When you have a major incident in your home, such as an electrical fire, you know that a call to an electrician is imperative. However, there may be ways to reduce how often this occurs. Some emergencies can cause major injuries, while others cause damage to your home and current electrical wiring. The following tips help prevent all types of electrical emergencies.

Inspect Your Old Wiring

If your home has old wiring, it needs to be inspected as soon as possible. This isn't yet an emergency, but it can become one if you ignore some of the common warning signs. For example, you might have flickering lights, frequent blown fuses, or outlets that feel hot to the touch. These are signs that your wiring is old and faulty, and might need to be replaced. Make sure you call a professional electrician for inspections and repairs instead of trying to do it yourself.

Be Careful With Cords, Cables and Plugs

Far too many people plug in cords or cables that are frayed, and assume it is no big deal. Unfortunately, this is how a lot of electrical hazards occur. Never use an electrical cord that looks frayed or otherwise damaged. It could lead to electrocution of the person plugging it in, or you could be dealing with an electrical fire. Replace any cords or cables you are uncomfortable using due to obvious signs of wear or damage. With the plugs, make sure you treat them with care, and don't yank them from the outlet. Grasp them firmly and pull out gently. Also don't run your plugs or cords underneath rugs or carpets.

Don't Overload the Circuits

Now that it is common to have a lot of electronic devices being used at one time, overloading circuits is becoming a growing problem. If you are experiencing outages often, or you notice breakers going out on a regular basis, it might be due to overloading the outlets. This occurs when you have too many things plugged in and running at the same time. Try to spread out your electronic devices in the house, so that one cell phone is using an outlet in the bedroom, while your tablet is using an outlet in the living room. You should also be careful about plugging in too many surge protectors. These provide more slots for plugging in appliances and devices, but don't plug one surge protector into another one just to have more places for plugging things in. This is a recipe for disaster.

Avoid the Electrical System After a Flood

If you have a heavy rain that caused a flood, or are having plumbing issues, avoid using electricity near the areas of water in your home. This is a situation that could quickly turn into a fatal electrocution. When water is close to the electrical system, turn off the main breaker, then call an electrician from a company like Emergency Electrician 24 Hour for help.