Worried about home fires and electrical hazards? Looking for ways to prevent the potential damages? Check out our article to learn more about it!
With winter bringing in the holiday festivities, soon, all the homes in your area will be buzzing with beautiful decorations and a cheery atmosphere.
Imagine all your friends and family coming over or you going over to their houses, binge-watching Holiday movies, and getting awesome presents – it’s easily the most wonderful time of the year.
However, there are a few things like home fires and electrical hazards that can put a damper on your holiday spirit. But, have no fear. Thanks to electrical safety inspections, you can prevent any major accidents from happening in your home.
We’ll help you find out more about what causes these disasters and how you can prevent them. Let’s get to it!
Fire and Electrical Hazards During Winter
To get started, we’d like to emphasize that home fires and electrical problems happen at any time. But the time it happens the most is during the winter.
There are a few specific sets of risks that can start a home fire. Here are a few ways it can be triggered:
Being Exposed to Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Indeed, carbon monoxide poisoning happens more frequently during the winter.
This is because carbon monoxide is a byproduct of incomplete combustion. It’s the process that water heaters and furnaces use to generate heat in your home.
This is dangerous when it happens in a home that’s sealed tight against the cold weather. This is probably the reason why winter is the most dangerous time for carbon monoxide poisoning.
Check out Bates Electric to learn more.
Electric Blankets
Electric blankets are great for keeping you warm, but don’t fall asleep under one! It’s best to unplug the cord after you’re done using it and also check if they are in good condition or not.
Never use another blanket on top of your electric one. It may feel comfortable and cozy inside, but the extra cover can potentially act as kindling if you’re not careful.
Space Heaters
Space heaters can cause shock hazards or even burns. Always check there’s nothing flammable near your space heaters like blankets, pillows, paper, or drapes.
Keep an eye out on your kids if they are near the heater. They can easily get distracted and hurt themselves. The plug must also be in good shape; otherwise, it can start a fire as well. Even running the electrical wires of a space heater under area rugs can start a fire too.
Holiday Lights and Candles
It’s never a good idea to hang candles on the Christmas tree. If you burn candles elsewhere, blow them out before going to bed.
Holiday lighting can result in several injuries from electric shock. Before plugging your holiday lights into the outward outlets of your home, check to see that they aren’t ground fault circuit interrupters.
Importance of Implementing an Electrical Safety Inspection
By implementing an electrical safety inspection, you can discover any problems that may be there with your home’s electrical fixtures and wiring. Not only will you be able to prevent a fire in your home, but you’ll also prevent putting your family in danger.
Here are some of the electrical components you need to pay attention to the most:
Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Cold weather means you’ll be using your heater regularly. And running a furnace using oil or natural gas can generate carbon monoxide fairly easily.
Normally, the gas is supposed to vent outside without any difficulty. However, if your equipment malfunctions or if the vent is blocked, then you could be exposed to carbon monoxide poisoning.
You can make sure that doesn’t happen by arranging an electrical safety inspection of the carbon monoxide detectors in your home. This will help ensure that your detectors are running smoothly and that you and your family are safe.
Checking the Smoke Detectors
Research shows that home fires occur more between December and February. So, then it’s even more crucial to make sure that your smoke detectors are up and running without any hitch.
By conducting an inspection, you’ll be able to substantiate where the correct placement of the detectors should be. Not only that, but you should also make sure to test every detector to see if they are functioning properly or not.
Outdoor Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters Outlets
During the holiday season, you’ll want to decorate your home with decorative lights. However, these very lights can prove hazardous if the outward outlets of your home aren’t up to order.
Therefore, you should keep in mind the possibility of these lights being exposed to water. And make sure they are ground fault circuit interrupters outlets.
A safety inspector will make certain that you have the proper outlets installed and tell you if there’s any room for upgrades. So, listen well and heed their advice.
Security and Safety Lightings
We’ve all seen Home Alone and how the burglars target homes around the holiday season, right?
Well, this happens in real life too. Often, homes are a target for burglars when they can get wind of high-end items being available in them. To prevent any kind of burglary from happening, you should install outdoor security and safety lights.
When the safety inspector comes by, you can ask them to check the fixtures of these lights. They will check and confirm with you whether the lightings are in proper working condition or not.
Arranging Electrical Safety Inspections
As we’ve mentioned before, the main reason for electrical fires isn’t just seasonal. Space heaters, Christmas lights, and electric blankets play a big role too.
Furthermore, outdated equipment in your electrical system can easily trigger fire when you’re using it for a crucial task. Some of the most common ways a fire can start are from faulty electrical panels, damaged wiring, and outdated fuse boxes.
To an untrained eye, these things may not look dangerous. You might not be able to tell either. However, when you call in a veteran electrician, they’ll be able to determine which of your electrical components are safe and which aren’t.
So, you must get an electrician to inspect all your electric system and equipment. This will help you to prevent a fire in your home.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, we’d like to say that we hope our article helps you become a bit more aware of your electrical needs during the winter.
Electrical fires and carbon monoxide poisoning can happen to anyone who isn’t being careful enough, and now you have the choice to prevent them in your own home.
We hope you’ll follow our tips to keep yourself and your family safe. They’ll help you focus more on the important things like the holiday festivities and spending quality time with your friends and family.
While you’re at it, let them know about the dangers as well, and hopefully, they’ll start their inspections as well!