Electrical Hazards at Home You Didn’t Know You Had

Defective or Old Electrical Wiring, Outlets, and Electrical Appliances

Defective electrical wiring in your walls, outdated outlets and old electrical appliances are all common household hazards that can be hiding just out of sight in your walls. Even if your house is brand new, defective or shoddy electrical wiring can be a major hazard to the safety of your home. This can lead to house fires that can smoulder out of sight inside the walls of your home; a type of home fire situation that can get out of hand very quickly. In older homes, it’s very common for the electrical wiring to be out of code and therefore not equipped to handle modern electrical appliances. This is why it’s so important to have your home regularly inspected by a licensed electrician so they can detect any defective or in violation of the OSHA electrical code electrical wiring and fix the problem before a costly and dangerous home fire can become an issue.
Some common signs of defective or old electrical wiring, outlets, and appliances are:

• Circuit breakers tripping and needing reset often
• Dimming and flickering light bulbst
• Seeing frayed or uninsulated wires
• Warm spots by outlets or on walls where wiring is located
• Buzzing sounds from outlets or walls

Overloaded Powerstrips

Many people don’t realize how dangerous the misuse of power strips can be. Thousands of house fires are caused each year by overloaded and defective power strips. Here are some important tips for safely using power strips.

• Only use powerstrips with an internal circuit breaker and power switch
• Never plug a power strip into another power strip
• Powerstrips should never be used as a permeate wiring solution
• Powerstrips that become hot or buzz when plugged in should be discarded
• Never cover a powerstrip with cloth or any other flammable material
• Never use a powerstrip near water

Wrong Light Bulb Wattage

Using the wrong wattage of a light bulb can become a serious fire hazard that can be easily overlooked until it becomes a problem. If the lamp or light fixture isn’t equipped with the right wattage of the bulb, the bulb can blow causing the inner wiring to be exposed and potential fire can ensue. Here are some signs that the bulbs you are using aren’t the right wattage for your light sockets.

• Frequent light bulb blowouts
• Flickering
• Dimming
• Buzzing from the light socket
• Excessive heating up of the light fixture or lamp

Are you Worried About Your Electrical Wiring? Give Us A Call!

Dangerous electrical fires are best avoided by making sure electrical wiring, outlets and electrical appliances are all up-to-date and safe. The best way to make sure of that is to have a licensed electrician inspect the wiring and electrical in your home. A licensed electrician can detect and correct any electrical hazards and make sure everything is up to OSHA Code. Contact us to schedule an appointment with a licensed electrician today!