10 top ways to prevent electrical fires in your home!

The 2021 national estimates for residential building electrical malfunction fires and losses show that there were:

• 24,200 fires.
• 295 deaths.
• 900 injuries.
• $1,201,500,000 in losses.

Source https://www.usfa.fema.gov/statistics/residential-fires/electrical.html 

So, what are the best ways to avoid electrical fires?

Don’t Overload your Electrical Outlets

Overloading electrical outlets can cause excessive heat to build up in the outlet itself and the electrical cables that supply the outlets circuit increasing the risk of an electrical fire. Some heat build-up is normal under general electrical operation due to circulating electric currents but excessive heat can rise beyond the design specifications for the home's wiring system and cause electrical fires in the home.

Overloading electrical outlets can be done very easily if you are using too many high-powered appliances. Such appliances would be anything that contains a heating element such as, Clothes Dryer, Washer, Hairdryer, space heater, electric water heaters such as kettles and coffee machines, clothes iron and more.

The use of such appliances in isolation is absolutely fine but when several appliances are used in the same outlet or on the same circuit, care should be taken not to overload the outlets as this can lead to a burn electrical outlet (https://www.electricalfaultsfixed.co.uk/blog/burnt-plug-socket)

Recycle Old Appliances & Replace

As appliances age, the wiring inside them can become brittle, insulation around the wiring can crack as the PVC dries out, wear and tear can result in shorting out and any flammable materials inside the appliance can catch alight under the correct set of circumstances.

Not only do aging appliances tend to be less economical than newer appliances but they are also likely to perform poorly given the same tasks. Circuit boards can wear out and burn out causing shorting, arcing, and introducing a fire risk.  

Many older appliances may lack the safety features that newer appliances have which prevent overheating and otherwise reduce fire risk.

Use Space Heaters with Care

Space heaters are a leading cause of electrical fires for several reasons which we go into in more detail in this article (https://www.electricalfaultsfixed.com/blog/15-causes-electrical-fires-fire-safety-tips-2024) 

Coil space heaters have a powerful electrical heating element inside them which glows red hot as electricity passes through it. This heat is pushed out of the appliance by the integral fan and this action heats spaces quickly. Any debris that collects in the space heater is at risk of igniting as the element heats up. Anything that falls onto the space heater during its operation is at risk of blocking the heat escaping causing the appliance to catch fire. Most space heaters should be equipped with a thermal cut out device that senses the internal temperature and shuts off the electrical supply to the appliance.

The effectiveness of these safety measures is something which we should not attempt to test and every effort should be made to ensure that space heaters are operated safely and in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and where possible, not for an extended period of time.

Coil Space Heaters should be operated away from combustible surfaces, combustible materials and only used as a temporary measure whilst other heating appliances are being repaired or during particularly cold weather. Using a Coil Space heater near a flammable surface is likely to result in home fires. 

Finally, do not use a coil space heater with a power strip or extension cord as these often have a maximum recommended wattage usage that is easy to exceed especially with high power demand items like electrical heating appliances.

Keep Flammable Materials Away from Electrical Outlets

Electrical outlets can spark, get hot during operation, and can cause short circuit should materials come into close contact with the outlet. Electricity and flammable materials do not mix and great care should be taken when storing or using flammable materials around electrical installations. Electrical items and electrical components should only be operated where flammable objects are not present.

Have a Regular Electrical Safety Inspection carried out

Regular inspections are something that many homeowners miss as part of their home maintenance schedule. The result is often an emergency electrician breakdown call which results in the discovery of more than one problem. This can lead to a recommendation for a total rewire if the system is particularly old or worn where regular maintenance could have prolonged system life and give advanced warning of impending system failure.

In older homes, there are common electrical issues such as old wiring, limited wiring capacity, excessive power load for the circuits, electrical wires that are becoming brittle and the need for extension cords to supply electrical appliances due to a limited number of electrical wall outlet positions. These factors can often combine to present a serious hazard as the recommended amount of electrical load on the circuits is exceeded and excess heat can be generated increasing the risk of electrical fires. Installing additional outlets can sometimes help alleviate the strain on single outlets but will do little to alleviate the strain on the circuit itself.

Electrical inspections (https://www.electricalfaultsfixed.co.uk/electrical-safety-checks-eicr) are strongly recommended at regular intervals. The IET (Institute of Engineering and Technology) recommend that private domestic dwellings are inspected and tested at a minimum interval of 10 years. I tell you now, there are not many that are inspected regularly AT ALL!!

Make sure you have GFCI Installed & use GFCI Outlets where possible

Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters are a lifesaving device. They are also known as RCD (Residual Current Device) RCB (Residual Current Breaker) RCCB (Residual Current Circuit Breaker) and a few other names.

These devices sense when tiny amounts of electrical current are missing from an otherwise healthy electrical circuit. They assume that the missing electrical current is leaking through a human body which is receiving an electric shock. The device then disconnects the electrical supply to stop the current leakage.

These electric shock prevention devices are VITAL in all homes and should be used in nearly all situations especially when electrical equipment is being used outdoors. These devices can not only prevent electric shock but can offer some level of fire protection by preventing cross connections in some circumstances on electrical circuits.

Have Electrical Repairs carried out promptly

Delaying electrical repairs can increase the risk of electrical fire. Ignoring an electrical fault that regularly trips out a breaker or trip switch (https://www.electricalfaultsfixed.co.uk/blog/trip-switch-rcd) is likely to lead to damage on the electrical circuit.

This damage can be in the form of electrical cable damage, damage to junctions, electrical panel, or appliances. Ignoring a circuit breaker problem can mean that shorting out is occurring regularly and this gives us a couple of problems.

The breaker will eventually give out meaning that it WONT TRIP, leaving a dangerous overload situation OR it WONT TURN ON again meaning that you lose the use of that electrical circuit. Severe wiring damage can occur to the electrical system and increases the risk of fire if the fault is not found and fixed.

Outdated wiring is also one of the most common causes of electrical fires. The warning signs of electrical wiring in distress are things such as, faulty outlets, faulty wiring, electrical arcing, scorch marks on wiring or outlets and circuit breakers that regularly trip. Following signs of electrical wiring in distress, a licensed electrician should be contacted as soon as possible to check the system.

When carrying out electrical repairs you should only use the services of a professional electrician for the electrical work that needs doing. A qualified electrician is the best way to ensure that your electrical problem does not turn into an electrical fire hazard. Electricians go through many years of training and normally have many years of experience before that begin working on electrical systems.

Have Appliances checked regularly

Even if the appliances are relatively new and do not need replacing / repairing / recycling it is a good idea to check the appliances over regularly.

In particular, the plug, the cable and the cable entry to the appliance should be checked. The plug should be in good condition as it was when it came from the manufacturer. There should be no signs of overheating, melting or damage to the plug and the pins should not be bent.

The cable of the appliance should show no signs of overheating, damage, pinching or mechanical strain. Where it meets the plug there should be no sign of individual-coloured wires or copper on display.

The cable entry to the appliance should be suitably sealed as it was from the factory. Appliance fires are very common and checking your appliances regularly can alert you to issues before they become a fire.

Make sure the Electrical Panel is in Good Condition

The electrical panel or consumer unit is the ‘Brains’ of the electrical system. Without the protection offered by the mains electrical panel there would be many dangers introduced into our homes. It is of GREAT IMPORTANCE that the electrical panel is kept in good working order, repaired where necessary, tested regularly, and replaced when outdated.

Newer electrical panels offer safety features such as protection against over-voltage, surges, electric shock, earth faults, shorting out, arcing and electrical fires. An old panel will be missing many of these modern safety features and may not offer the protection that is required in modern homes.

Unplug Appliances that are not in use

When appliances are not in use, they can be disconnected from the electrical supply. This can not only have the benefit of saving energy but can also mean that any appliances that may be faulty are not going to cause a fire when disconnected from the mains.
Even if faulty appliances are turned off, they can still short out inside and cause fires and electrical faults, therefore it is safer to removed appliances plugs from socket outlets when the appliances are not in use. It may not be practical to remove all appliances but perhaps concentrate on any that may be aging and therefore more likely to become faulty.

Finally, just in case these measures do not help prevent a house fire in your case, MAKE SURE that you have adequate smoke detectors installed in your home. Consider purchasing a fire extinguisher (or a few) suitable for different types of fires and install them throughout your home near to any electrical devices that are likely to introduce the most danger.