Electricity is probably the greatest discovery to date. Can you imagine if we still had to use fire to light up our homes and charcoal for cooking? The earth’s forests would most probably be barren because wood will be used all the time for each and every basic function.
Our appliances and electronic gadgets will be useless if there is no electricity to make them work!
But although electricity is extremely helpful and vital to life, it can also be the source of several accidents. So to prevent any mishaps from taking place, remember the following electrical tips:
Always unplug appliances when not in use. Aside from saving on electricity, unplugging unused appliances prevents short-circuits resulting from sudden fluctuations in electrical voltage. Most especially true when electricity is turned back on after a power outage, sudden surge of electricity directly into your plugged appliances might cause them to short-circuit or malfunction, thus resulting to fire.
Try to keep electrical appliances away from fluids/liquids. Keeping a plugged electric hair curler near your bottles of flammable nail polish is a sure way to set your dresser on fire. Flammable liquids, like alcohol, hair spray, nail polish remover and other oil-based cosmetics or food (like cooking oil) quickly burst into flame when exposed to really hot objects, like a lamp bulb, stove, oven, grill, or even a hot television or laptop. Keep plugged hair dryers and curlers as far away as possible from a bathtub or sink – unless you want to be “fried” while taking a bubble bath.
If you detect a “burning smell” emanating from electrical outlets, have an electrician check on them, before plugging any appliance into the outlet.
In cases where electrical outlets or appliances have been exposed to rain or flooding, always ask an electrician to inspect and dry the affected outlet or appliance. Wires imbedded in walls change color (they usually turn darker) after prolonged exposure to water. Remember, wires are made of metal, and metal either corrodes or become very brittle and unsound.
Avoid using octopus plugs (an adaptor that is plugged into an outlet where you can plug in 2 or more electrical plugs). There is a huge chance that the outlet will overload. If you have limited wall outlets, use an extension wire with a voltage regulator. Make sure that the total number of wattage from all of the appliances plugged into the extension cord is equal or under the indicated maximum wattage the extension cord can accommodate (check the packaging - it should be clearly indicated).
Use extension cords manufactured by reputable companies. Most of the time, it pays to pay extra for items which are made of high-quality materials.
Make sure that no flammable cloth or material (like curtains and varnished furniture) cover electrical outlets where appliances are plugged in. An outlet must always be free “to breath,” and must never be covered by anything that may cause it to overheat.
Unplug the refrigerator when lights are flickering. This is an indication that there are power surges (especially during storms), thus causing your ref to have a short circuit.
Like they say, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. It always pays to be careful. Don’t wait for mishaps to happen before you take heed.
