Many people forget how powerful electricity actually is. Electricity can kill. Electricity can cause fires and electricity brings risk of accidents. Today we use more and more electrical appliances in the home. Poorly maintained, fitted, and used electrical equipment is a big cause of electrical problems. Everyone who works with electricity or uses electrical gadgets is responsible for safety, from the builder to the busy mum. Here’s how you can stay safe in your home while using electrical equipment.
1. Only Professionals Should Install Electrics
If you are making changes to the circuits in your home don’t do it yourself – call in a skilled and professional electrician. It is easy to pick up the basic knowledge to make a circuit work but much harder to ensure it works safely, according to www.reconelectrical.co.uk.
2. Check the Age of Your Wiring
Faulty wiring is usually old wiring, and it is a major cause of electrical fires. Make sure that your wiring is checked by a professional so that you can work out if there are any problems that need to be fixed. You will probably already know if you have old wiring but clear giveaways include cables wrapped in black rubber or fabric, round pin sockets or round light switches, and wall-mounted bathroom light switches. Get new wiring for a renovation job at www.reconelectrical.co.uk
3. Check Your Sockets
Check that the plug and the socket do not have any burn marks. When plugged in, does the socket make a buzzing or fizzing sound? Do fuses keep blowing? If in doubt, get the sockets replaced.
4. Be Careful With Your Plugs
Whenever you remove plugs from sockets do it carefully as a damaged plug is dangerous. Don’t pull on the cable to remove a plug as this can split the contact between the socket and the plug, resulting in loose wires and possible overheating. Always use plugs that have the British Standard mark for safety.
5. Don’t Take Risks with Electric Fires
Drying clothes over an electric fire is very dangerous as the water can leak into the live electrics, causing electric shock. Don’t cover the ventilation holes on heaters as this can cause them to overheat and may result in a fire.
6. Be Careful When Installing Lights
When you fit new downlighters and some other forms of lighting it is easy to use the wrong installation or bulb and cause a fire. Ask a qualified electrician to install new light fittings in the home.
7. Take Care with Extensions
Extension leads and adaptors can pose a fire risk if overloaded or used incorrectly. Don’t overload extensions with high-current gadgets like irons and kettles. Buy good quality adaptors and keep them well-maintained.
8. Don’t Be Stupid
It sounds obvious, but many people forget or fail to understand the importance of unplugging appliances before they do any work on them. Don’t drill into a wall without understanding if there are concealed cables inside the wall.
Image courtesy of Suat Eman/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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