Electrician Tips: How Homeowners Can Prevent Electrical Fires | Myrtle Beach, SC

11/18/2021

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Electricity makes lives easier but can lead to fire-related hazards, damaging lives, and properties. The National Fire Protection Association cites that the electrical fires resulting from wiring, lighting, cords, and plugs led to over 34,000 home structure fires between 2014 and 2018, causing 470 deaths, 1100 injuries, and $1.4 billion worth of property destroyed yearly. Homes built before the 1950s are more prone to electric fires because of the less stringent wiring standards.

Modern residential buildings are not an exemption from the risk. Fires also start from faulty switches and light bulbs, which are also preventable. With the help of an electrician in Myrtle Beach, SC, homeowners can prevent electrical fires in homes by identifying potential fire hazards for prompt repairs or replacement services.

Maintenance of Electrical System

One of the ways to avert an electrical fire in your home is to hire a skilled electrician to carry out routine maintenance. The immediate electrical system servicing, tune-ups, and inspections should be after a severe storm and after noticing frequent blowing fuses and lightbulbs, damaged cords or plugs, frequent tripping of the circuit breaker, regular power outages, and flickering lights when using appliances.

A professional inspects the electrical wiring to ensure no loose or damaged wires to prevent electrical fires. The expert checks the electric meters, instruments, and indicators to ensure smooth running and identify faults. The electrician also inspects and replaces old wiring to maximize your family’s safety from electric accidents that can lead to a fire.

The technician inspects for frayed, tattered, and worn-out wiring, which are prone to cause an arc fault and finally fire if you don’t have an Arc Fault circuit interrupter. The electrical professional can identify the wiring issues, repair or replace them to lower the probability of a fire.

Check the Plugs on Appliances

You probably spent a lot on buying appliances for your home and you will not want anything wrong to happen to them. Electrical equipment has different maintenance instructions, which an electrical professional must follow to protect them from damage.

The electrical technician inspects the wiring and plugs to identify any damages that can spark or overheat an appliance and start a fire. So, the electrician can comb through the electrical system to isolate faults and fix them to avert a fire.

Avoiding Circuit Overload

As you continue buying more lighting, appliances, and electronics to upgrade your home, you might end up overloading your circuit or with an overburdened electrical service capacity.

A circuit overload is dangerous because it can lead to overheating wires, switches, or plugs that might melt the insulation and ignite a fire. Regular tripping of the circuit breaker and flickering or dimming lights are some of the signs of an overloading circuit you should not overlook.

If you don’t have overload protectors in your Myrtle Beach, SC home, hire an electrician to install a circuit breaker as soon as possible to reduce the possibility of an electric fire outbreak. The breakers or fuses should match the circuit they are to protect.

An electrician should identify and label the correct size for efficiency in powering multiple appliances without the potential of a fire. The hired electrical technician might add a new branch circuit or increase the capacity of your electrical service to cater to the additional appliances or electrical devices.

For high-powered electric equipment such as an air conditioner, washing machines, or heating units should have their outlet to prevent an overload. A qualified electrical professional can help you determine the right circuit load for your home. So, avoiding overburdening your electric service capacity can effectively prevent a fire.

Appliances Should Be Away from Flammable Materials

Electrical equipment should be at least three feet away from flammable materials in your home to prevent property damage. Combustible items, including furniture, curtains, and clothing, have to be at a safe distance from appliances that produce heat, such as heaters, because they may trigger a fire.

Get an electrician as soon as possible when you notice electric tools are producing sparks of fire. The electrical technician should install smoke alarms in your house to allow you the chance to call for help the moment you notice the start of the fire.

Install Surge Protectors

A power surge increases the amount of electricity flowing to an outlet, causing the appliance to spark. It is caused by internal and external factors such as lightning, downed power lines, sudden changes in electricity, the cycling on and off of appliances, air conditioners, refrigerators, and other energy-sucking tools in your home. The surge can last for less than a second but can produce thousands of volts that might cause catastrophic damages such as a fire or ruin your appliances.

So, to prevent the surge from causing massive destruction, an electrical professional should install a whole house surge protection to help protect electronics and other things plugged into an outlet with a power surge. A surge protector will help prevent this potential fire hazard.

Installation of Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters

Homes experience arc faults, which arise from faulty and aging wiring that might start a spark and ignite a fire. An electrician can install AFCI in both new and existing homes as protection against electric hazards such as fire.

The installation of the AFCI is in the electrical panel box and detects arc faults and other wiring problems faster than the ordinary circuit breaker.

Need Electrical Services?

Electrical fires are the most dangerous form of combustion because they spread quickly and get out of control. If you notice any electrical hazards that can lead to a fire in your home, contact Mister Sparky of Myrtle Beach to get a qualified electrician.

We are an electrical company professionally and skillfully serving people in the Myrtle Beach, SC, areas by meeting their electrical needs. Our experienced, highly-educated, and trained electrical contractors that provide reliable, efficient, and prompt installation, repair, and maintenance services. At Mister Sparky of Myrtle Beach, we put our customers first, ensuring they get personalized electrical services.