Appliance Safety Tips | Pride Appliance Repair
The appliances inside a home often make life much easier, but if you use them unsafely, they might produce significant health risks. It is important to maintain your appliances and be sure they won’t become hazards by following these appliance safety recommendations from Pride Appliance Repair.
The tips in this post help prevent fires and injuries related to home appliances. However, hazards could still happen. In the event a home appliance has problems or starts to malfunction and becomes a safety risk, reach out to a professional appliance repair.
Laundry rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, basements, garages and outdoor areas are all susceptible to dampness or water. As you are well aware, electricity and moisture don’t go together, therefore electrical cords and wires should be plugged into GFCI outlets.
This will prevent electrocution by tripping the circuit when any imbalances in power arise.
If you do not already have GFCI outlets installed in wet areas inside of your house, now is the time to install them or call an electrician in CITY. After that, for even more safety, follow the warnings of appliance manuals that note that they are not designed for outdoor use.
Electrical Wires, Electronics & Outlets Far Away From Water
Several appliances are specially manufactured for the outdoors, like charcoal and gas grills, for example. If you have any electrical appliances outdoors – including refrigerators, dishwashers, freezers and ice makers, electric tools and others – ensure that all of the plugs and outlets are not wet. Using weatherproof electronics will help with this, combined with GFCI outlets with gaskets that are water-tight.
The potential for loose connections that could lead to sparks and cause a fire.
The likelihood of power interruptions that can damage the appliance.
Greater susceptibility to moisture penetration that might result in electrocution.
The probability of cords overheating and turning into a fire hazard when an low-quality extension cord is combined with a high-power appliance.
When deciding on an extension cord for short-term use, ensure that it is the correct gauge for the appliance in question. The lower the gauge, the larger the cord size. For example, a basic extension cord for a garden tool could have a 16-gauge wire where a larger cord for a AC unit uses a 12-gauge wire.
The length of the cord is also crucial. The longer the cord is, the more electricity is used up on the way, also known as voltage drop. Short extension cords are good for electric tools and similar equipment.
Always Be Sure to Read the Operating Manual for Any Appliance You Buy
It is simple to guess that you know how to operate a new appliance without reading the manual, but reading the instructions is necessary for a lot of reasons:
You should find out if your house’s electrical wiring is sufficient to power the appliance. You might have to install a circuit to stop overloading any existing ones.
You learn about complicated features you wouldn’t have otherwise have known about.
You learn if the appliance is safe for outdoor locations or not.
You do not have the frustration that can sometimes come from attempting to use a new home appliance without instructions!
You can prevent unnecessary energy usage by unplugging appliances when not in use. This is because small appliances sometimes include LED signals, timers and other energy-consuming features during standby times.
Unplug TVs, computer monitors, routers, video game consoles, phone chargers and more to reduce wasteful energy use. But remember, it is OK to keep DVRs and similar electronics plugged in to not miss their background functions.
For more tips on ways to use appliances safely, or to call a local appliance repair service, please contact Pride Appliance Repair. We can repair all common home appliances!