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Checking Your Electrics

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When we think of home improvements and making interior design changes to our homes, one of the most overlooked areas is our electrical installation. As we’ve spoken about in a previous blog, most house fires are a result of an electrical fault. So, just how often should you be checking your electrics in your home?

The official guidelines for a domestic property suggest that you should be getting your electrics checked every 10 years. However, think about that for just a moment and consider how much has changed over that time.

Volume of Appliances and Devices

How many new devices exist now that weren’t around even 5 years ago, and how many items do we have multiples of in our homes? With the price of consumer electronics coming down, many of us have multiple TVs, Sky boxes, gaming consoles, PCs, laptops, tablets, and of course mobile phones. That’s before we get to air conditioning units, standalone heaters, and a plethora of kitchen appliances.

Putting the Power Where You Need It

If you wander around your home, it may surprise you to see how many gadgets, devices, and appliances are plugged in using multi-way adapters, and of course, extension leads. It’s worth considering whether this a smart way to power your home, or whether you’d benefit from simply installing additional sockets in the places you need them.

Either way, it’s a great way to show just how much load may be on your electrical systems!

Up to Date Consumer Units Save Lives

With all that in mind, when was the last time you checked your consumer unit, often called a fuse board or fuse box? Not all fuse boards are created equal, and if your consumer unit isn’t equipped with RCDs, you are putting yourself, your home, and all its occupants at risk.

RCDs are designed to detect even minor faults before they become a problem. Just a tiny leaking of current, so small that it isn’t life-threatening to a human, is enough to trip and RCD and isolate the problem. You may have noticed that something as simple as a light bulb reaching the end of its life is enough to trip an RCD in your home? As annoying as it can be having to find a torch in order to replace a bulb and reset the RCD, it’s also a key safety feature in action!

The old hard-wired fuses simply aren’t sensitive enough and may only protect against the most serious outage or major power surge, often when it’s too late. And by too late, we mean when you’ve already been electrocuted by cutting through your mower cable. Or, your appliances have been ruined by excess electricity coursing through them.

What to Do Now

When it comes to checking your electrics, it’s an area where it is truly better to be safe than sorry. An inexpensive check today, may make the difference between living in safety and putting your home and life at risk.

If you have any questions, Parker Home has NICEIC qualified electricians who will be happy to advise. So, feel free to contact us on 01284 386899, info@217.199.187.192
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