Out of control fires very often leave devastation in their wake, at worst causing injury and loss of life.
On average, numbers of house fires in the UK are going down, which is great news for everyone. But despite this, there were still around 30,000 dwelling fires reported in England in 2016/17.
One of the main causes of an accidental fire in the home is due to an electrical fault and many of these can be prevented by spotting the the issue before it becomes dangerous.
Maintaining your home regularly and looking out for potential problems is a great way to stay safe. Once you’ve detected that something is wrong with your electrics, it’s vital to call out a qualified electrician to fix it, as soon as you can.
But, unless you’re a professional yourself, how do you know what to look out for?
To give you a helping hand we’ve put together a list of household electrical faults that you should know about and watch out for, because being proactive is always better than waiting until the worst happens.
Common faults to look out for
If you spot any of the following problems in the home it’s always worth getting a qualified electrician to diagnose and fix the issue and not try to fix it yourself, unless you know exactly what you’re doing.
Common electrical faults can include:
- No power in your plug socket
- An unusual fishy smell coming from the wall socket
- Hot dimmer switches
- Lights are flickering
- Only half of the lights are working
- Buzzing sounds when lights are on
- Fuses keep blowing
When there is an absence of power in the home, chances are it is because there has been a power cut or a circuit breaker has tripped. However it can also mean loose wiring. This should always be checked if there is no other explanation and can be easily done using a voltage meter.
There are also several ways to ensure the safety of your home by looking out for and removing hazards that can cause fires and electric shocks. These can include overloaded sockets, adapters plugged into adapters, damaged plug sockets and cables.
You can avoid obvious dangers too, such as by switching off appliances at the mains when they’re not in use, never drying clothes on an electric heater and checking what’s behind a wall before you hammer nails into it.
Faulty and ancient wiring is also one of the major causes of electrical fires in the home. This can be dealt with by having regular checks carried out on the condition of your cables, switches and sockets.
Electricians you can trust
At Taylor Pickering, we pride ourselves on being able to offer the services of NICEIC approved electrical contractors who can help make homes and businesses a more safe and welcoming place.
We also hire only the most trustworthy and professional staff, so you can be sure you are entirely safe in your home when our engineers come out for the job.
If you need any help or advice with regard to the electrics in your home, contact us today.