Appliance Safety Tips

The appliances inside of a house often make your life much easier, but if you operate them incorrectly, they could produce noticeable risks. It is important to protect your appliances and be sure they do not become hazards by adhering to these helpful appliance safety tips from Apex Joliet Appliance Repair.

The professional tips below can help prevent fires and injuries from broken home appliances. Even still, hazards can still occur. In the event a home appliance has issues or begins to malfunction and becomes dangerous, reach out to a appliance repair Joliet.

GFCI Outlets in Wet Locations in Your Home

Laundry rooms, kitchens, basements, bathrooms, mud rooms, garages and outdoor areas are susceptible to possible dampness or water. As you well know, electricity and water don’t go together, so power cords should always be plugged into ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs).

This can prevent electrocution by tripping the circuit when any imbalances in power are detected.

If you don’t already have GFCI outlets installed in damp rooms inside and around your home, it is time to install them or call an electrician in Joliet. After that, for further safety, follow the warnings of appliance manuals that indicate they are not for outdoor areas.

Wires, Electronics & Outlets Far Away From Wet Areas

Quite a few appliances are manufactured for the outdoors, such as barbecue grills. If you use any electrical appliances outside – including refrigerators, dishwashers, ice makers and freezers, power tools and others – monitor that all outlets and cords are not wet. Using weatherproof electronics help, along with GFCI outlets with gaskets that are water-tight.

Extension Cords are a Momentary Solution

An extension cord poses a lot of risks, this includes:

The likelihood of loose connections that might cause sparks and a fire.
The possibility of power fluctuations that could damage the appliance.
Greater vulnerability to moisture penetration that can result in electrocution.
The potential for cords overheating and turning into a fire hazard when an insufficient extension cord is combined with a high-power appliance.

When determining an extension cord for temporary use, ensure that it is the right gauge for the appliance in question. The lower the gauge, the bigger the size for the cord. For instance, a simple household extension cord for a radio might have a 16-gauge wire while a big cord for a air conditioner unit uses a 12-gauge wire.

The length of the cord is also important. The longer the extension cord, the more electricity is lost enroute, also known as voltage drop. Short extension cords are recommended for power tools and similar equipment.

Read the Manual for Any Appliance You Buy

It’s obvious to guess that you know how to operate a brand new washing machine or dishwasher without reading the operating manual, but consulting the manufacturer instructions is important for a lot of reasons:

You will want to find out if your home’s wiring is enough to power the new appliance. You may have to install a better circuit to prevent overloading your existing ones.

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

You avoid the stress that can sometimes come from attempting to start a new appliance without instructions!

Unplug Small Appliances When Not in Use

You are able to stop unnecessary energy consumption by unplugging small appliances when not in use. This is because small appliances include LED indicators, clocks and other energy-consuming features standby times.

Unplug televisions, monitors, routers, video game systems, cellphone chargers and more to stop wasteful energy consumption. Just remember, it’s worthwhile to keep DVRs and similar items plugged in to not miss their background features.

For even more tips on how to use appliances safely, or to call a local appliance repair service, please contact Apex Joliet Appliance Repair. Our technicians can fix all name brand home appliances!

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