Certain household products are used on a regular basis and we don’t really give them much thought. These might also be things that should be carefully evaluated, as they are potential death traps.
Power strips are one of the things we need to be especially cautious with. Despite their convenience, they come with a variety of concerns. If they are overworked, they may malfunction or even catch fire.
You should think about how much power each power strip can handle before you start plugging things in. It is mentioned on the power cord. Additionally, there are several items that should never be connected into the power strip because doing so could put you in danger.
You should unhook everything from your power strips and thoroughly inspect everything that goes into the plugs if you examine them and discover that they are overloaded. Additionally, you should never, ever plug any of the following into a power strip.
1. The oven: Although it’s not used all the time, the oven uses a lot of electricity and shouldn’t be connected to a power strip. It really ought to be connected to a separate wall outlet on a separate circuit.
2. Refrigerator: The refrigerator is another extremely power-hungry device, and even an energy-efficient model will draw too much electricity to be connected to a power strip.
Plugging the refrigerator into its own outlet on its own circuit breaker is the best option.
3. Washing Machine: Were you aware of how much electricity a washing machine uses? Additionally, it shouldn’t be placed in the same container as any other appliance.
A washing machine should ideally be on its own circuit and plugged straight into the outlet at all times.
4. Heating: You could want to have auxiliary heating in certain situations. Although it comes with risks, using it safely is possible as long as you plug it into its designated outlet. Never plug it into a power strip and take care not to overload the circuit.
5. Microwave: Despite being infrequently used, the microwave uses a lot of energy. The majority of microwave ovens are connected to their own outlets, which is often a wise move.
6. Coffee Maker: A lot of people are unaware of how much electricity a coffee maker actually consumes. It should never be hooked into any kind of power strip or extension cord because it uses a lot of energy.
7. Toaster: The toaster can consume a lot of energy when it is in use. It should not be hooked into a power strip but rather into the receptacle directly, even if you are only using it to brown some bread or bagels.
8. Another Power Strip: Stacking power strips is one of the worst electrical practices there is. Even if you can have a lot of things to plug into one location, it’s not a good idea to plug a power strip into another power strip. This error results in the starting of numerous fires.
9. Electronics (PC, TV, Router): Avoid plugging in any kind of electronic equipment to the power strip. Despite the fact that the computer and TV don’t often consume a lot of power on their own, they are susceptible to surges and can soon burn out.
