The appliances in your home often make your life much less stressful, but if you operate them incorrectly, they could produce significant risks. It is important to maintain appliances and ensure that they won’t turn into dangers by following these helpful household appliance safety tips from Gold Appliance Repair.
The professional tips in this post help to prevent fires and injuries due to broken household appliances. However, hazards can still happen. In the event a home appliance has problems or malfunctions and becomes dangerous, call a local appliance repair Pearland.
Install GFCI Outlets in Wet Locations in Your Home
Laundry rooms, kitchens, entry ways, basements, bathrooms, mud rooms, garages and outdoor areas can be susceptible to possible wetness or dripping water. Of course, electricity and moisture do not go together, therefore power cords should be plugged into GFCI outlets.
This can prevent electrocution by tripping the circuit if any inconsistencies in electricity occur.
If you do not have GFCI outlets in damp locations around your home, now is the time to install them or call an electrician in Pearland. Once that is done, for even more safety measures, follow the warnings of manufacturer appliance manuals that note that they are not designed for outdoor areas.
Cords, Electronics & Outlets Far Away From Water
Several home appliances are specially built for outdoor use, such as barbecue grills. If you have electrical appliances outside – including refrigerators, dishwashers, ice makers and freezers, power tools and others – be sure that all of the cords and outlets are dry. Weatherproof electronics will help, combined with GFCI outlets with water-tight gaskets.
Extension Cords are Only a Momentary Option
An extension cord poses a lot of evident risks, including:
The likelihood of loose connections that could result in sparks and a fire.
The likelihood of power fluctuations that could break the appliance.
Greater vulnerability to water penetration that may lead to electrocution.
The likelihood of cords overheating and turning into a fire hazard when an low-quality extension cord is paired with a high-power appliance.
When choosing an extension cord for limited-time use, be sure that it’s the right gauge for the electrical equipment in question. The lower the gauge, the larger the cord size. For instance, a electrical extension cord for a lamp might have a 16-gauge cord whereas a bigger cord for a AC unit uses a 12-gauge wire.
Length is also important. The longer the cord, the more electricity is used up on the way, a phenomenon called voltage drop. Shorter extension cords are advised for power tools and outdoor equipment.
Be Sure to Read the Operating Manual for Any Appliance You Buy
It is simple to guess that you know how to operate your brand new home appliance without consulting the manual, but reading the guidelines is important for many reasons:
You will want to find out if your home’s wiring is good enough to support the new appliance. You might need to install a new circuit to stop overloading any current ones.
You learn about advanced features you wouldn’t have otherwise known about.
You understand whether the appliance is OK for outdoor use or not.
You avoid the extreme stress that can come from trying to use a home appliance with no instructions!
Unplug Small Appliances in Your Home When Not in Use
You can limit unnecessary energy usage by unplugging small appliances when not in use. The reason is small appliances include LED indicators, timers and other features standby mode.
Unplug monitors, televisions, modems, printers, routers, game consoles, phone chargers and more to cut back on wasteful energy usage. But remember, it is alright to keep DVRs and similar devices plugged in to prevent missing out on their automatic background features.
For additional tips on ways to use home appliances safely, or to schedule a local appliance repair service, please contact Gold Appliance Repair. Our technicians can repair all major household appliances!
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