Knowing how to use and protect your appliances safely will help you save money, prolong the life of your appliances, and prevent you or anyone else in your family from being harmed by dangerous electrical shocks. In extreme conditions, electricity will not just give you a painful jolt – it can kill you. If you are unsure or scared of dealing with an issue, turn it off at your fuse box and call an electrician. If the problem was isolated to the appliance, you may contact a specialized repairman or buy a replacement outright.
All of that, of course, comes later. To help you safely use and then deal with emergencies as they come, follow these top safety procedures:
Make Sure That Your Home is Fit for Use
If you recently purchased a property and don’t trust the electrical wiring (or suspect there was a severe case of DIY), call a professional electrician for a full inspection. You may need to get your wiring up to par for legal and safety purposes. This can include a complete rewiring, which can take the costs up. However, you can’t say no to one of your home’s most important health and safety updates.
Check that Your Appliance Are Fit for Use
If you purchased your appliances recently, you are good to go. These appliances will have to be tested and certified to be sold. If you buy an appliance second-hand to save money, however, then you will want to take it to be professionally inspected. Electricians will use a series of tools to check that the voltage, current, and so on are all within the expected parameters. Once they give you the green light, you’ll be good to plug everything in.
Installation Tips
If installation is as simple as plugging your appliance into the wall, then you can handle this yourself. If, on the other hand, your appliance needs to be hard-wired, then you’ll want to bring in a professional to do this job correctly. While cutting, splicing, and insulating cables isn’t complicated, there is a lot you can get wrong if it’s your first time and you don’t know what to look for. To help you save, try to organize everything so that all the work can be done on the same day.
Understand Your Circuit Breakers
Have your electrician explain your electrical panel’s circuit breakers to you, including how to use it safely and what to do if it trips. Sometimes heavier-duty items like your kitchen appliances can put your kitchen space at capacity, so adding additional appliances like your microwave can regularly trip your circuit breaker. You need to work with your electrician to ensure your space can safely handle the number of appliances you use regularly.
Turn Off Electricity Before Dealing with Issues
If there’s an issue and your circuit breaker doesn’t trip, turn it off at the source, not at the plug. This will cut electricity and make issues like dealing with burning wires safer while you wait for the professionals at Yoder to come in and fix the problem. Contact us today to learn more!
