Electrical Hazards

Protect Your Home & Your Family

Electricity is at the center of modern comforts we use each day. It keeps food fresh by powering refrigerators, enables us to cook it with appliances, warms our water, and even keeps our house safe while we’re away from it. To receive power, our homes are connected to a grid that delivers up to 220 volts of power to some outlets.

Most of the time, we use our electrical systems with no issues. However, strong electrical currents running through a home’s wiring can cause fires, injuries, and, in the worst cases, death. Knowing how to avoid common hazards might save your home or the life of someone you love!

Below we’ve listed some of the most common electrical hazards found in homes.

Hazard 1: Wiring Issues

Wiring can be dangerous after improper installation by an unqualified person or if it has deteriorated over time. An old wire’s casing can crack and split over time, exposing the components and increasing the risk for shock or fire. In some instances, wires might overheat if too much power is being drawn from an outlet. Avoiding plugging more than one high-powered appliance into an outlet is the best way to avoid demanding too much power from wires.

Common wiring hazards include the following:

• Frayed ends of cords
• Pinched wires
• Overheating wires and cords from overloaded outlets
• Damage caused by rodents

Hazard 2: Outlet Issues

As mentioned above, outlets can be overloaded with too many power-hungry appliances or devices. However, this is not the only hazard common for outlets. All outlets in your home should have a plate over them to prevent children from contacting live wires. Additionally, safety devices should be used to stop children from inserting objects into an outlet.

Be Wary of Water & Outlets

Water is an excellent conductor of electricity, so outlets should be placed away from sources of water. If you have an outlet in your bathroom or kitchen, avoid the temptation of using it with wet hands. Finally, if an electrical fire occurs in your home, avoid using water on it. Water adds the danger of electrical shock to a house fire and will also fuel the fire even more! Instead, ensure that your home is stocked with fire extinguishers.

Avoid leaving appliances in your bathroom or kitchen plugged in. If a plugged-in appliance becomes wet, do not unplug it from the outlet. Instead, head to your electrical panel box and turn off the power to the outlet and then unplug the appliance. Installing a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) is the best way to reduce the risk of shock from electric shock.

Hazard 3: Extension Cords & Power Strips

Power Strips

As mentioned above, an outlet can become overloaded and have overheating issues if too many appliances or devices draw power from it. When too many high-voltage devices are using a power strip, an outlet can quickly become overloaded. Avoid plugging too many devices that require extensive power into a power strip. Also, never “daisy chain” power strips or use products meant to multiply outlets. The safest power strip to use is none. However, if you need to use power strips, pick one with a circuit breaker. A circuit breaker should cut power once demand overloads a power strip.

Extension Cords

Extension cords should always be viewed as a temporary solution rather than a permanent source of power. If you need to use an extension cord permanently, you should contact our electricians to install additional outlets in your home. As with power strips, avoid using too many high-powered devices on an extension cord as they can overheat and catch fire.

How to Fix Electrical Hazards

If you think you have an electrical hazard present in your home or want to confirm that you don’t, call the experts at Mister Sparky® today! We’re ready to quickly come to your home and accomplish the repair or inspection of your home’s needs. Importantly, never try to repair your wiring or any other electrical issue on your own. Our electricians have years of training under their belt before they receive the ability to do jobs on their own.

We’ll help you mitigate electrical hazards by doing the following:

• Examining your wiring
• Upgrading your circuit box
• Installing GFCIs
• Examining all critical electronic components prone to failure

Best of all, every Mister Sparky® is locally owned and operated. So, your electrician will be familiar with common local electrical issues and will provide the neighborly service you deserve. We’re always on time and back our work with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Stop your electrical hazard from turning into an electrical emergency by calling (800) 906-4577. We’re standing by to provide 24/7 support!