and fix the problem quickly and effectively.

Keep flammable materials away from electrical appliances

Your home and business abound with flammable materials, such as towels, rugs, draperies, paper and blankets. Keep electrical appliances well away from these flammable materials. This includes electric space heaters, hair irons, hair dryers, and lamps. Never hide cords under rugs because they cause fires by overheating.

Get an electrical inspection done

If your home or business is an older building, consider a thorough inspection performed by a professional electrician. Older homes often contain aluminum wire or even white ceramic "knobs" and black "tubes" that encase the copper wiring, which are both prone to cause fires more than modern copper wiring. It may be time to rewire your century-old building.

Get Rid of Faulty or Defective Appliances

You should stop using an electrical appliance that is sparking, tripping a breaker, or overheating. Things like these are time bombs waiting to happen, and just because nothing has gone wrong yet doesn’t mean nothing will. There is a reason they are called accidents!

Each of these tips will help you prevent an electrical fire from starting in your home or business. So, if the worst happens, and you do have damage from a fire, you need the help of professionals to get your home and business straightened out. Call SERVPRO of Southern McHenry County at 847-516-1600.

Source: HOWSTUFFWORKS 

          www.usfa.fema.gov/data/statistics/