The researches state that residential electrical fires are often in one-and two-family dwellings, during winter due to increased use of lights and heating appliances, and during summer due to overheating. The reports also state that good numbers of electrical fires start in bedrooms, vacant crawls places or in attics and the fire spread is limited to space where it is started. But the highest number of fatalities is reported from the fires that occur in the family room, living room, and den. Here are some of the common causes of electrical fires in houses.
Faulty appliances and wiring
In most of the electrical fires, it is the electric wire that first gets ignited and the ignition generally happens due to malfunction of appliances, unspecified short-circuit, and other electrical failures. So it is important to make use of the best electrical wire for house wiring to minimize the occurrence of electrical fire to its rock bottom or zero levels. There are reputed companies to manufacture the right wire with double and triple layer protection for house wiring projects.
Light fixtures
Lamps, light bulbs, and light fixtures are another common reason for residential electrical fires. Bulbs with wattage that is too high than the recommended for light fixtures and lamps can result in the occurrence of the fires. It is so important to check for the recommended bulb wattage and stop crossing the recommended amount. You can find bulbs of right wattage for your residential needs with reputed electrical suppliers of the country.
Extension cords
Misuse of extensions cords is said to be another cause for an electrical fire. It is good to connect the appliances directly with the outlets instead of plugging them into extension cords for a long period. Extension cords should be used as a temporary solution. If you need the perfect type of outlets for the existing or new appliances, get high-quality electrical supplies and hire an experienced electrician to get the new outlets installed.
Space heater
Since these heaters are portable most of the people keep them close to combustible surfaces like beds, curtains, couches, chairs, clothing, and rugs several times. Coil space heaters are more dangerous since the coil becomes hot and can ignite any of the nearby flammable things instantaneously. So it is better to use radiator type space heaters that diffuse heat over the surface of the appliances. Even though these devices are less likely to ignite the items, it is still good to keep it away from flammable surfaces.
Wiring
Out-dated wiring and wiring with poor quality wires can result in electrical fires. In most of the cases, the home with more than 20 years of wiring will not have enough capacity to handle several numbers of electrical appliances used in the present average homes like wide-screen televisions, computers, air conditioners, microwaves and more. So make sure that you make use of the right type of wire like high-quality copper electrical wire for your residential wiring to prevent the occurrence of electrical fires.
