Faulty Appliances Cause 60 House Fires a Week

Washing machines, tumble dryers and fridge-freezers are responsible for more than 60 house fires every week in the United Kingdom, according to a Which? investigation. Faulty washing machines and dryers were found to be the highest risk appliances, causing more than a third of fires.

To protect your home, consider the following best practices:

• Have your electrician installation inspected by a registered electrician. This should be done when you move into your home and then once every 10 years.
• Install a residual current device in your fuse box . This device automatically switches off the electricity if there is a fault. Alternatively, you can purchase residual current devices that plug into individual wall sockets.
• Don’t overload electrical adaptors by plugging too many appliances into one socket.
• Test your smoke alarms every month. Have at least one smoke alarm on every level of your home and in every bedroom.
• Register your appliances, so if the retailer needs to recall a faulty product, they can contact you more easily.

The contact of this profile is of general interest and is not intended to apply specific circumstances. It does not purport to be a comprehensive analysis of all matters relevant to its subject matter. The content should not, therefore, be regarded as constituting legal advice and not be relied upon as such. In relation to any particular problem which they may have, readers are advised to seek specific advice. Further, the law may have changed since first publication and the reader is cautioned accordingly.  2108 Zywave, Inc. All rights reserved.