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		Electricity is everywhere in our homes, it’s a major part of our lives, where would we be with out it? But we must not for get how powerful and dangerous it can be. There’s about 12,500 fires a year in UK homes that have been started by an electrical faulty of some kind. How old is your wiring? Here are a few visual checks you can carry out to assess your installation. (We will be updating this information with further topics and some photos in the future, so do check it out soon for more safety advice) ¨ Are your cables coated in black rubber (Phased out in 1960) ¨ Cables coated in lead or fabric (pre-1960) ¨ A fusebox with a wooden back, cast iron switches, and/or selection of fuseboxes (pre-1960) ¨ Older sockets with round pins and round light switches, braided flex hanging from ceiling roses, sockets mounted on skirting boards. ¨ Wall mounted light switches in bathrooms. ¨ The absence of an R.C.D or Earth leakage circuit breaker. If the answer is yes to some of these items then your installation may need to be upgraded. You should contact an electrical contractor to carry out an inspection of your installation. There are governing bodies like the NICEIC, National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contractors, E.C.A Electrical Contractors Association or Part ‘P’ Approved Domestic Installers. These regulate the quality of electrical contractors and joining these organisations is an option to the contractors of the UK. Before you use an electrician check if he a member of such an organisation. HERE ARE A FEW TIPS ON HOW TO KEEP ELECTRICALLY SAFE ¨ Check around your socket outlet for burn marks, sounds of ‘arcing’ or buzzing fuses blowing or circuit breakers tripping, this means you have a fault of some kind. ¨ Do not pull plugs out of sockets by the flex, this puts strain on the sockets terminations loosing them this can then cause overheating. It is recommended that you switch off your appliances at the socket when not in use, especially at night. ¨ Do not dry clothes on electric heaters, water can drip on to live parts. ¨ Do not fit a larger wattage bulb in a light fitting, if it states 60watt Max ONLY fit 60watt bulbs. ¨ Always check walls for cables and pipes before knocking a nail in or drilling, this could cause electrocution, burns or even a fire. Check this by looking below and the other side of the wall for any electrical points or buy a detector from your DIY stores. ¨ Extension leads and flexes should not be placed under carpets, continual stretching and treading will cause the cable to be damaged and weak, this is a potential fire risk. Extension leads and adaptors must not be overloaded, if you are reliant on these items to use your equipment you need to have more sockets installed. The use of extensions and adaptors may be a short term solution but in time they may produce you a real long term problem, FIRE!! ¨ ALWAYS use an RCD protector when using electrical equipment outdoors this plugs in your socket in the house/garage and then your equipment is then plugged into it. These items come with a test button, use the test button before you start work to test the adaptor is working. ¨ NEVER use electrical equipment in wet or damp conditions it is very dangerous and when a fault occurs your physical contact with the earth (I.e. the ground) could result in a serious shock or even death. If you do not have an RCD adaptor or RCD protection on your house sockets, we suggest you take immediate action by purchasing an RCD adaptor or having an RCD circuit breaker fitted permanently to your installation. Electricity is a killer in many forms please have respect for it and keep your family safe. If in doubt contact a fully qualified electrician If you require further details on Electrical Safety in the Home please contact one of our Electrical Contractors from our directory.


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This is a new MCB/RCD board. What's yours Like?? This is what happens when a loose connection occurs in a out of date wooden fuseboard. As you can see the rear wooden frame is scorched, fortunately this was found in time before any further damage could occur. This is what happens when you put a higher wattage bulb than specified in a light fitting. It burnt the plaster board away and melted the connectors. Always fit the right size bulb as specified by the manufacturer in your light fittings. The light fitting shown in the picture is the replacement fitting, not the one that caused the damage.