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One of the most common causes of house fires is from your electrical system. And for something so common, there is very little done to prevent an electrical fire in the home. And this is mainly because people don’t understand what tends to cause electrical fires.
Read: Radon: The Hidden Danger Every Homeowner Should Know About
While we expect our electrical system to be safe, we are often only thinking about getting electrocuted and not so much about it causing fires. The risks lie in areas that may seem to be illogical even so it is no surprise that the threat is not widely known.
In this article, I will go over several factors that you should be aware of to prevent an electrical fire in your house.
1. Water Leaks
It may sound counterintuitive to think that water would cause a fire, but water and electricity do not mix. If you have a leaky roof, for example, then the wood around the electric wiring can get water logged and be just wet enough to cause a spark if the insulation of the wiring is frayed or not thick enough.
You should look into getting a professional like gutter cleaning service Galvin, WA or wherever you live to clean out your gutters. This is one of the reasons your roof is leaky and increases the chance of a fire.
Also, make sure that your home foundation is not cracked and leaking water as your fuse boxes or circuit breakers are usually in the basement and can be affected by leaks.
2. Electrical Overloads
When you have too much of a demand on your system you will cause your cables or wires to heat up. For instance, if you have an outlet with too many devices plugged into it. It causes the wires going to the outlet to overheat. When these get too hot, they end up burning the insulation or any wood that might be touching it and up it goes.
Read: How To Make Your Home More Energy Efficient?
This is a big problem in old houses with a lot of modern appliances and electronics. We now live with way more electronics than people did in the past and these old houses don’t have enough outlets.
Make sure to upgrade your electrical system if it is old to avoid this problem.
3. Current Leaks
This may sound like the same as getting a water leak, but in this case it’s the electricity itself that is leaking. Basically, what this means is that you end up having a current go where you didn’t intend for it to flow.
This can happen when your system is not properly grounded so the current will find its best path around. If this is under a rug, for example, then it can light up the material.
It can even be caused by frayed insulation in which case the wire itself makes contact with another material. If it is wood then the wood can heat up if the wire gets hot. Metal can carry the electrical current away and then bring it where it can cause a fire elsewhere.
