An Electrician’s Advice on Electrical Hazards In the Home
Are you sure there are no electrical hazards in your home? This advice from a Brisbane electrician lists signs of electrical hazards in the home, electrical hazards and children, and finally ways to prevent electrical hazards.
Types of electrical hazards in the home include:
- A circuit that is overloaded will cause your electrical panel to frequently trip. This can be extremely dangerous if you have an older power breaker as when overloaded, they can cause further damage to the circuit board or even catch fire or.
- Power points that are grey or black in colour or have melted.
- Any whiff of smoke or smell of burning that comes from an electrical appliance or worse, still wiring in your home.
- Exposed wiring.
- Damaged wiring.
- Flickering or buzzing lights
- Warm power outlets.
- Light bulbs burn out too frequently.
Electrical Hazards and Children
It is highly recommended that you put safety covers over power points if you have young children or toddlers. This simple measure is vital as your child(ren) will not be able to poke items into the power points which can have tragic results.
Parents need to be aware that children also like to play with electrical appliances and thus need to be super vigilant about this. Wherever possible, appliances should be put away after use, or kept out of the reach of children.
It is very important to educate your children about the dangers of electricity as soon as they are old enough to understand. They need to be told how to be careful with electricity and safe methods of using electrical appliances etc .
If you suspect that your home has any form of electrical hazard, we strongly suggest you contact our Brisbane electrician Jason from Globe Electrical Solutions to do an electrical safety inspection.
Common Electrical Hazards In the Home
One of the most common electrical hazards in the home is electrical appliances catching fire.
According to research from the UK, the top eight appliances most likely to cause a fire in the home are:
- Washing Machines
- Tumble Dryers
- Dishwashers
- Ovens
- Fridges/Freezers
- Central Heating (not applicable in Australia)
- Microwaves
- Toasters
Ways to Prevent Electrical Hazards
We have listed below some ways to prevent electrical hazards and trust that this information is of use to you. Remember, if you have any doubts or concerns, you can always call Jason from Globe Electrical Solutions.
List of ways to Prevent Electrical Hazards In the Home
- Do not attempt to do any electrical work around your home yourself. This is one area in which, no matter how handy a handyman you are, you need to call in a qualified electrician to do the work for you.
- Throw away any appliances that start to smoke or have damaged cords or damaged plugs including bent or twisted pins/prongs.
- Ensure that all electrical cords are not near electrical appliances that get hot, such as stove tops or mini-ovens.
- Never use two double adapters joined to each other to create more power outlets. You should instead use a power board and make sure it is one with a safety switch.
- Although very tempting, do not use a hairdryer in a bathroom. The risk of this electrical appliance being so close to a source of water is a definite electrical hazard. Rather use a hairdryer in a bedroom.
