Many people have never had to deal with home electricity. This is because many people only deal with electricity during special events or vacations when they are away from their homes. It can be difficult to know how to properly care for and use electrical appliances over time if you have never been trained on them from a young age. The trick is to always call a professional electrician Northern Beaches when in doubt.
But if you purchase your first home, allow us to introduce 10 things that every new homeowner must know about electricity:
Always Shut Down Appliances When Not In Use
Power continues to run through electrical appliances when they are turned off unless there is a built-in shutoff switch that will stop the flow of electricity when the appliance is not in use. This means that if you leave your hair dryer plugged in, it will continue to draw power until its internal shutoff turns off the device. This can be a huge waste of electricity and can lead to appliances overworking and burning out.
Unplug Appliances When Cleaning Them
Even if an appliance doesn’t have a built-in shutoff switch, you should still unplug it when cleaning it. Many appliances contain small motors or fans that can be easily damaged by water. If you don’t unplug the appliance, you could end up with a broken machine and a big electrical bill.
Don’t Try To Fix It Yourself If You Aren’t Qualified
Many homeowners want to save a little money by doing things themselves instead of hiring a professional. Unfortunately, when it comes to electricity you can never be too careful. If you have an issue with the wiring or power in your home, call a professional. Trying to fix it yourself could result in serious injury or even death from electrocution.
Beware Of Water And Electricity
One of the most dangerous combinations around is water and electricity. Never mix the two because it can lead to electrocution or even a fire. If there is water near any electrical outlets or wiring, unplug appliances or turn off the power to avoid any accidents.
Make Sure Appliances Are Grounded And Safe To Operate
You need to make sure that all electrical appliances are properly grounded and safe to operate before attempting to use them. If an appliance isn’t correctly grounded, it can lead to serious injury or death from electrocution.
Unplug And Turn Off The Power Before Working On Outlets Or Wiring
If there is ever a time when you have to work on your electrical outlets you should always unplug them before beginning work. You should also make sure that circuit breakers are turned off so you don’t accidentally get hurt by live wiring. Inspecting, repairing, cleaning or replacing electrical wiring can be dangerous work if you aren’t properly trained. It’s best to leave the work to a professional unless you have been specifically trained on how to safely do the job.
Don’t Use Portable Heaters If You’re Not Home
Portable heaters are often used in bedrooms or living rooms when homeowners are not home because they help raise the temperature of a room very quickly. Unfortunately, these devices are one of the main causes of house fires because people forget to shut them off after leaving their homes. This can lead to electrical fires that start due to faulty wiring or burned out motors inside the device. Never try to use portable heaters in your home when no one is there. Wait until you come home to turn on the heat.
Keep Appliances Away From Wet Areas
Water and electricity are a dangerous combination, so it’s important to keep appliances away from any wet areas. If an appliance falls into water or gets wet in any way, unplug it and turn off the power before attempting to dry it off. You may also want to consider having the appliance serviced by a professional to make sure that it is still safe to use.
Label All Electrical Outlets And Cords
It can be very easy to forget which outlet corresponds with which device if you don’t label them properly. This can become a safety hazard if you ever have to unplug an appliance and forget which outlet it was plugged into. You should also label all of your cords so you can remember which appliance they belong to.
Check Appliances For Damaged Cords And Wiring
It’s important to regularly check your appliances for any damage to their power cords or internal wiring. Even smaller holes that are barely visible can cause the wires inside to short circuit and start a fire. You should take special care when checking lamps or items that get hot, as these are more likely than other devices to have problems with their power cords, wiring or plugs.
These are just some basic tips for anyone new to living on their own and just starting to try doing things for themselves. Electricity may seem complicated at first, but it’s not that hard to manage once we know what we’re doing. Most of the time, our main problem is just that we don’t know where everything is or how everything works around the house because no one has ever taught us before. But if we read up on electricity and educate ourselves a little bit, then eventually we’ll be able to do everything by ourselves without having to ask our parents or call an electrician every time something goes wrong around the house with power.
