With the improvement of rural economic level, high-power appliances such as air conditioners, electric water heaters, and electric frying pans are accelerating their popularity, and rural lighting electrical ready boards are facing unprecedented overload risks. These seemingly improving appliances are actually hidden "sweet traps" that can cause electrical fires.

The root cause of overload lies in the imbalance between supply and demand. The proportion of single-phase loads in rural areas has exceeded 70%, and a large number of 220V single-phase electrical appliances are centrally connected, resulting in a serious imbalance of three-phase loads. Taking a typical rural area as an example, when three air conditioners and two electric water heaters are turned on simultaneously in the summer evening, the instantaneous current of the electrical ready board can reach 2.3 times the rated value, far exceeding the safety threshold. What's even more serious is that the capacity of old meter boxes is generally configured according to early standards. For example, in the case of the Kaiyang residential fire in Guiyang, the designed capacity of the electrical ready board was only 8kW, but it carried 12kW loads such as electric heaters and rice cookers. Eventually, the fire was caused by overheating of the power lines.

The harm of overloading is shocking. When the current exceeds the safe current carrying capacity of the wire, the heat generation increases proportionally to the square of the current, which can accelerate insulation aging or directly ignite combustibles. In a fire in a residential area in Pingxiang, Jiangxi, electrical sparks were generated from poor contact between the balcony curtains and the electrical ready board, which instantly spread to the washing machine and water heater, causing significant property damage. In addition, overloading can also lead to voltage drops, causing frequent on-off of equipment such as refrigerators and air conditioners, further exacerbating the burden on the power lines.

Prevention needs to start from the source. Farmers should regularly inspect the electrical ready board and immediately deal with hidden dangers such as loose wire noses and burnt fuse bases; When adding high-power electrical appliances, it is necessary to calculate the total load and replace the matching air circuit breaker. The power supply department needs to accelerate the renovation of old meter boxes, such as using low resistance fuses to reduce losses and installing zinc oxide lightning arresters on the incoming and outgoing lines to enhance lightning protection capabilities. More importantly, farmers should avoid "multiple connections with one switch", such as prohibiting the simultaneous use of induction cookers and electric water heaters on the same socket to prevent instantaneous current from exceeding the limit.

Safe use of electricity is no small matter. Only through scientific planning and regular maintenance can high-power appliances truly become assistants in improving the quality of life, rather than "time bombs" that plant disaster hazards.