All it takes for an electrical disaster to happen in your West Auckland home is a malfunctioning socket or electrical connection. At Arena Electrical, we want to ensure that your home electrical safety is of a standard where your family and property are safe from any potential electrical hazards. This is why we have compiled a list of handy electrical safety tips to keep in mind.
Importance of Regular Electrical Inspections
Like anything that is regularly used, electrical systems can wear out and become damaged over time. Aside from the risk of electrocution for you and your family, there is also the chance that a malfunction can cause a spark that leads to a house-fire. Having a professional West Auckland electrician check out your property and conduct a thorough inspection is a great way to identify and fix potential issues before they cause a larger problem.
Avoiding Overloading Electrical Circuits
A common cause of electrical fires is that people regularly overload electrical circuits, particularly older models. This is an easy fix – simply by avoiding plugging too many appliances into a single outlet you can reduce the chances of an electrical overload. Instead of plugging everything into one socket or adapter, spread out your electrical devices across multiple circuits and use adapters with built-in surge protectors that will break the circuit before it overloads.
Proper Use of Extension Cords
Extension cords can make life a lot easier when it comes to outlets that are far away from where you need electricity. However, they should not be doubled up or used as a permanent fix for your electrical needs. While most extension cords today are of a high standard, older cords or cords placed in areas where they may become damaged pose a significant risk of an electrical malfunction. As such, make sure your electrical cord is rated for the voltage and power needs of the devices that they are providing electricity too. Also, it helps to run the cords in a manner that avoids flammable materials such as carpet or areas where they may be stepped on and become damaged.
Ensuring Outlets and Switches are Functioning Correctly
We recommend our customers regularly check their sockets, extensions and switches to make sure they are working correctly. Sockets that spark when you plug things into them, are loose or require a bit of wriggling, or hot to the touch can all indicate a problem. If you notice any of these issues in your home, a good idea is to contact a local West Auckland electrician to inspect and if necessary repair these faulty sockets as soon as possible.
Keeping Electrical Devices Away from Water
While this one goes without saying, water and electricity are never a good combination. To help with your home electrical safety, always make sure to keep your electrical devices away from anything that could potentially get them wet, such as sinks and bathtubs. Also, save yourself the chance of a shock and make sure you dry your hands before flicking off light switches or using electrical appliances.
Importance of Childproofing Electrical Outlets
If you have young children of your own, or nieces and nephews who may be coming to visit, childproofing your electrical outlets is very important. This is where socket covers and wall plates come in handy. Having a simple shield between the socket or wiring and where children may touch it can prevent a very nasty shock to an unsuspecting child in your home.
Recognising Warning Signs of Electrical Problems
While some of the more obvious signs were mentioned above, such as sparks when you plug things into sockets, being vigilant of the less noticeable warning signs is important when it comes to home electrical safety. Common signs that we recommend acting on can be anything from flickering lights – indicating an unstable current – to frequent circuit breaks when using appliances. Other signs to watch out for include buzzing or humming sounds coming from sockets or slight burning smells. As above, if you notice any of these issues we recommend contacting a professional West Auckland electrician to come for an immediate inspection.
Benefits of Installing Safety Devices like RCD’s
A Residual Current Device – or RCD for short – provides an extra layer of protection for your home and family. RCD’s automatically detect and cut off the power supply to a socket if a fault is detected. They are designed to stop the electrical flow and minimise the severity of a shock or risk of an all-out blaze when there could be a fire. We recommend installing RCD’s in your home, particularly in high-risk areas such as bathrooms or kitchens where water may be an issue.
Steps to Take During an Electrical Emergency
Sometimes, even when you do everything correctly there can be an emergency situation. If there is a fire or severe shock that happens in your West Auckland home, it’s important to take quick action.
- Turn off the power: If you can get to the circuit breaker safely, turn off the power as soon as possible.
- Evacuate the area: Especially in the case of a fire, things can get bad quickly. Make sure everyone gets away from the site of the emergency.
- Contact the experts: If it is a minor issue, call a local electrician. For anything that is worse such as a bad shock or fire, contact 111 immediately.
- Avoid touching anyone who is being shocked: While the first instinct will be to pull someone away from the faulty socket, be careful you don’t get shocked yourself. Use a non-conductive object such as a piece of wood to separate the person from the electrical source.
Hiring a Professional Electrician in West Auckland
Even if you take all of these electrical safety tips into consideration and do everything perfectly to ensure your home electrical safety, it’s important to hire a trained technician to do the complex jobs. While us Kiwi’s pride ourselves on the ‘Number 8 Wire’ mentality, hiring a qualified electrician for your West Auckland home is our most recommended course of action. With something as potentially dangerous as electricity, having an expert do the job helps ensure that your home electrical systems are installed, maintained and repaired in a safe and professional manner.
At Arena Electrical, we are committed to helping our local West Auckland homeowners maintain safe and efficient electrical systems. If you have any more questions or are seeking expert electrical services and advice, contact us today and let our experienced team ensure your home’s electrical safety.
