House fires are a devastating experience for home owners. All the possessions a person acquired throughout their life goes up in flames. In order to help prevent a home fire happening to you, today we’ll look at the top causes of home fires and how they can be prevented.
Electrical Equipment
One of the top causes of fire to a home is from electrical equipment. In order to prevent this from occurring, make sure the cords of the equipment aren’t frayed or faulty. Avoid overloading outlets as well as running electrical cords underneath carpeting. When getting electrical repairs done, make sure you use a trusted and experienced technician. Many home fires are caused by improper electrical installations.
Heating Equipment
Some home fires are caused by the heating equipment in the home. This includes furnaces, radiators, and even space heaters. To avoid a fire, make sure you get these inspected by a qualified technician annually. For those with chimneys, be sure to get it cleaned every year. When using portable heaters, keep them away from anything that is flammable. Adhering to these rules could help you prevent your home from going up in smoke.
Cooking Equipment
We’ve all seen the news around Thanksgiving when someone failed at deep frying a turkey and burned themselves or their home down. Pots and pans that produce grease run the risk of splattering that grease around your kitchen. The bad thing about this is grease catches fire easily. In order to reduce the risk of kitchen fires, keep combustibles like paper towels, flammable chemicals and heating mitts away from the heating source. Also, be sure to keep watch on anything you cook as the failure to do so often causes kitchen fires.
Faulty Wiring
We touched on this earlier with electrical equipment, but it deserves a second warning. Faulty wiring in your home is a big threat for potential fires. If the wiring short circuits and creates sparks, your home can burn up in flames. Prior to buying any home it is smart to get a home inspection by a certified electrician to check the wiring throughout the house. This includes built-in ceiling fans, light switches, lighting, as well as any other wiring running throughout the home. This is especially the case if you are purchasing an older home.
Unfortunately, home fires can still occur even to the most precautionary owners. One way to protect yourself is making sure fire damage is covered by your home owner’s insurance. Bauer Construction is willing to work with insurance companies to repair the damages to a home caused by fires. If your home has experienced fire damage, call Bauer Construction to help you rebuild.