Tips to Cushion Homeowners Against Electrical Hazards
Electricity deserves your appreciation as well as your attention in equal measure. On one side, it allows you to use home appliances such as fridges, toasters, dishwashers, ovens, laundry machines, etc., which makes life much more comfortable and household chores a lot easier to do. On the flip side, electricity can cause fire, electrocution and other electrical hazards that may harm your loved ones and destroy the items inside your house.
Follow these tips to ensure electrical safety is maintained in your home:
Fix exposed electrical wiring immediately.
Some homeowners often wait until disaster strikes before they can pay attention to exposed electrical wiring. When left exposed, electrical wires present serious safety hazards because the wires can cause electrocution or trigger a fire by igniting sparks. While you might be well-aware of these dangers, your small children and pets are certainly oblivious of the dangers.
When left unsupervised, for instance, your little ones can touch the wiring in uncovered electrical sockets and get electrocuted. In order to rid of the danger of electrocution or fire, therefore, make sure you repair any exposed electrical wires immediately. Otherwise, these wires are a ticking time bomb.
Do not tamper with overhead and underground power lines.
The danger of an electrical hazard occurring not only exists inside your home but it also lurks outside. When you are going about your normal outdoor activities, you should be mindful of the safety risk that overhead or underground power lines present, electrocution if someone touches them or blowouts in case of external interference with the power lines.
Therefore, you should be careful not to install your TV antennae too close to your overhead electricity lines such that it can fall on the electricity lines in the event of a heavy storm, for example. Likewise, make sure your landscaping dig-outs do not tamper with underground power lines.
Be prepared to deal with an electrical accident.
Putting in place the right proactive safety measures can go a long way in ensuring that electrical hazards are adequately mitigated in the event that the hazards actually do happen. For example, having fire blankets in your kitchen can help put out a small fire caused by a faulty appliance before the fire can spread and cause extensive damage to the rest of your house.
If you follow the above-elaborated tips, you can rest assured knowing your home will be better protected against electrical hazards. Contact an electrical contractor to help you further protect your home from electrical hazards.