Appliance Safety Tips

The appliances in your house often make life less stressful, but when you use appliances incorrectly, they might produce evident health risks. You will want to maintain your appliances and be sure they do not turn into dangers by adhering to these helpful home appliance safety recommendations from Heritage Appliance Repair.

The tips below will help to prevent fires and injuries related to household appliances. Even still, hazards could still happen. In the event an appliance has problems or malfunctions and becomes dangerous, reach out to a professional appliance repair.

GFCI Outlets in Wet Locations in Your Home

Kitchens, laundry rooms, basements, bathrooms, outdoor areas and garages are all susceptible to possible moisture or dripping water. As you well know, electricity and moisture do not mix, therefore power cords should always be plugged into ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs).

This type of outlet will prevent electrocution by tripping the circuit if any interruptions in electricity occur.

If you do not already have GFCI outlets installed in damp locations inside and around your home, now is the time to install them or call an electrician in CITY. Then, for further safety, you will want to heed the warnings of certain appliance manuals that indicate they are not meant for outdoor use.

Electrical Cords, Outlets & Electronics Away From Water

Several home appliances are built for outdoor use, like gas and charcoal grills, for example. If you have electrical appliances outdoors – including refrigerators, dishwashers, ice makers and freezers, electric tools and others – be sure that all of the cords and outlets are not wet. Using weatherproof electronics help with this, in addition to GFCI outlets with gaskets that are water-tight.

Extension Cords are a Temporary Solution

An extension cord poses many noticeable risks, including:

The potential for a loose connection that might create sparks and a fire.
The likelihood of power fluctuations that may damage the appliance.
Increased susceptibility to water penetration that could lead to electrocution.
The likelihood of wires overheating and becoming a fire hazard when an insufficient extension cord is used for a high-power appliance.

When choosing an extension cord for temporary use, be sure that it’s the appropriate gauge for the home appliance in question. The lower the gauge, the larger the wire size. For instance, a household extension cord for a radio may have a 16-gauge wire while a bigger cord for a AC unit uses a 12-gauge wire.

The length of the cord is also a factor. The longer the extension cord, the more power is lost enroute, also known as voltage drop. Shorter cords are recommended for electric tools and outdoor equipment.

Always Be Sure to Read the Manual for Any Type of Appliance You Purchase

It is obvious to guess that you know how to operate a brand new home appliance without reading the manual, but reading the instructions is necessary for a lot of reasons:

You should find out whether your home’s electrical wiring is sufficient to power the new appliance. You might need to install a new circuit to stop overloading any existing ones.

You learn about features you might not otherwise have known about.
You discover if the appliance is OK for outdoor use or not.

You don’t have the extreme stress that can sometimes come from trying to use a new home appliance with no instructions!

Unplug Small Appliances in Your Home if You Are Not Using Them

You are able to prevent unnecessary energy use by unplugging appliances when you are not operating them. The reason is small appliances sometimes include LED indicators, clocks and other energy-draining features during standby mode.

Unplug monitors, televisions, modems, printers, routers, video game consoles, cellphone chargers and more to reduce unnecessary energy use. Just remember, it’s worthwhile to keep DVRs and similar devices plugged in to not miss their background features.

For more tips on using home appliances safely, or to schedule a local appliance repair company, please contact Heritage Appliance Repair. Our repairmen can repair all name brand home appliances!

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