Most of us look after our bodies pretty well don't we? While regular medical check ups are critical for maintaining your health, routine safety check ups are critical for the safety of your home. Even if you live in a modern house with an electrical system that's been professionally checked and approved in the past ten years, things can still go wrong.

1. Your electrics deserve some TLC
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90 mallinson road, london sw11 1bn
020 7924 1421 - 07866 724718 - steve@swbishop.co.uk
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Give your home an electrical health check!
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2. Circuit Shorts - Give your home an electrical health check
Most of us look after our bodies pretty well don't we? While regular medical check ups
are critical for maintaining your health, routine safety check ups are critical for the safety
of your home. Even if you live in a modern house with an electrical system that's been
professionally checked and approved in the past ten years, things can still go wrong.
.
If you have something similar to this, you may need a complete rewire ...
Is your consumer unit old-style or modern?
If your consumer unit cover gets cracked or broken, ensure that you replace it straight
away. In older houses, you sometimes find a mixture of old fuse boxes attached to the
fuse board beside the electricity meter. These can be dangerous, and we'd strongly
advise you to get a qualified electrician to change them for a modern all-in-one consumer
unit.
Are your circuits labelled?
If you need to do some electrical work in your home, you'll need to isolate the circuit
you're working on by removing the correct fuse or switching off the circuit breaker. If the
circuits aren't already labelled, you can do this yourself. Identify each one by switching off

3. Circuit Shorts - Give your home an electrical health check
the main power, disabling one circuit, restoring the power and then investigating which
sockets, appliances or lights are dead. See our previous Circuit Shorts on DIY electrical
work here.
- How old is your wiring? -
You can usually guess the age of the wiring in your home just by looking at the fittings.
If you find:
fixed cables coated in black rubber, lead or fabric;
a fuseboard with a wooden back, cast iron switches;
older round pin sockets;
braided flex hanging from ceiling roses;
brown (or black) switches;
sockets mounted in or on skirting boards;
then your installation has probably been there since the 1960s or even before and you
will probably need a complete rewire. However old your electrical installation is, it may get
damaged and will suffer from wear and tear so you should get a qualified electrician to
check its condition. At S W Bishop Electrical we recommend you do this at least every
10 years or when you move into a new property.
Is your earth connection secure?
You'll see a thick cable with green and yellow sheathing (or green in an older installation)
running from your consumer unit. This provides the vital earth connection. If this cable
looks at all loose or damaged, it's important that you get it checked straight away.
Does your consumer unit have an RCD?

4. Circuit Shorts - Give your home an electrical health check
A residual current device (or 'RCD') will detect an earth leakage and isolate a circuit in
milliseconds, before an accident can occur. You can check if your RCD is working
properly by pressing its test button. See our previous Circuit Shorts on RCDs
here. Important note: you can't buy them wearing spectacles, this one is special.
How safe is your fixed wiring?
Fixed wiring runs in the walls, between floors and in your loft space. If you can get
access to any part of it, check its condition. Is it rubber-insulated? Are any bare wires
showing? Is it fixed securely? Does it run neatly into any junction boxes or accessories? If
you have surface-mounted wiring, it should be clipped tidily to the walls, or preferably
concealed behind them.
Are any of your sockets damaged?

5. Circuit Shorts - Give your home an electrical health check
Watch out for any warning signs that a connection may be loose inside. Does the socket
or plug feel warm? If so, you should check the connections inside the socket and plug, or
contact a qualified electrician for advice.
If it's difficult to insert a plug into a socket, it could be a sign that the socket is worn and
needs to be replaced. Try to replace a cracked or broken faceplate on a socket as soon
as possible.
Scorching on a socket can be caused by overloading - for example, by plugging in an
adaptor to supply several large loads (see below), or by loose connections in a plug.
Replace the faceplate and investigate the cause of the problem. Then reduce the load
and replace the plug if necessary.
Are your sockets overloaded?
Overloaded sockets can easily cause fires, which could be easily prevented. If too many
appliances draw power from one socket it can start overheating and catch fire. See the
socket overload calculator on our website here.
Follow this simple advice to stay safe from overloading:
It is better to use a bar adaptor on a lead, rather than a block adaptor
Don't plug adaptors into adaptors
Only use one adaptor per socket
Check the rating of an adaptor before you plug appliances in
Don't allow the total current used by the appliances plugged into the adapter to add
up to more than 13 amps of current altogether – or 3,000 watts of power. So, for
example, you could have two 2 amp appliances and one 5 amp in an adaptor, but
never more than one appliance that uses a lot of current, such as a kettle, hi-fi or
TV.
Are your electrical appliances connected securely?

6. Circuit Shorts - Give your home an electrical health check
Even if an appliance appears to be working normally, it's well worth checking the wiring
from time to time. Is the insulation around the flex deteriorating? Is the flex securely
attached? Are there any bare wires visible? Make sure that the earth cores have green
and yellow sleeving. If the external casing of an appliance has become cracked or worn,
you'll need to replace it. If the switches aren't working properly, get professional help or a
new appliance. Also, make sure the plug contains a fuse of the correct rating for the
appliance in question.
Are your light fittings wired correctly?
If there isn't an earth wire inside your ceiling rose, get an electrician to check it. If you
have old-style braided flex, you'll need to replace it with the correct PVC-insulated and
sheathed version.
How often should you check your smoke alarm?

7. Circuit Shorts - Give your home an electrical health check
Once a week: Test your smoke alarm each week by pressing the test button on the
alarm.
Every six months: Every six months you should open the case and gently vacuum the
inside to remove dust from the sensor. If the smoke alarm doesn’t open, vacuum through
the holes.
Once a year: Change the battery every year (unless it is a ten year alarm) or if the low
battery warning sounds (an intermittent, very irritating bleep).
Every ten years: It is also best to replace smoke alarms with completely new units after
ten years.
For more information about about smoke alarms, see our previous Circuit Shorts here
At S W Bishop Electrical we recommend you set weekly, six monthly and yearly
reminders on your mobile phone to remind you of the above.

8. Circuit Shorts - Give your home an electrical health check
London Fire Brigade will visit your home and give you safety advice and where
appropriate fit a smoke alarm for free. Click here for details.
Think you can do it?
You may feel confident enough to carry out simple electrical jobs yourself. If you do,
please be aware that, some jobs will be notifiable to your Local Authority Building Control
Department. If you would like more information about which jobs are notifiable, please
see my previous Circuit Shorts about DIY electrical work here.
However, we at S W Bishop Electrical would strongly recommend that any electrical
work should carried out by a Part P qualified electrician and we would NEVER
recommend carrying out electrical work in a bathroom, kitchen, utility room or outside
unless you are a qualified electrician. The UK Government has recently introduced a
register called the Competent Persons Register which brings together individuals and
enterprises from all the different building trades who are registered with a Government
approved scheme. To find a Part P registered electrician, please check the website here.
If you would like some advice on giving your house a health check or if you would like to
make an appointment for a free quotation on any of the services we provide (click here
for more details about the electrical services we can provide for you) then please contact
me.

9. Circuit Shorts - Give your home an electrical health check
Next month: Create a romantic ambience in your bedroom with our dreamy lighting
ideas
More to read:
Save bundles with LED lamps
RCDs save lives
Smoke alarms - make sure there IS smoke without fire!
Garden lighting - sex up your outdoor room
In a nutshell - electrical reports and certificates
Keep your home safe with security lighting
Thrifty Shorts 1 - Save money with your electrical appliances
Thrifty Shorts 2 - Save money with your PC & home entertainment
DIY electrical work - everything you need to know
Create the illusion of space with clever lighting
Design and create your perfect lighting plan
Flush with excitement at our sexy bathroom lighting ideas
Thrifty Shorts 3 - Have a magical but thrifty Christmas with our money saving tips
We've cooked up some wicked ideas to light up your kitchen
Steve Bishop
Mob: 07866 724718
steve@swbishop.co.uk
www.swbishop.co.uk
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