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Preventing damage following a power outage | Mansfield, MA
8/10/2020 (Permalink)
Remember to stay informed during any storm, sign up for local alerts, and monitor the weather!
After a bad storm, no matter the season, you might lose power. If only for a few minutes or hours, or days... you should take proper precautions to prevent any fire damage after you get power back to your home (or business).
At SERVPRO of the Attleboros, we know how power outages can go from inconvenient to damaging in no time. While it might not be the actual power outage causing damage, it can cause a domino effect and lead to other things.
Preventing fire damage
NEVER run a gas powered generator inside your home. This can cause carbon monoxide build up which can be dangerous to your health. And never use a gas powered stove or grill to warm your home.
In the unfortunate situation where you may be cooking and the power goes out, be sure all stove units are off, as well as the oven.
Turn all knobs on the stove to be 100% positive they are off.
Go around the house / building and check the smoke detectors to make sure they're in working order, in the case a fire does break out, you'll be alerted. While waiting for the power to turn back on, the last thing you'll want is a fire!
Unplug appliances
Unplug all non-essential appliances like toasters, coffee makers, mixers, and electronics such as gaming consoles, computers, TV's etc. When the power does come back on, these could cause a surge that can cause damage.
It's especially important to unplug appliances that don't have surge protection built in.
After power is restored
After you get your power back, take a walk in and around the house, check for any water leaks, functioning appliances, and check and extinguish any candles that are still lit for light.