5 Tips from Licensed Electricians to make your Home Electrically Safe
There is no better feeling than owning a house of your own. Venturing into life as a homeowner invariably sparks changes among people. It provides an excellent opportunity to cherish and optimise your life to enjoy better things for years to come. Moreover it is a major investment too and that goes without saying. But this great sense of ownership comes with certain responsibilities. In the following sections of the blog post let us explore few tried and tested tips from qualified and licensed electricians to make sure the electrical system of your home is safe and secure.
Replace all damaged electrical cords and wires without any hesitation
Whenever you are moving into your new home it is crucial that you check all the electrical and cords to identify potential damages. This activity is even more important when you are moving into your first new home. Why is this checking necessary? The electricity in your new home may appear to be in a fine condition but you can never know otherwise perhaps the wires could have worn out worse. In that case your electrical safety is compromised badly. There is a massive chance of electrical fires and electrical shocks in your home. Practically you along with all your family members could be living under a life threatening condition every moment.
According to a trained and qualified electrician in London this checking of the existing electrical cords and wires in your newly owned home is also a great opportunity to check for rodents. These animals love chewing through electrical wires and cords. During the check if you come across any signs of damage — like frays, splits or cracks in the wiring — better call licensed and experienced electricians to fix those problems.
Total number of electrical outlets
While buying a home you ensure that you are buying one that fits with your lifestyle. Therefore it is important to make a quick scan of the electrical outlets that are placed across the property. It is your responsibility to access whether the outlets are in easy to access locations. You should also make sure whether the number of existing outlets is enough to cater to your electrical needs. If you think the number is not adequate then you should hire a registered electrician to have more outlets installed.
Do not overload the outlets
Electrical issues are common in homes across the UK. One of the common factors responsible for those issues to arise is overloading of electrical outlets. Appliances that usually consume large volumes of electricity include air conditioners, dishwashers, washing machines and others. This range of appliances should never share the same electrical outlet with other appliances. If you run appliances like an electric kettle or a microwave oven that consume much less electricity on the same outlet as that of a washing machine or dishwasher an issue could crop up in your electrical system. Even too many small appliances that consume very less electrical current should never be put on a single electrical outlet. A London-based electrician explains that can easily lead to problems like short circuit, overheating and electrical fire.
When a circuit becomes overloaded the protective plate over the circuit is likely to become warm. Make sure an electrical outlet in your home shares a minimum number of appliances. If there are lesser number of electrical outlets in your home then hire an electrician to install new outlets for you. Alternatively you can ask the electrician to check the distribution of power around the property to safe electrically safe.
Unplug every unused appliance
When an appliance is not in use it is best to unplug it from the electrical outlet. This is important to maintain a household that is electrically safe. This is a tried and tested way to keep electrical hazards at bay. Moreover this saves money on your monthly utility bills. In addition to that unplugged unused appliances have other advantages. For example in case of an electrical surge your appliance remains safe from overheating. As a result there is no chance of any damage to it. If you forget unplugging appliances after use then there is a solution in form of smart plugs. These are basically handy little adapters that you can control through an app on your phone. As long as there is an Wi-Fi connectivity you can use the app and control electrical connections to your appliances.
Try making use of extension cords as less as possible
Extension cords prove most helpful in certain situations. But you should remember that these are only a temporary solution and never a permanent. In other words it is okay to make use of an extension cord in certain circumstances once in a blue moon. It should never be an every-day practice. Instead of using extension cords for longer periods of time you should better have new outlets installed. Qualified and licensed electricians in London working at Electric Works London suggest when you have new outlets installed it makes your property electrically safer. There are lesser chances of electrical shocks, overheating of appliances and fire. Moreover this proves to be a sustainable option in course of time. Extension cords wear out pretty fast.
