How to Prevent Electrical Fires

Every year, electrical fires are involved in about 50,000 home structure fires. Electrical fires in the home typically involve electrical distribution equipment like wiring, outlets, switches, lamps, light bulbs, cords, and plugs. Most of these fires could have been prevented if electrical safety measures had been taken. Do you know how to prevent an electrical fire? Here, we offer some electrical safety tips to prevent fire from damaging your home.

• Know the top electrical hazards that cause fires. Most electrical fires are caused by incorrectly installed wiring, overloaded circuits and extension cords, defective plugs, switches and outlets, and misuse or poor maintenance of lighting. Being aware of this can help you understand how to prevent problems from occurring.
• Have your wiring checked. If your home is more than 10 years old, it’s a good idea to have an electrician perform an inspection of the wiring. Wiring does not last forever, and faulty wiring is dangerous. If necessary, have the wiring repaired or replaced.
• Check power cords and the plugs on electrical appliances. Electrical cords and plugs can fray and break, causing a few different electrical hazards. First, they’re a shock hazard. Additionally, they can overheat or spark, which can start an electrical fire.
• Don’t overload your electrical outlets. A power outlet is only designed to provide a certain amount of power. If you overload it, you run the risk of having the outlet spark and possibly cause an electrical fire.
• Keep electricity and fire separate. Flammable materials should never be kept near electrical appliances or outlets. Don’t run cords under a rug or drape a cloth over a lamp, for example. Similarly, don’t allow cleaning supplies to come into contact with an electrical outlet. Any of these situations can trigger a fire.
• Employ surge protectors. Surge protectors are very useful because they prevent appliances and electronics from being damaged during a power surge. If something plugged into an outlet is hit with a power surge, there’s a good chance it can spark and start a fire.
• Don’t keep using faulty appliances. If an appliance sparks, trips a circuit, or blows a fuse while you’re using it, unplug it immediately. Check to see if it can be repaired and if it can’t be, replace it.
• Install smoke alarms, just in case. Despite your best efforts, sometimes an electrical fire will occur. Protect your home and family by having smoke alarms throughout your home, especially in the kitchen and outside sleeping areas.

If an electrical fire has damaged your home, call the experts at Pacific Flood Restoration for help. We offer full-service, 24-hour, on-call emergency services, and we’ve earned a reputation for being dependable, on time, courteous, and ethical. No matter the extent of your damage, our trained technicians have the experience, proven techniques, and state-of-the-art equipment to restore your home, fixing whatever damage it may have sustained. Call 832-294-5462, or contact us through our website.