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Important Appliances Safety & Fire Prevention Facts
Safety Tips You Should Know
While major
appliances make our lives much easier, they also pose significant risks
if not maintained properly. The average homeowner has several thousand
dollars invested in major appliances. To protect your investment and
ensure many years of reliable service out of each it's important to
properly maintain your appliances.
Extension Cords
Extension cords pose several risks. First, the extension cord
connections may not be secure. Besides causing power fluctuations that
may damage the equipment, poor connections can also result in sparks
that could start a fire.
Another problem with the appliance connections is that they are
vulnerable to water penetration. This is especially true in damp areas
such as laundry rooms, bathrooms, kitchens, garages and outdoors. Water
and electricity are a dangerous combination responsible for many
avoidable deaths each year.
People often make the mistake of using extension cords that are too
small. The wires on extension cords are rated according to size, with
lower ratings corresponding to larger sizes. A simple household
extension cord for a lamp might have 16-gauge wire. An outdoor cord may
have 14-gauge wire. Heavy-duty cords are usually 12-gauge.
In general, in those circumstances where use of an extension cord is
unavoidable, employ one that is heavier than the wires already attached
to the appliance.
Also, whenever using power tools or similar equipment on long extension
cords, be aware that the longer the cord the more power that is lost en
route. This phenomenon, called voltage drop, is much less pronounced in
heavier wires. Whenever you use an inadequate cord, you run the risk of
damaging the appliance or causing the wires to overheat and become a
fire hazard.
When extension cords, appliance wires and outlets are incompatible,
people often use adapters to make things fit. Most commonly, people have
a three-prong plug and a two-prong outlet. The third prong is the
ground, and it offers important safety advantages. A much better
long-run solution is to have an electrician replace your 2-prong outlets
with properly grounded three-prong outlets.
Heavy-duty appliances have plug configurations that are unique. Never
use an adapter to fit these into more standard outlets.
Circuit Breakers and Fuses
Older homes have fuse boxes while most new ones have circuit breakers.
Both perform the same function. Whenever a short circuit or overload
situation occurs, the device shuts off electricity to that circuit,
preventing both shocks and fire hazards.
Whenever an appliance stops working, first test the outlet with a lamp
or radio. If the circuit is dead, turn off anything you know to be on
the same circuit and go to your electrical box, usually located in the
basement. If you have a circuit breaker, look for the one switch that is
slightly out of alignment. Turn it off and turn it back on again. If you
have a fuse box, replace the burnt-out fuse.
If you try the appliance again and the circuit cuts off a second time,
you may be overloading that circuit. Try the appliance in another part
of the house. If it keeps causing circuits to cut off, something is
wrong with the appliance. It may, for instance, have a short.
Pilot Lights
Many older gas appliances (ranges, dryers, water heaters, furnaces,
etc.) have pilot lights that run continuously. Newer models have
electronic ignition instead.
When an older appliance stops working, check to see if the pilot light
has gone out. If it has, re-light it according to the instructions in
the manual, which came with the unit or are printed on the appliance
itself. In many cases, this will save you the cost of a repair call.
Because pilot lights maintain a flame at all times, they are always
ready to ignite any flammable gases that might be present. This is why
you should never store paints, solvents and other chemicals anywhere
near an appliance with a pilot light.
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