With almost everyone using electricity throughout the day, whether at home or not, electrical fires are extremely dangerous and many may begin without any obvious signs or warnings. Keeping a CO2 fire extinguisher close by is essential if you are to safely tackle an electrical fire at its very early stages, but anything larger means it’s time to evacuate and call your emergency fire department.
What Causes Electrical Fires?
Experts will suggest that most electrical fires are caused by using faulty outlets and old wiring within your property. Following close afterwards are damaged appliance cables, extension cords and poor quality plugs.
When you plug items into the socket, you should be aware of short-circuiting or overloading the circuits. This should cause the trip switch into action in your main electricity board, but only when that safety selection is up-to-date and regularly maintained.
The need for a CO2 fire extinguisher may be extended when you regularly choose to use unapproved electrical equipment or faulty equipment that you just hope will work. Individuals may have carried out modifications to the electrical equipment and this may cause a fire.
Electrical fires can also be started when there isn’t enough room between electrical heating equipment and items that are combustible. Keeping a paper towel roll next to a pan of frying chips is asking for trouble.
Your CO2 fire extinguisher will come into use if you consistently use damaged electrical objects. When you have witnessed sparks flying from an outlet, it’s time to call a professional electrician to solve the problem, not continuing to use the outlet because it might be good to go.
A burning smell around an electrical appliance is a great clue that something is wrong as is the consistent need to change fuses because they keep blowing within an appliance or tripping your circuit breaker.
Where your wiring hasn’t been inspected during the past few years, it’s time to update that necessity.
