Tips for Proper Electrical Maintenance and Preventative Care
Electrical systems are crucial to any building, whether home or office, so keeping them in the best shape possible is crucial. Without proper maintenance, there can be multiple electrical inconveniences and safety hazards.
To avoid this problem, you need to maintain routine electrical checks. Here are some important tips for proper electrical maintenance and preventative care.
Why Is Electrical Safety Important?
In our daily life, we are constantly exposed to electronic items. In today’s modern world, we are constantly dealing with one electronic device or another, so it’s critical to stay safe and cautious at all times.
Electrical safety guidelines are important because they tell you exactly what to do in a hazardous situation. If you don’t follow these rules, you can seriously injure yourself or, worse, deal with a potentially fatal accident.
Here are some reasons highlighting why electrical safety is crucial.
Reduce Risk While Working Efficiently
Even though we deal with electronics daily, our risk hazards are smaller than those actively working with dangerous electrical systems.
Electricians who regularly deal with these situations are often equipped to handle electrical hazards. They can correctly identify potential dangers and take measures to de-escalate the situation.
But, lack of experience, inadequate training and inability to recognise potential hazards could lead to electrocution or death. If you work in a warehouse or operate one, it is important to familiarise yourself and your employees with electrical safety standards.
In a warehouse or industrial setting, people come into direct contact with electrical machinery, power lines, etc. Hold regular training programs and always provide proper and clear guidelines to ensure everyone stays safe.
Maintain Safety
The most obvious and crucial benefit of safety guidelines is safeguarding your and your electronics. As convenient as electrical systems are, they can be highly dangerous. Taking safety measures reduces the risk of future hazards such as electrocution and fires.
With electrical safety, your equipment gets damaged and decreases its lifespan. This will lead to higher replacement or maintenance costs in the future.
Cost-Effectiveness
The most significant benefit of safeguarding yourself and your electrical system is cost-effectiveness. Electrical fires, failures and appliance outages can cost a lot of money. Following proper protocol reduces most major issues and the need for expensive replacements.
Better Efficiency
Electrical safety guidelines also help you use your appliances to their best abilities. With these guidelines, you can take good care of your devices without damaging them. Regular maintenance keeps your electrical system operating smoothly and maintains a longer lifespan.
Without routine inspection, your system will fail more often and lead to hazardous situations. Efficient appliances reduce excess energy consumption, so you can have a worry-free experience.
What Is Electrical Maintenance?
Most people are unfamiliar with electrical maintenance. If you’re just getting started, here are some important things to remember.
In electrical system maintenance, you would typically inspect, test and repair any electrical component. Doing so will ensure no accidental power cut or electrical fire. All electrical systems need maintenance, whether in a home, office or commercial space.
Since these areas are always occupied by people, creating a safe environment is crucial. That’s not all; electrical maintenance also helps cut unnecessary costs in the future. After all, if you take care of your equipment, buying expensive replacement parts is unnecessary.
Usually, an electrician or maintenance will conduct this process. These people have the right knowledge to carry out inspections safely. In some situations, you can perform maintenance yourself, but you must know properly about the process.
Otherwise, you can end up injuring yourself and damaging the system. For professional inspection, the electrician will use a checklist to perform the maintenance correctly.
During this time, anybody in the maintenance area should follow electrical safety rules to avoid accidents. These steps highlight the basis of electrical system maintenance.
Here’s how to conduct proper electrical maintenance to prevent potential hazards.
Routine Inspection And Repairs
Every piece of electrical equipment a household or business uses should undergo regular inspections - whether it's an expensive appliance or something as small as a kettle. The time and frequency of inspection can vary based on the type of equipment.
When you get a new product, conduct a pre-emptive inspection to identify flaws before they lead to bigger issues. This will allow you to replace or repair the equipment in time for use.
Overall, regular inspections are ideal for reducing long-term damage to electrical systems and maintaining their functionality.
Check Electrical Distribution Systems
Apart from electrical devices, you provide the right care for electrical distribution systems.
Any faults and flaws that could lead to potential electrical files should be identified and fixed by a certified electrician. Replacing faulty parts early can prevent fires, power outages and even fatal accidents.
Examine Lighting Systems
Lighting equipment is an often overlooked part of electrical maintenance. Since this feature is an important part of our day-to-day lives, you must also pay special attention here.
Checking light bulbs and their respective wiring will prevent future outages and ensure everything remains in working order.
Keep A Close Eye on Electronics In Hazardous Locations
Some electrical systems are housed in dangerous locations, which increases the likelihood of accidents. For this reason, you must implement a proper maintenance schedule to quickly identify potential hazards to prevent breakdowns, accidents and potential fires.
Tips for General Electrical Maintenance and Preventative Care
Prevention is always better than cure. Here are some important tips to ensure your electrical system maintenance goes smoothly.
Frequent Blown Fuses And Trips
If you frequently experience this problem, there might be an issue with your electrical system. If you don’t treat this quickly, it could lead to expensive damages in the future. Contact a professional electrician to handle this component safely.
Get The Appropriate Wiring
This tip will help you avoid problems in the future. Never use regular electrical cables and equipment outdoors, especially if they aren’t approved for this environment.
Indoor electrical wiring and systems are not designed to withstand harsh outdoor elements. Using them outside their appropriate setting could lead to hazards.
Keep A Clear Cord Area
Avoid bending your cabling around furniture or placing them under carpets. Always keep them visible and clear, as they could pose a tripping hazard.
In a more serious situation, it can lead to an electrical fire. Also, avoid resting cables on a hot surface, as it can also damage the wiring.
Get Rid Of Frayed Wiring
If any wiring in your electrical system or appliance has become frayed, replacing them entirely instead of making repairs is best.
These types of wires can easily lead to electrical fires. Replacing them completely will ensure they don’t become a hazard in the future.
Childproof Your Appliances
Children are naturally curious, and we all know they like to explore. Always take necessary precautions to ensure young children never come into contact with your electrical sockets and plugs. You install simple covers on these systems to avoid potential hazards.
Don’t Force Plugs
If your plug doesn’t fit into your socket, avoid forcing them in any way. Any adjustment to force the plug-in will ruin your socket. Also, you will end up damaging your plugs. So, make sure only to buy the appropriate plug for your socket.
Upgrade Your Sockets
Make sure to upgrade your plugs or sockets when needed. Sticking with one system way past its lifespan can damage your electrical system. Even if the socket becomes loose from its place, you must upgrade it to something more efficient.
Never Overload Systems
One of the biggest culprits of electric system problems is overloading. Often, the main cause of all your home electrical issues is overloading. To prevent this issue, understand how much power your sockets provide.
All electronic devices and appliances take a different level of power. So, if you plug a high-voltage appliance into a low-voltage socket, you can seriously damage your electrical system.
Understand Electrical Capacity
Speaking of power levels, different electrical systems have their electrical capacity. The best indicator is how new or old the system is. In most older homes, the electrical system will have a lower capacity.
However, modern appliances and electronic systems are designed with a higher capacity and need more power. As we’ve said, high-capacity appliances can overload and damage your system.
If you live in an older home, you might need to upgrade your electrical system to avoid future damage.
How To Do Electrical Preventative Maintenance At Home?
If you’re a homeowner, you might not know all the technical aspects of maintaining an electrical system. However, you can keep your electronics in good shape in several ways while maintaining safety.
Look For Signs Of Overloading
As we’ve mentioned before, overloading can lead to severe electrical damage. To ensure the safety of yourself and your appliance, always check for signs of overloading.
Check if the sockets and devices are cool to the touch and are in proper working condition. Add protective faceplates to outlets for security.
Repair Or Replace Damaged Electrical Cords
Damaged power cables are a severe electrical safety risk. Always check your power cables and extension cords for signs of cracking and fraying.
Stapling or running your wires under the carpet can also damage their insulation. So, avoid doing these. You may need to add more outlets if you regularly use too many extension cables.
Contact a professional electrician to install additional sockets where you often use extension cables. This will evenly distribute the power load in your home.
Always Follow Appliance Instructions
One of the best ways to practice safety is by following appliance instructions. One of the best ways to learn more about your appliance is by reading the provided manual. This handy manual will give you all the relevant information you need to use the device safely.
Unplug Unused Devices
One of the simplest pieces of electrical safety advice is unplugging all unused devices, but sometimes it’s easy to forget this.
Unplugging can protect your appliances from overheating and power surges. That’s not all; unplugging unused devices can reduce energy consumption through the phantom drain.
With this tip, you can kill two birds with one stone. If you feel like you might forget to take these appliances off, invest in smart plugs. At Meteor Electrical, you can find high-quality smart plugs which make it easy to keep track of your devices.
Give Appliances Space
Make sure your devices have proper air circulation. Without air circulation, your electrical appliances can overheat or blow out.
For even more safety, put away flammable electrical systems from other appliances. Pay special attention to your electric or gas devices, which must be placed at least a foot from the wall to work safely.
Keep Exhaust Fans Clean
Some electrical devices have exhaust fans which can get clogged with debris. This will cause the appliance to overexert itself and work harder. Make sure to clean your exhaust fans regularly to avoid this situation.
Overexertion can significantly reduce the device's lifespan and lead to an electrical fire. Clogged fans can also increase the buildup of dangerous gasses.
Practice Caution With Heaters
Any flammable and combustible items should not be placed in front of portable heaters and fireplaces. Do not operate your portable radiators near curtains or furniture.
Always place your heater on an even surface to avoid tipping this appliance. This way, you can enjoy comfortable warmth without worrying about any dangers. Regarding heaters, practice safety with your water heaters as well.
High-temperature settings increase energy consumption, leading to unintentional burns and scalding, especially in children. So always use them with precaution.
Only Use The Correct Wattage
Check all fixtures, lamps and appliances to ensure you use the correct wattage. If a light fixture has no wattage listed, go for 60-watt bulbs or less.
For unmarked ceiling luminaries, opt for 25-watt bulbs. If you want a safe and efficient option, use LED light bulbs. These bulbs consume less energy and reduce the risk of overheating.
At Meteor, we carry the innovative Kosnic range of LEDs to provide you with energy savings and convenience.
With these helpful tips, you can keep track of all your electrical equipment and make repairs where necessary to prevent potential hazards.