Millions of households across the UK could be putting themselves at risk of an electrical fire without realising it, by plugging powerful appliances into extension leads.
Despite their convenience, experts are warning that extension leads are often misused, with certain high-powered devices posing a serious fire hazard when connected to them.
Energy efficiency expert Jamie Burns, from reliability firm Ailsa, has revealed the top three household items that should never be plugged into an extension lead and why doing so could have dangerous consequences.
“The reason for not plugging some items into an extension lead is that each lead is rated to a maximum current and having high energy/current usage equipment plugged in could amount to the lead operating out with its design characteristics which in turn could lead to overheating and in some severe cases catching fire.
“Three household examples that should not be plugged into an extension lead are:
- Microwave
- “These pull a lot of current to operate, even with short usage.”
- “These pull a lot of current to operate, even with short usage.”
- Fridge Freezers
- “As these are continually powered on and pulling current there is a risk of overheating an extension cable.”
- “As these are continually powered on and pulling current there is a risk of overheating an extension cable.”
- Washing Machines
- “These draw a large amount of current during operation.”
“Some other examples are:
- Kettles
- Toasters
- Dishwashers
- Tumble Dryers
- Portable Electric Heaters
“These all draw a high current for periods and can be dangerous if plugged into an extension,” said energy efficiency expert Jamie Burns, from reliability firm Ailsa.
“For anyone who is unsure if an item of electrical equipment can be plugged into an extension lead, our advice would be to check what the current of the electrical item is and then check this against the safe operating parameters for the extension lead, if these are close to each other, don’t use it.
“Another key point is that extension leads are made to be a temporary solution, not a full-time fix, so if you are going to use one then just use it for the task at hand and then remove when finished.
“If there is a long-term use, get a qualified electrician to hard wire a power source close to the equipment for long term safe usage.
“These facts are not widely known and sharing this information across as many people as possible will hopefully build up learning of this topic and reduce risk of fire across people’s homes.”
