Electricity has played a vital role in our lives for many years and has provided several benefits however there are a few risks that need to be considered as well. A common electrical fixture found in the home is an electrical outlet. These are devices that allow electrically operated appliances to connect directly to power sources and mostly come in the form of AC power plugs or sockets.
How To Avoid Problems With Electrical Outlets
The main purpose of an electrical outlet is to prevent electrical shock when connecting to a power source. With that said it is very important that people remember that an electrical outlet covers a potentially deadly force and is the only thing that separates people from serious injury or even electrocution. Since this is the case it is critical that these fittings be kept in perfect condition as any damage or destruction to them can expose you to dangerous or even lethal situations.
Apart from this there are a few other hazardous occurrences that can take place with electrical outlets with one of the most common being sparking/fire. This usually happens if something is plugged into an outlet that is drawing more electricity than the outlet was originally designed to supply.
In most homes today homeowners install circuit breakers to prevent things like this from happening but it still is not a guarantee that it won’t occur as circuit breakers may fail or malfunction from time to time.
Nevertheless in event that an outlet fire does take place the first priority would be to make sure that everybody is relocated to a safe area. Once this is accomplished the next step would be to switch off the main electrical panel but before doing this it is extremely important to make sure that hands are dry and that you are not standing in water.
Most electrical panels can be found on the outside of the home or basement area so you know where you can locate them in the event an outlet is on fire. If you complete the following steps and the outlet continues to burn or smoke then you should contact your local fire department immediately to come in and handle fire. As for the electrical repairs that are needed you should reach out to a professional electrician.
Damage to outlets can occur due to several factors and these include age, degradation or destruction. Remember that no matter the cause, if you have a damaged outlet don’t hesitate to replace it with a new one. Hiring a professional to perform this task is also the best course of action as trained professionals are best suited to handle such tasks given the dangers involved. Contact us for more information.
