Electrical Safety At Home With Your Emergency Electrician | Wilmington, NC
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Although electricity plays a vital role in our daily lives by facilitating entertainment, temperature-related comfort, and simplifying chores, electrical hazards are bound to occur.
Electric accidents such as fires, burns, electrocution, and shocks happen due to arc faults, old wiring, ground faults, overloaded circuits, unprotected outlets, and short circuits.
These problems need the urgent attention of an emergency electrician in Wilmington, NC, to avert catastrophic issues, including the destruction of property and loss of lives.
If you fail to adopt preventive measures in your residence, electrical fires, electrocutions, and electric shocks are prone to happen. Below are some of the ways to prevent electrical hazards in your home.
Install an Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFCI)
Arc-fault is prone to occur in houses with old electric wires and worn-out insulation. Current flowing through the unsafe wiring can take an unintended path leading to high-intensity heat that can create a spark or an arc and cause a house fire.
If you notice the spark from your outlets, it would be best to shut down the power and contact an emergency electrician for quick electrical services. The arc fault is preventable through the installation of an arc fault circuit interrupter.
Having the AFCI in your home is one sure way of preventing sparking and electrical fires in homes. It detects low-level arcing and cuts down power before the heat causes a dangerous spark that will ignite a fire. Therefore, it is best to invest in the arc fault circuit interrupter to protect your family and property from electrical arcs and fires.
Avoid Overloading Circuits
Most households in Wilmington, NC, that use one outlet to power multiple appliances and electronic devices are prone to experience circuit overload. Using one outlet for your TV, music system, air conditioners, and heaters is an electrical mistake.
Most folks learn the dangers of overloading a circuit from an emergency electrician after encountering signs of a burning smell from the outlet or an appliance, compelling them to call an electrician to fix the problem. To prevent the circuit overload issue in your residence, the electrical professional can recommend you use one plug per socket in each outlet.
Also, you can unplug any appliance you are not using to reduce the amount of standby power and the electricity bills. You should avoid plugging more than one heavy appliance, such as an air conditioner and washing machine, in the same outlet to reduce the chances of a short circuit that might lead to a fire.
Keep Electrical Appliances Dry
Water combined with electricity can lead to catastrophic electric hazards such as electrocution. An emergency electrician can help you on how to avert electric accidents from happening. Keeping electric equipment away from water and moisture is one way of protecting your family from electrical accidents.
If you drop your phone or iPad in water, don’t plug it in on a socket to charge it to prevent shocks or even death. Wait until a qualified electrical expert inspects it to ensure they are dry before usage.
And, if you accidentally pour water on an appliance connected to an electrical panel, shut off the power supply immediately and reach out for an emergency electrician to remove the water from the electrical unit or device.
Installation of Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI)
Electric shocks and electrocutions can happen due to ground faults in wet areas or parts of your home because the electricity takes a detour through a person. The electrical shock is dangerous because it can instantly lead to heart failure and nerve damage.
Fortunately, an emergency electrician in Wilmington, NC, can help you to avert electrical accidents or hazards by installing the GFCI in your home. The ground fault circuit interrupters significantly lower the risk of electrocution and shocks.
The device immediately trips after sensing electricity is flowing in the wrong path, commonly a person. The electrician installs the GFCI device in rooms such as kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry areas because of water in those parts of the house.
The GFCI shuts off within 1/40 of a second after detecting a different amount of current to stop electrical shocks. For peak performance of the GFCI, you should hire a qualified and licensed emrgency electrician to carry out the installation.
Keep Electrical Outlets Safe
If you have young children at home, it is wise to ensure you have electrical safety outlet covers to prevent the risk of electric shocks. The outlet covers prevent children from sticking fingers, spoons, sticks, pins, and paper clips into the outlets.
An emergency electrician can help you select the best outlets or replace the old ones with tamper-resistant receptacles to increase electrical safety in your home.
Have a Surge Protector in Your Home
Homeowners in Wilmington, NC, can prevent electrical hazards by having a surge protector in their homes. Power surges are also dangerous and pose a threat to your family, computers, and electrically powered gadgets.
Getting an emergency electrician to set up a surge protector in your home will protect your appliances and your valuable property from permanent damage. High-voltage surges due to lightning strikes or downed power lines can be catastrophic, causing electrical fires and death.
The emergency electrician can help clients select the best whole-house surge protectors and install them in your home’s fuse box to prevent power surges and electrical hazards.
Call Us Today for Emergency Electrical Services!
The risk of electricity injuries, burns, and accidents is high in all homes that use electricity without installing protective devices such as surge protectors, AFCI, GFCI, and the standard circuit interrupters. There are other preventive measures homeowners in Wilmington, NC, can adopt to prevent electrical hazards.
If you need electrical services such as consultations, installation, replacement, and repairs, you should contact Mister Sparky of Wilmington to get the much-needed electrical services. Our electricians are well-trained and licensed to address all your electrical problems.