Electrical Safety Tips & Tricks Every Homeowners Should Know -2022

Electrical fires are always in the news. The last thing you want to do is be one of those statistics. While most fires are preventable, it takes being cautious to stay safe. You can follow these key safety tips for electrical safety at home to keep your home and family safe. These include the very basics for would-be homeowners, along with suggestions for upgrading for an existing house.

Check your Outlets Regularly 

All the appliances you use at home need a certain amount of power to function correctly. This amount of power is measured in watts and has a limit assigned to each appliance. The maximum power consumption permitted for each appliance is found on its nameplate or rating label, which should be located on the appliance itself or near it.

In case you have any doubt about it, consult a professional electrician first before using the appliance.

Power consumption is calculated by multiplying voltage (measured in volts) by current (measured in amps). For example, if the current used by an appliance is 5 amps and your voltage is 110 volts, then the power consumption of that appliance would be 550 watts (110*5=550).

Turn Off the Appliances When Not in Use

Many people are not aware of the fact that electrical devices get dry after a long period of use. When this happens, it is important to turn off your electrical devices if you are not using them. This will help in saving money and time since you do not have to replace your faulty tools which might need replacement due to negligence.

There are many damages that can be caused by this electrical fault. When the wires get dry, they will start emitting sparks throughout your home. It can cause an electric shock to anyone who touches the device. As you know there are many electricity-related accidents happening every day in our flats in Thrissur, so it is important to avoid such incidents by properly maintaining your electrical appliances.

If you want to save money and time, then follow these simple steps:

• Unplug the power cords when they are not in use or switch them off when there is no need of using them during nighttime.
• If you find any odour coming from your electrical appliances, then immediately switch them off and contact an electrician for repair work.
• Clean up all the dust around the electric socket with a vacuum cleaner or a broom after every 6 months or once a year depending on how much dust is accumulated in the area surrounding your socket outlets.

Do not Touch Appliances With wet Hands

Do not touch any appliance if you have wet hands or feet. This is because the appliance could become live and deliver an electric shock which could cause serious injury or death.

The main problem that occurs with electrical appliances is that people do not switch them off at the mains before attempting to repair them or check their fault. Always switch off at the mains before attempting to repair any electrical appliance or remove the plug from the wall socket.

If there was a fault with an appliance and you were unaware of it. A situation like this could become electrocuted through touching the appliance whilst it was life. If you are unsure whether an appliance is live or not then turn off at the mains and check behind the appliance first.

Make Sure that Your Home has GFCI’s

The first thing you need to do is to make sure that your home has GFCI’s. It is really important that you do this because GFCI’s can save your life or the lives of those you love. You cannot see GFCI’s and they are often hard to find, but it is important that you look for them.

You should check the breaker panel and make sure that there is a GFCI breaker installed on each of the 15-amp and 20-amp circuits that power outlets. It may find it easier to simply turn off all of the breakers and then turn them back on one at a time, looking for the one with the GFCI switch. If it has a little “T” or “GFCI” written next to it, you know you have found the right breaker.

After locating the GFCI breakers, you should test each of them by flipping the switch back and forth between its up and down positions several times. If you hear a clicking sound or see sparks when flipping switches, this means that your circuit needs to be repaired or replaced. Even if nothing happens when flipping switches, it doesn’t mean that you can ignore testing them

Three-Pronged Plugs are the Best

If you look at the plugs in your home, you’ll probably notice that they come in two different sizes. One of them is bigger than the other.

The plugs with three prongs are usually on heavy, permanent appliances like refrigerators and air conditioners. The plugs with only two prongs are for smaller things like lamps and toasters. You can tell which is which by the size of the slot in the wall.

Use LED or LCD Lights or Bulbs

LEDs do not get hot. When they are off, you cannot even tell whether they are on or not. When they are on, their only warm part is the tiny bit of metal behind the light. This means that you can put them almost anywhere without worrying about fire.

LEDs are more efficient than incandescent lights, which means that they use less power and save you money. Since LEDs do not get hot, they last longer.

LEDs are made of metal and plastic. So if they break, the pieces will be less likely to start a fire than with incandescent bulbs.

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