Electrical Safety: Simple Tips to Avoid an Overload in Your Electrical Power Points
Overloading a power point can cause your circuit breaker to keep on tripping or even present the risk of an electrical hazard in the home. An overload occurs when the devices plugged into an outlet or power strip exceed the maximum amperage that the specific circuit is designed to handle. Overloading can cause electrical fires and create an unexpected disaster in your home. To prevent this, you need to understand which devices to plug in where and how many appliances can go into one power strip in the house. Here is a guide that will help you to achieve this and improve electrical safety in your home.
Take note of high amp devices
High amp appliances are those electrical appliances that draw more amperage than others. When such a device is plugged into a circuit that does not supply its power requirements, it will cause the circuit breaker to trip. Such devices in the home include electrical kettles, mixers, blenders, heaters, electrical razors, blow-dryers and curling irons. When using such devices, ensure there are no two or more connected to the same circuit. For instance, your kitchen outlets most likely use the same circuit; therefore, it would be dangerous to run the kettle, mixer and blender together. Always use these devices one at a time or plug them in different circuits.
Don't overload power strips
Power strips make it possible for users to plug in multiple appliances on one outlet. However, when used incorrectly, they can cause an electrical disaster in your home. This is especially true if you plug in the power hungry devices mentioned above in one power strip. Avoid overloading these appliances to enhance electrical safety in your home. However, when using small devices such as phone chargers that don't draw a lot of amps, you can have two or more in one power strip without causing an electrical problem. Similarly, you can plug in your laptop, phone charger and Bluetooth headphones on one power strip.
Invest in overload protection devices
Sometimes it can be difficult to know which appliances consume what amount of electrical power, and this can frustrate your efforts to maintain safety. The best measure you can take is to invest in overload protection devices. These detect an overload and cut off the power supply before an outlet overheats and causes an electrical fire. The popular overload protection devices on the market today are fuses and circuit breakers. An electrician can inspect your home and recommend the installation of these devices based on your electrical consumption patterns.
Follow these tips to avoid overloading your power points and creating an electrical hazard. If your circuit breaker often trips due to an overload, you should ask an electrical contractor to assess the circuits and advice on how to efficiently plug in your electrical devices. If needed, this professional can also complete electrical repairs to make sure your home remains safe.