How to Have a Fire-safe Summer
Sydney is Australia’s largest, most visited, populous and famous city, widely known for its Grand Opera House. Blessed with a temperate climate, you will enjoy Sydney’s outdoor life – by walking through their gorgeous public parks, strolling along their pristine coastline, exploring their animal and marine wildlife or get stoked in one of their 23 destination beaches.
Amidst all these natural wonders, Sydney became the hottest place on earth last year, brought about by the bushfires which ripped through the New South Wales region. When you have no control of nature, you have to deal with what you can control, your home. Consult a skilled residential electrician in Sydney to give you professional advice for your home’s fire safety.
A qualified and more importantly, licensed residential electrician will be able to handle all types of electrical work in your home. The more electrical appliances you have in your home, the more reason for you to seek professional advice to avoid misinformation. Their work starts from auditing your appliances to get an inventory of electrical requirement, a quick check of your switchboard and wires for compliance.
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How do you fire-proof your home this summer?
- According to FRNSW (Fire and Rescue NSW, one of the world’s urban fire services), they respond to approximately 4,500 residential fires each year. Half of the fires start in the kitchen, mostly due to unattended cooking.
Another common cause of home fires during summer is backyard barbecues. Make it a habit to always check your gas hoses and connections for leakage. A simple brush or spray of soapy water will reveal any holes through the line. Do not allow children near the pit. Always assign an adult to manage the barbecue area. After your barbecue job, remove and discard all excess fat from the pit by burying them in soil to avoid grease fire. Grill flare-ups are bursts of intense flames caused by oil or fat dripping from the food to the coals. Should flare ups happen, remove the food from the grill and/or cover food to cut oxygen supply.
Install smoke alarm
The law requires a minimum of one smoke alarm installed on every level of your home And FRNSW recommends installing a smoke alarm on every room, living space (including hallway and staircase) and garage. There are standards to follow. Consult an electrician for professional advice.
- Electrical appliances and faults cause almost 40% of home fires
- The main reason is using an appliance with worn out or frayed cords, causing the heat from these cords to spark fire upon contact with carpets, curtains, rugs, floors, etc.
- Using a bulb with a wattage that is too high for the lamp or any lighting fixture leads to electrical fire. Always check the maximum wattage capacity of your lamps and lighting fixtures. Do not cover your lamps with cloth or paper since these combustible materials heat up and ignite.
- Make it a practice to directly plug your appliances to your outlets. Do not misuse or extend the use of an extension cord. Insufficient outlets or if you do not have the appropriate type of outlet for your appliances, contact an electrician to install additional outlets.
- Only a professional electrician in Sydney can help you check your home electrical needs versus your wiring capacity. It is not surprising to know that your home has exceeded its wiring capacity owing to the increase of your appliances and electrical equipment through the years.
Conclusion:
An electrical job is complicated and risky to be DIYed. Do not scrimp on anything which involves your family’s safety. Consult only professionals who are licensed and skilled to do the job right.
Sudarsan Chakraborty is a professional Blogger and blog writer. He lives and breathes in the blogging industry. He regularly writes on Widetopics to keep all the readers updated with the latest facts on wide range of topics.
