Household Electrical Hazards That Make Electricians Cringe
Electricity has been the invention that has collectively made all of our lives easier. There are so many things that would be impossible if it weren’t for electricity and, if you think about it, it’s fairly easy to use electricity too. Granted you know how to safely use it. There are a lot of people that are living with Electrical Hazards and don’t even notice them until things escalate to being extremely dangerous!
However, you can protect yourself and your home from danger by making sure you don’t ignore any of these electrical Hazards that make Electricians everywhere, cringe!
#1: Using Damaged Wires
All throughout our lives, we’ve always heard of the warning “Never touch bare wires”. This doesn’t just mean don’t touch the bare wires, it’s a warning that tells us how dangerous any type of damaged wire can be! Damaged wires can heat up, cause electrical shocks and even lead to fires! This doesn’t only apply to main house wiring, even a damaged phone charger wire can lead to detrimental effects! Whenever there’s a damaged wire, it should be replaced immediately! This is to ensure that the danger is curbed before things get too dangerous!
#2: Daisy-Chaining Cords
With the onset of extension cords being available everywhere in supermarkets and online, the common thought is that they’re completely safe to use in place of regular wall outlets. When the reality is far from it. Extension cords are only meant to be used temporarily, not long-term. Even in temporary circumstances, the extension cords are meant to only be plugged into a wall outlet. Surprisingly, a lot of people don’t know that, and end up plugging one extension into another and creating a “chain” of power. Although this does work, and provides power to the very last extension cord, it’s extremely dangerous too as it can easily cause an electrical fire.
#3: Using the wrong extension cord
A lot of people just use any extension cord anywhere. They tend to grab the one they have lying around the house, or the first one they see when they’re shopping for it! That isn’t the best way to go around it. You need to be aware of which extension cords are meant to be used where! This means that you can’t just use the extension that you use indoors, outdoors. Outdoor extension cords are specifically made to be used outside and vice versa. For the safety of your home, it’s important that you only use the right extension cord for the job, and make sure, they’re only being used temporarily.
#4: One Outlet doing all of the work
If you’ve got a multi-plug switch, it might look like it’s okay to just plug as many appliances as you can on the switch, right? Well, that’s not really what you’re supposed to be doing. Plugging too many appliances in at the same time can cause the switch to overload and cause a fire! Instead, it might be a better idea to call Electricians North Vancouver, or any recommended electricians in your area to come and install more electrical outlets for you. That way, you can easily plug individual appliances in their own switches and keep your home safe from an electrical fire!
#5: Using ancient wiring
This is something that’s more common in older homes. People tend to think that wiring that’s been installed in a home once, is going to last an entire lifetime. Although this can be the case with very high quality wires, it’s not for old homes. Outdated wiring can be damaged, worn out and can catch on fire leading to a fire outbreak in the entire home! Having your wiring looked at by an electrician would help rule out any dangers immediately, keeping your home safe!
