Everything You Need to Know About Electrical Fires

Overloaded circuits, outdated wiring and portable space heaters can all cause electrical fires—and electrical fires are something any home can experience. These fires could easily cause major damage to your home or even injure someone, which is why it’s important to know some useful info on preventing electrical fires.

Below, we’ve covered everything you need to know about electrical fires, including tips for handling electrical fires.

What causes electrical fires?

There are many things that can cause an electrical fire. For example, older appliances sometimes have frayed cords that could easily lead to an electrical fire. Many older appliances weren’t made with the same safety requirements as modern ones. If your kitchen is mostly made up of appliances that are more than a decade old, it might be time for some upgrades.

Outdated wiring is another common cause of electrical fires. The modern home features way more electronics. It’s important to have wiring that can support all these devices, or an electrical fire could occur. Homes more than a few decades old might have outdated wiring. If you’re suspicious your home has outdated wiring, have an electrician come out and conduct an inspection.

Electrical fires commonly start in outlets, which is why it’s important to routinely check the outlets in your home for damage. A faulty outlet could easily start an uncontrollable fire. When inspecting your electrical outlets, check for signs of wear, like black soot around the outlet.

Other common causes of electrical fires include portable space heaters and light fixtures. As with faulty outlets, it’s important to keep an eye out for problematic space heaters and light fixtures in your home. When it comes to portable space heaters, be sure to keep them on flat surfaces away from flammable items.

Electrical fire safety tips

It’s easy to prevent an electrical fire for the most part. However, you may need to make some upgrades to your home’s electrical system. Have an electrician inspect your system and make sure it’s up to code. Have them upgrade or replace anything that’s not up to code, which might include outdated wiring, outlets and electrical panels.

Avoid using any electronics that have frayed or damaged wiring, and be sure to install smoke detectors throughout your home. It’s also important that you have a working fire extinguisher, as water doesn’t work on electrical fires. Your home’s fire extinguisher should feature a class C or ABC rating.

You should also be careful to not overload wall outlets. If you have multiple devices plugged into one outlet, consider investing in a surge protector.

Speak with a professional electrician

While there are plenty of things you can do to prevent an electrical fire, the best way of preparing your home is by contacting an electrician. An electrician can inspect all areas of your home for potential electrical fire hazards. They can also provide great tips for preventing electrical fires in the home.

For more info on preventing electrical fires, or if you need top-quality electrical work at your property, contact the experts at Wilkinson Electric Inc. today.

Categorised in: Electrical Inspections

This post was written by Writer