Due to innovation and modernization, the appliances, tools, and pieces of equipment that are often utilized in your home are highly reliant on electricity. In fact, electricity is now nearly in every part of everyone’s life.
While electricity improves the quality of your life and ensures your comfort and convenience, there are several major electrical hazards in your home that can be the cause of unwanted accidents and injuries. Here are five dangerous electrical hazards that are common at home that you should fix to avoid harmful situations:
- Babies and toddlers
If you live with children, particularly babies and toddlers, keep in mind that they are often inquisitive and curious at that age. This essentially means they are highly enthusiastic to see, experience, and explore different places and things around them. These can include electrical components and uncovered sockets around your home. When poked with their fingers or sharp objects, these can lead to serious injuries, or worse, death.
As their guardian, you should be responsible for keeping an eye on your children at home and take safety measures to keep them safe and protected at all times. Prioritize covering electrical outlets within their reach with plastic closures.
- Poor wiring
Defective, corroded, or worn electric wires and poor wiring can increase the risk of fires, power surges, and other electrical accidents that will leave you seeking for electrical home repairs. Because of this, it’s important to maintain good quality wiring. To achieve this, call a skilled and experienced electrician to check your wiring regularly and have any old wires replaced. At the same time, be sure to avoid handling electrical work by yourself, especially if you are unfamiliar or not skilled enough with performing this task.
- Wet hands
Don’t underestimate the danger of handling electrical appliances with wet hands because doing this can cause you to get an electric shock. To avoid accidents and calling in emergency electricians, make sure that your hands are completely dry before using electrical pieces of equipment, appliances, and tools. Performing this seemingly-minor step will ultimately ensure that you remain safe within your home.
- Electrical outlets near water sources
As you should know, water and electrical appliances are a serious combination that can cause severe accidents and injuries at best and death at worst. Similar to your appliances, your electrical outlets in areas with water, such as your kitchen and bathroom, have higher chances of causing an electric shock. Because of this, you should always keep your outlets away from any water source.
- Extension cords
Having unorganized extension cords will not only make your home look more cluttered, but they can also pose a threat to your safety. To prevent your extension cords from being an electrical hazard, fix them in place carefully and keep them organized to avoid tripping.
Conclusion
In your everyday life, you probably use electrical items and highly depend on electricity to accomplish your daily tasks and make your life more efficient and comfortable. Likewise, almost every home has potentially dangerous electrical safety hazards. By being aware of the electrical hazards mentioned above, you can reduce and eliminate them to reduce risks of fires and electrocutions, and make your house much safer and more secure.
If you have electrical emergency needs, you can always turn to us. We offer high-quality 24-hour electrical services in Edmonton with expert electricians that provide the best emergency services as and when you need them. Get in touch with us today to see how we can help!
When a house catches fire, it’s so difficult to start again. A small fire can take down any hard-earned property in an instant. No one wants that. Unfortunately, many house emergencies happen because of the homeowners’ lack of knowledge regarding electrical safety tips and rules. In an incident report in Ontario, half of the fires recorded happened in residential occupancies, while half of the electrical fires in British Columbia were caused by improper electrical distribution.
Knowing the essential electrical safety tips can help save your property from any electrical hazard. Here are the vital tips you should know to keep your property and everyone inside protected from electrical danger.
- Use your appliances the right and recommended way
Unless you’ve been using the same brand and unit of an appliance, always remember to read the manual. This step is what most people forget because they rely on their knowledge about the product or what the salesperson told them. The product manual contains all the information you need to know about the appliance you just bought, including its electrical risks. Reading the manual will make using any electrical devices easy and safe.
- Keep all electrical appliances far from water
If there is one rule you have to remember, it is to keep your electrical appliances away from any form of liquid, especially water. The combination of electricity and water has always been hazardous. Water can cause electrical short circuits and electrical shocks.
All your appliances should be dry at all times, whether you are using them or keeping them aside. The same rule applies to your hands when you are about to use an appliance. Water can damage your device apart from causing accidents to people who touch them. To prevent this from happening, place all your electrical equipment away from any source of water.
- Neatly arrange the cords and store them properly
One way to avoid any accidents is to keep your appliances neat and tidy. That includes appropriately storing their cords. Make sure they are not within reach of your children or pet so that they do not play with these critical parts. Proper storage would also mean less damage and less electrical risk for your appliances.
For items not in use, make sure that the cords are stored in an area with room temperature. Leaving them in a hot room or even hot surfaces can affect the cord’s insulation and function.
- Unplug devices when not in use
Unplugging unused devices is a standard tip that people should practice at all times, especially portable appliances. Even if you’re not using your house tool, the electricity continuously flows inside a plugged cord. Keeping them plugged in can cause possible overheating, overloading, or surging. On the other hand, unplugging them will stop the flow of electricity, and you’ll save up on energy and electricity bills.
- Regularly check the cords for damages
Always keep an eye on your appliances’ cords. Do this every day, if you can, especially for those items that you regularly use. There should not be any form of damages found in the cord. If there are cuts or open wires, or you see melted or frayed cables, they can cause electrocution or ignite a fire. If you see any damages on your cable, you need to replace them promptly before you use the appliances again.
- Improve the air circulation in the room
Problems occur when electrical appliances overheat, and sometimes, they overheat because of the room temperature. This scenario often happens to appliances placed in enclosed areas without proper ventilation. Ensure that the air is appropriately circulating in these spaces. Watch out for hot sources appliances, such as the oven, stove, heater, dryer, and more, because they are more prone to heat-related accidents.
- Avoid electrical overloading
When your outlet overloads, it can cause your breaker to set off. To avoid that from happening, make sure that you plug two high-wattage appliances in different outlets. Make sure that these outlets are connected to two separate circuit breakers.
For example, avoid plugging in your washing machine and microwave in the same outlet. They are both high-wattage appliances that can make your outlet overload. Instead, connect them into two separate outlets or a split outlet that are under two different breakers.
If the outlets in your property are not separated in different breakers, contact an electrician and have them changed to avoid overloading and overheating.
Conclusion
No one wants to get involved in an accident related to electricity or electrical wirings. To keep your property and everyone else safe from any electrical accidents, always take care of your electrical equipment. Keep them in secure storage at room temperature, and be mindful of the proper wattage for each device. Keep these seven tips in mind, but always seek professional service, in case you need one.
For electrical home repair or emergency electrical services in Edmonton, AB, contact us at 24/7 Emergency Electricians. We are always open to serve you and resolve all your electrical, heating, and air conditioning concerns. Contact us at (587) 855-4946 or info@247emergency
electricians.com.
The discovery of electricity has been a pivotal moment in the history of human existence. Much of our functions today rely on the rather dangerous form of energy, but without it, life can be incredibly hard to deal with. Electricity powers our homes—cooking, surfing the internet, and even baths are reliant on electricity.
Unfortunately, such power also causes us a great deal of stress. Oftentimes you accidentally leave appliances on and in a state of panic, you rush home just to plug them off. The risk of causing a fire is real, so any presence of burning smells and suspicious electricity sounds will leave your skin crawling—this could perhaps be why you always check your home twice now.
While most appliances are designed to harness the power of electricity flawlessly, malfunctions eventually occur. If left unchecked, it could lead to dangerous occurrences, so keeping your eyes and nose peeled for any warning signs is of the highest priority.
To keep yourself safe from potential electrical mishaps, here are three telltale signs a brewing emergency—you may need to contact your electrician immediately:
Sign #1: Your lights are flickering
Although dimming and flickering lights are a common occurrence, they should not be simply ignored. Most can be fixed with the change of a light bulb, but some flickering lights may be a sign of bigger underlying problems.
If you don’t have any skills or experience with handling electrical issues, it’s best to leave them to the professionals. Otherwise, you could put yourself and your properties in danger. It’s wiser to take caution and contact the professionals for high-risk situations like electrical issues.
Sign #2: Circuit breaker is malfunctioning
Tripped circuit breakers are also not to be taken lightly because this could be a sign that they are overloaded. Circuit breakers are responsible for stopping electricity from overheating the circuit, and if they malfunction, you might be at risk of an electrical fire. If you have a tripped or malfunctioning circuit breaker, it’s best to contact an emergency electrician rather than turning your electrical appliances back on and risking a fire.
Sign #3: Outlets are suddenly sparking
A sparking outlet can hardly be ignored. Those showers and flashes of blue light will be enough to send your heart pounding. While malfunctioning outlets are oftentimes merely isolated cases, such occurrences should never be overlooked. It could potentially lead to an electrical breakdown and in the worse case, an electrical fire.
A sparking outlet could have been the cause of old age or short-circuiting, but never attempt to diagnose the problem yourself. You’re better off contacting your electrician, as exposing yourself to a risky situation will never be worth it. Your best option is to ensure that nothing else gets plugged on the outlet until it’s been deemed safe.
The Bottom Line
Electrical faults can occur at the most opportune times and more often than not, unnerving and stressful. You may be doing everything possible to keep your home safe, but sometimes electricity works in ways we do not understand. With that being said, it’s important to equip yourself with the signs of an impending electrical fiasco. Once you see the sign, call your local emergency electrician right away.
If you’re looking for a 24-hour electrical service, Edmonton’s 247 Emergency Electricians is always ready to assist. With a team of experienced and committed electricians, we’ll help deliver you peace of mind by addressing all your electrical emergency needs. Contact us today to learn more!
When it comes to dealing with electrical problems at home – from surges, dips in power, circuit overloads, to frequent trips with your circuit breakers – it’s best left to the hands of experienced and expert electricians. While some homeowners feel compelled to take matters into their own hands, keep in mind that a minor mistake can spiral out of control and result in fire accidents.
That doesn’t mean that all electricians are also the best ones to do the job. Hiring the best of the bunch is just as crucial, especially if you want to guarantee quality and efficient work that can last for the long haul. With that in mind, the list below explores some of the factors you need to consider when hiring the right professional electrician for you:
Factor #1: Only Hire Licensed and Certified Electricians
It may seem obvious, but the first step to hiring the ideal expert for your electrical problems is to first narrow down your choices to electricians who are licensed and certified. Good reviews and referrals are moot efforts if they don’t have the proper licensure, especially when you consider how they will be liable for any potential accidents.
In addition to coverage for damage costs in case of a slip-up at work, licensed electricians also meet the state’s safety standards and have up-to-date technical expertise.
Factor #2: Choose Certified Electricians that Specialize in the Specific Service You Need
Beyond certifications and licensure, the next step to ensuring you hire the right electrician for the job is to check whether they offer services that meet your specific needs.
From upgrades, troubleshooting, installation, replacement, low voltage wiring, remodels, lighting retrofits, PV panels, choose an electrician that specializes in your project as this guarantees they can work efficiently and accurately to deliver the best results.
Factor #3: Choose a Certified Electrician with Experience
Even with all the specialties and certifications, nothing beats real-life experience on the field. With that in mind, it’s crucial to look into the work of an experienced technician as this ensures their training and skills are put to the test.
Think of it as social proof that supports their claims, allowing you to have peace of mind with the knowledge that your electrical issues are handled by a well-seasoned professional of their trade. As for longevity, the ideal electrician should have at least three years of experience – from seminars, training, education, and actual work for residential or commercial properties alike.
The Bottom Line: Only Trust the Best and Licensed Electricians to Handle the Work For You
It helps to understand the importance of hiring a trustworthy and licensed electrician to solve your electrical problems. Different services require special skills, state-of-the-art tools, and industry knowledge, so be sure to get the cream of the crop by considering the top three factors of a highly qualified electrician above.
The average homeowner can become weekend warriors and tinker with DIY projects – from painting the walls and even carpeting the newly renovated living room. However, there are some home-fixers that you just can’t take into your own hands, such as electrical work.
Experiencing electrical breakdowns are a common occurrence every once in a while, but cutting back your repair costs by picking up the problem yourself can lead to costlier consequences. One small misstep with the faulty wires can be dangerous in more ways than one, which is why hiring a qualified and licensed electrician to do the job is crucial.
While you can roll up your sleeves when changing the lightbulb, any other electrical work should be left to the hands of professionals. With that in mind, below explores the reasons an expert handyman should take over your recurring power issues:
Benefit #1: Licensed Electricians are Updated and Comply with the Latest Codes
Different states have varying rules and regulations depending on the local authorities within your area. Even with the variations, there is a standard that needs to be followed regarding the quality of electrical work and technical expertise to ensure the results meet your state’s safety codes.
That’s why hiring a professional electrician is crucial if you want to comply with the ever-changing codes, allowing you to stay safe and follow the law at the same time.
Benefit #2: Licensed Electricians Protect You From Liability
Accidents can happen even under the hands of well-seasoned technicians, which means you always have to take electrical repairs with a grain of salt. When trouble sparks during the repair process, an unlicensed electrician will cost you extra on more repairs and medical bills out of pocket.
On the other hand, you and your property are protected against liability in case the licensed electrical services fail, saving you time, trouble, and money later on.
Benefit #3: Licensed Electricians Provide Reliable Quality and Safe Installations
Electrical repairs require years of training, experience, and in-depth knowledge if you want to ensure the quality and reliability of its results. Even a minor mistake can ultimately destroy your equipment or endanger lives in worst-case scenarios, but a qualified electrician has the knowledge and expertise to handle any electrical issue.
They also have the right tools of the trade to solve the issue with the appropriate equipment, allowing you to have peace of mind knowing that there’s a higher guarantee of receiving quality and long-lasting service.
The Bottom Line: The Importance of Hiring a Qualified Electrician Instead of DIY with Electrical Projects
Everyone is heavily reliant on electricity in various parts of the world. While there’s no harm in taking home repairs on your own, understanding the importance of hiring a qualified and licensed electrician when handling electrical work can make all the difference between a safe and dangerous service.
Seeing as you need to have a reliable and trusted electrician to handle your troubles at home, If our professional electrical services in Edmonton, Canada can save you all the time, money, and aggravation. Get in touch with us to see how we can help you!
