Protect your home by avoiding these common causes of residential electrical fires.
A fire in your home can be absolutely devastating and have long-lasting effects on your loved ones. This is why it’s so important to minimize your home’s fire risk. One of the most common causes of household fires are electrical issues. To keep your home safe, watch out for these common causes of residential electrical fires.
Faulty/Malfunctioning Appliances
One of the most common causes of electrical fires in homes is faulty or broken appliances. Oftentimes, this occurs with older appliances and fires tend to break out on the appliance’s cord or within the appliance itself. To mitigate this fire risk, you should inspect older appliances and look for potential issues like frayed cords or loose receptacles. If you are not feeling confident in an appliance’s safety, then your best course of action is to replace the appliance altogether.
Improper Light Bulb Installation
Another common cause of electrical fires is using the wrong lightbulbs for lamps and other lighting fixtures within the home. Oftentimes, this occurs when homeowners install high-wattage bulbs into lighting fixtures that are not designed to handle this amount of power. To address this specific fire risk, make sure you check the specifications of your home’s various lamps and lighting fixtures to ensure that you are using the right bulbs for them.
Misuse of Extension Cords
Finally, improper use of extension cords is another common cause of electrical fires in homes. For instance, fires can result from running a cord underneath a rug or from plugging too many things into the cord at the same time. Ultimately, extension cords are not a safe or permanent power solution for your home. If you want to address your needs in a safer way, then speak to an electrician about installing additional power outlets in your home.
These are some of the common causes of residential electrical fires that you need to watch out for. Want another way to keep your home safe? Then make sure you have the proper homeowners insurance protections in place. For assistance with your home insurance, contact the experts at Mike Leonard Insurance Agency. Our dedicated team is eager to find you the right coverage from one of our many carriers including: Kemper, MetLife, Travelers, The Hartford, Safeco Insurance, Progressive, and American Strategic Insurance.