Circuit overload leads to fire

Home heating equipment—including space heaters, decorative electric fireplaces and electric blankets—accounts for thousands of home fires each year. What makes these fires senseless is they are easily preventable.

We’ve seen clients adding entertainment consoles to their family rooms or bedrooms that feature electric fireplaces. They use a lot of electricity. We recommend they operate on their own dedicated circuit to avoid overuse and trip breakers.

Here are safety tips we like to share with our customers this time of year:

• Only plug space heaters, fireplaces and electric blankets directly into your wall outlet; don’t load them up on extension cords or power strips.
• Use heating products in well ventilated rooms, never in bathrooms or near water. Space heaters should sit on a flat surface, at least 3 feet from combustible items like clothing or rugs.
• Do you know how old your electric blanket is? Those past 10 years should be tossed. Each winter when you pull yours out, inspect it for charred spots in the blanket or frayed cords.
• Never fall asleep on an electric blanket or use it on a mattress pad. Only use one as the top blanket. Keep the electric blanket flat at all times, without folding or tucking it in, as that will cause overheating.

No matter the heating element, during inspections we often notice older homes in our area have outlets that are not grounded, with only two prongs in the face. These are dangerous because they lack a path to redirect excess electricity, which creates a risk of electrical shock, fire and damage to electronics.

My family has enjoyed helping local families stay warm and safe for more than 50 years and looks forward to continuing that in the future.

Streb Electric is headquartered in Willoughby and serves homes and businesses throughout Lake, Geauga and Cuyahoga counties. Call 440-953-5819 or visit StrebElectric.com for more information.