Home
Dangers
Every year nearly 4,000 Americans die in home fires
and approximately 25,000 are injured. Electrical fires
are one of the leading types of home fires, especially
in manufactured homes. By following some simple rules
on electrical safety you can reduce the likelihood of
an electrical fire in your home.
Prevent Electrical Problems
Studies
of electrical fires in homes show that many problems
are associated with improper installation of
electrical devices by do-it-yourselfers. Common errors
that can lead to fires include the use of improperly
rated devices such
as switches or receptacles and loose connections at these
devices. Both can lead to overheating and arcing that
can start fires. Fires are still caused by people using
the wrong size fuse or even putting a penny behind a
fuse when they don't have a spare. These practices are
very dangerous. The fuse is a safety device designed
to limit the electricity carried by the circuit to a
safe level. Electricity and water are a bad combination.
All electrical devices installed outdoors should be specially
designed for outdoor use. Outdoor receptacles as well
as those in kitchens, bathrooms, and anywhere else near
water should be the ground fault circuit interrupting
type (GFCI).
Use Electrical Devices Safely
Light bulbs, especially the newer halogen types, get
very hot and can ignite combustible materials that get
too close. Clothing or towels should never be placed
atop a lampshade and table lamps should not be used without
a shade where they might fall over onto a bed or sofa.
Most light fixtures are labeled to show the brightest
bulb that can be safely used in that fixture; too high
a wattage bulb can cause the fixture to overheat and
start a fire. Extension cords are a common cause of electrical
fires. You must be careful to use only extension cords
that are rated for the power used by the device they
are powering. Extension cords should never be used as
a long term solution to the need for another receptacle.
Extension cords must never be run inside walls or under
rugs or furniture. Extension cords can get warm in use
and must be able to dissipate this heat or they can start
a fire.
Maintain Electrical Safely
The
insulation on electrical cords can become damaged by wear,
flexing, or age. Do not use any cord that is
stiff or cracked. Some clues that you may have an electrical
problem are:
- Flickering
lights. If the lights dim every time you turn on an
appliance that circuit is overloaded
or has a loose connection.
- Sparks.
If sparks appear when you insert or remove a plug,
they could be a sign
of loose connections.
- Warm
electrical cord. If an electrical cord is warm to the
touch, the cord is
underrated
or defective.
- Frequent
blown fuses or broken circuits. A fuse or circuit breaker
that keeps tripping
is
an important warning sign of problems.
- Frequent
bulb burnout. A
light bulb that burns out frequently is a sign
that the bulb is too high a wattage for the fixture.
*Information provided by: US
Fire
Administration
