5 Tips to Prevent an Electrical Fire

Did you know that according to the National Fire Protection Association, every 24 seconds a fire department in the United States responds to a fire somewhere? In 2017, there were 1,319,200 fires responded to, 499,000 structure fires, and 3,400 civilian fire deaths. With these shocking statistics, you may be wondering, what is the leading cause of all these fires? The answer to this question is the mishandling of electrical devices! What this tells us is that the public needs to be more educated on the dangers of electricity. That's why today, our electrical contracting company at the Lake of the Ozarks, Catalyst Electric, wants to keep you and your family safe so we put together five ways to minimize your risk of a house fire in today's blog!


#1 Don't Overload Your Outlets 

We live in an electronic world. which means many of us are more than likely plugging entirely too many devices into our electrical outlets. Our home's circuits are designed to only handle so much. It is important to not overload your outlets because this can cause an electrical fire. If being able to use all of your electrical devices at one time is a must, you should use safe surge protection or install more outlets in your home. 

#2 Make Sure You Have GFCI Outlets in High Moisture Areas 

All outlets that have the potential to be in contact with water should be equipt with GFCI outlets. It's easy to find out if you already have GFCI outlets in your home. GFCI outlets have the "test" and "reset" button. These outlets are designed to cut off power if moisture is detected. If you find out that you don't have GFCI outlets in your kitchen, bathroom, utility room, and the garage, call your trusted electricians at the Lake of the Ozarks and we can install them for you!


#3 Keep an Eye on Your Appliances

It's important to keep an eye on your appliances to make sure they are running properly. This is especially true if you use any space heaters in your home. You should never leave a space heater unattended.

#4 Be Aware of Your Curtains 

Curtains or drapes can be a fire hazard if left near electrical devices. Electrical devices produce heat and heat can cause a fire. Most electrical devices do not produce a lot of heat but it does not take a lot to start a fire. Keep your curtains away from cords, outlets, and other electrical devices.

#5 Old Appliances Should be Replaced 

If you have older appliances that aren't working as well they use to it may be a good idea to replace them. If you have small appliances that spark when you plug them in or large appliances like a microwave that trip your breaker often, you should seriously consider replacing them. Underperforming appliances can be a fire hazard and is it really worth a fire to extend the life of your appliances for a few more months?

Catalyst Electric wants to keep your home safe and reduce the likelihood a house fire. These are just a few ways that you can help your home stay safe but, of course, there are bigger things you may want to have an electrician at the Lake of the Ozarks check for you to ensure your home is up to code like your wiring, smoke alarms, or your electrical system as a whole. If you are worried your home's electrical system may not be up to code, give Catalyst Electric a call and we will come ensure that your electrical system is in great shape!

Quality Work With Integrity

 Catalyst Electric: Best electrician service at the Lake of the Ozarks  


1106 Runabout Drive
Osage Beach, Mo 65065
(573) 552-8488 -Phone
(573) 552-8248 -Fax

FOLLOW US ON: FACEBOOK 💡 TWITTER 💡 GOOGLE+ 💡 LINKEDIN 
Location: Osage Beach, MO 65065, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

5 Safety Tips for Christmas Lights

Image
December is upon us and if you haven’t hung up your Christmas lights, we hope you get to it soon! Christmas lights are such a beautiful way to celebrate the holiday season and you should make sure that you’re doing it the safest way possible. When you decide to hang your lights, it’s important to keep in mind the electrical safety aspect. Exterior lights, especially, can be hazardous if they are hung incorrectly. Catalyst Electric in Lake of the Ozarks is here to help you with your electrical needs. In this blog, you’ll find some of our most valuable safety tips for hanging Christmas lights. Tip 1: Inspect Your Lights If you’re reusing lights from the previous year, make sure that you check them thoroughly for cracks, broken lights, or frayed ends. These types of issues could lead to serious fire hazards involving your home. According to the National Fire Protection Associate, United States fire departments respond to an average of 780 house fires caused by holiday decorations a
Read more

Electrical Safety Tips to Keep You Safe at Home

Image
It can be easy to overlook common electrical hazards on a day-to-day basis when you don’t think about the potential consequences. Today’s blog is about staying safe with electricity at home. A lot of the tips we are sharing with you are common sense, that’s true. But we think it is always good to have a reminder of things to look out for and why it matters. When it comes to electricity, having a malfunction or issue can lead to fire, electrocution, or even death. As professional electricians at Lake of the Ozarks we have to be highly aware on a constant basis about the dangers we are working with. Every once in a while, we like to share some reminders with our readers to help keep them safe at home, as well. Just keep reading to learn some practical ways to keep your family and home safe with electricity. Plugs and Cords -Avoid placing extension cords where they will get stepped on regularly like under rugs or in doorways -Always use an extension cord rated for outdoor use when using
Read more

Considering Some Electrical Upgrades? Here’s How Catalyst Can Help!

Image
As professional electricians at Lake of the Ozarks , we get to help clients with a lot of very cool electrical upgrades. Some of our customers ask us to do updates to improve functionality. Others are looking at having electrical services at Lake of the Ozarks done to improve safety. Homeowners interested in improving their home's appeal to buyers have electrical upgrades made as well. If you’d like to hear about 3 types of fun and practical upgrades that we help our clients with on a day-to-day basis, we have lots of examples in this week’s blog. 1) Upgrades for Safety A lot of the work we do for clients has to do with improving safety or eliminating safety hazards. Having dedicated breakers installed for things that draw a lot of electricity is cheap insurance when it comes to preventing a short or overloading your electrical system. Examples where you would need this include hot tubs, and if you use electric space heaters on a regular basis. We also replace a lot of outlets tha
Read more