A functional electrical system is a luxury many homeowners take for granted. If you want to keep this essential part of your home working correctly, you need to act quickly as soon as problems are discovered. Not only can electrical problems cause damage to your appliances and electronics, they can also put the inhabitants of your home in danger.
Nearly 63% of all home electrical fires are caused by wiring problems. Homeowner mistakes can also contribute to the risk of electrical fires. If you want to avoid putting yourself and your family in danger, then you need to avoid the electrical mistakes covered in this article.
Avoid Overloading Power Strips
One of the main things you will find in most homes is large power strips. These pieces of electrical equipment are designed to provide surge protection to your electronic devices. Generally, these strips will be equipped with multiple plugs. Just because there are multiple plugs on your power strip doesn’t mean you need to use them all at the same time. The average power strip isn’t designed to carry heavy electrical loads.
Putting too much of a load on a power strip can lead to it catching fire or melting. Instead of using power strips to power all of your electronic devices, it is best to lighten the load with the help of your actual power outlets. If you don’t have enough outlets in your home, hiring an electrician to install more is a good idea.
Installing Larger Circuit Breakers To Solve Electrical Problems
When experiencing issues with frequently-tripped circuit breakers, some homeowners make the mistake of installing a larger breaker. While this will prevent tripping, it can also create some dangerous electrical situations in your home. Larger circuit breakers can cause the wires in your electrical panel to overheat. This can result in the material surrounding these wires melting. This melting material can catch fire and damage your home.
Instead of installing a larger circuit breaker, you need to hire an electrician to address the root cause of your problem. With a thorough inspection of your circuit breakers and wiring, an electrician can find and address the source of your issue in no time.
Failing to Upgrade Old Electrical Wiring
If you live in a home that was built a few decades ago, you might have old wiring that needs to be replaced. People who own older homes go to great lengths to update the visible elements of their residence. However, many of these homeowners fail to realize the importance of updating their old wiring. Problems like frequent circuit breaker tripping, burning smells and flickering lights are all warning signs that the wiring in your home is old and damaged. As soon as you notice these warning signs, you need to take action and hire an electrician to replace old wiring.
If you are currently making any of these mistakes in this article, it is time to make some changes.