Electrical fires are often serious and tragic. Electrical fires are also easily preventable. Regardless of if you rent a home or own a home, you need to make sure you know how to avoid an electrical fire. Being knowledgeable about how to avoid electrical fires is the first step towards keeping your family safe.

Step #1: Be Careful With Space Heaters

You need to be very careful with the use of space heaters. Space heaters are a common cause of home fires. If you use a space heater, don't turn it up all the way. Run your space heater at half the power will keep your space warm without overloading your electrical circuits.

If you have a space heater in your home, you need to make sure that you keep all other items away from your space heater. A shirt thrown over a space heater can lead to a disaster.

If you are relying on a space heater to warm up your space, consider hiring an electrician to install a more permanent source of heat.

Step #2: Get Rid of Old Appliances

It can feel great to say that your dryer is thirty years old and that you have had the freezer for forty years. However, old appliances are not the safest things to have around.

To start with, older appliances are not that energy-efficient and can create a lot of heat. They can drain a lot of energy and overload your circuits. Older appliances can also have damaged electrical cords, which can easily spark up and create a fire.

Talk to an electrician about great energy-efficient appliances you can upgrade to.

Step #3: Make Sure You Have GFCI Outlets

Make sure you have GFCI, also known as ground fault circuit interrupter, outlets near any water source in your home. For example, all the outlets in your bathroom and in your kitchen should be GFCI outlets.

These outlets have two special buttons on them, one that says "Test" and one that says "Reset." These two buttons will cut off the power if they detect any moisture, keeping your electrical system safe.

If you don't GFCI outlets installed in your kitchen and bathroom spaces, bring in an electrician to install safer outlets.

If you have an electrical situation that you don't feel is safe in your rental or the home you own, you need to call in an electrician to assess and fix the situation. You need to keep your home safe from electrical fires.

To learn more about your home's electrical system, contact a residential electrician in your area.