Top Tips To Help Ensure Domestic Electrical Safety

Electrical safety around the home is incredibly important and is often overlooked. Domestic electrical safety can be completed quickly and safely to help reduce the risk of electrical shortages, fires and more. In this article, our team of Newton Abbot domestic electricians highlight ways any homeowner can check their electrics and ensure their and their family’s safety.

Why Is Domestic Electrical Safety Important?

Electricity is a normal part of everyday life; waking up with an alarm clock, showering with electric heating, popping the kettle on and even driving to school or work with an electric vehicle (charged using an electric vehicle charging point). If not used properly, electrical appliances and plug sockets can lead to potentially fatal accidents, including:

• Electrical Fire – failure in electrical components or wiring can lead to an electrical fire, which mostly occurs near the damaged electrical socket, but if not caught can lead to detrimental results. 
• Arc Flash – this is where a ‘flashover’ of electrical current diverts off the intended path (from the plug socket to the appliance for example), resulting in an often violent amount of light and heat being pushed into the immediate area. 
• Electric Shock – connection with a live or faulty electrical wire can cause an electrical shock, where the electric current travels through the person in contact with the wire. Electrical shocks can range from mild to severe and fatal. 

South Devon Domestic Electricians – Our Top Home Safety Tips:

At Datel Electrical, we have been looking after both commercial and domestic electrics for over 20 years, for a wide range of properties, including listed buildings to new builds. This means that, over the years, we have picked up a thing or two about domestic electrical safety!

1. Don’t Overheat Plug Sockets

One of the main causes of electrical fires is overloaded/overheated electrical sockets. Electrical sockets are designed to manage a certain amount of electricity. By adding multiple extension cords or additional appliances to your electrical plugs, the electricity demand will increase which could cause your circuits to overload.

Signs to look for:

• Buzzing plugs or switches 
• If the covers are warm to touch
• Scorched plugs or sockets
• The appliances that are plugged in are lacking sufficient power

2. Ensure Good Ventilation

Some electrical appliances, such as televisions, play consoles, fridges and freezers, generate heat whilst switched on. To prevent the outbreak of fire, these items should always be placed in a space with good ventilation and clothes, paper or other flammable materials should not be placed on them.

3. Turning Off Devices

It may sound simple, and you may be doing it already (following on from our ‘How Devon electricians can help you save money on your electricity bills’ blog post), but turning off your plug sockets, light switches and devices can help increase your home’s electrical safety.

Of course, for appliances that are designed to stay plugged in, such as your fridge or freezer, we don’t recommend turning these off!

4. Conduct Regular Electrical Checks

At Datel Electrical, we offer both PAT Testing and EICR tests, both are highly recommended for all commercial properties but can benefit homes as well. Although you can carry out your electricity checks (looking out for broken or frayed wires, warm electrical sockets or flickering lights) we do highly recommend employing a highly qualified electrician to check anything that you are unsure about.

5. Don’t DIY Electrics!

Whilst you may think rewiring an appliance or fixing an electrical plug could be completed as a DIY project, electrical work can be highly dangerous and if not completed properly (and safely) could potentially break any electrical health codes or cause potentially fatal accidents.

Contact Our Team Of Qualified Domestic Electricians Today

If you’re worried about the safety of your domestic electrics, contact our friendly team today. Our qualified and experienced team of electrical engineers provide expert advice and services to homes in and around various locations, across Devon including:

• Exeter
• Newton Abbot
• Torbay
• Torquay
• Dawlish

Contact our friendly team today to get a quote or to see how we can help ensure your domestic electrics are safe, by calling us on 01803874074 or emailing us at info@datelelectrical.co.uk.