North parade

A mistake that most of us are probably guilty of making is how we charge our mobile phones. Phone batteries have a habit of going flat at the most inconvenient of times.The best way to charge a phone is on a flat surface which is dry and free from soft furnishings. However, this can also mean that you might miss an important phone call or can't continue with that live chat in comfort!

This can lead to dangerous methods of phone charging which leaves the phone at risk of overheating and fire. A young girl was electrocuted whilst charging her phone as she was in the bath. This highlights why we do not have electrical sockets in the bathroom (that's for another blog post!).

When charging your phone can be dangerous?

As electricians in Sleaford, we have seen an increase in damaged sockets where the wrong type of charger ha been used when charging items such as smartphones.Typically this is when universal chargers are being used which are not compatible with the type of phone being charged.

Plans for mandatory five-year electrical safety checks in the private rental sector in England have finally been confirmed by the UK government.  This move, which requires further legislation, means that all landlords will be required to have an electrical installation condition report (EICR) or electrical safety report on their property(s) by a registered electrician.

This will be the same as the current rulings for landlords in Scotland, where rental safety standards are currently much stricter than the ones in the rest of the UK. The idea is that the safety reports will begin initially with all new tenancies, with existing rentals following later.

These mandatory electrical checks come at the end of years of campaigning by consumer and safety groups such as Electrical Safety First and NAPIT. These new measures will reduce the risk of faulty electrical equipment, giving people peace of mind and helping to keep them safe in their homes. It will also provide clear guidance to landlords on who they should be hiring to carry out these important electrical safety checks.

Does this affect me ?

We carry out electrical work for many landlords in Sleaford and the surrounding villages and it is a real pleasure to be working with you, in fact we love this area of work as it is ensuring each landlord meets their legal obligations to their homes and tenants in terms of electrical safety.

The vast majority of landlords nowadays are keen to ensure that their tenants are happy- its not just the legal aspect, its the moral aspect in doing the right thing- 'Treat others as you wish to be treated' is an age old saying that we live by each day.

Many of the blogs i have written in the past mention how important it is to have an RCD fitted in your home. Although i've explained the importance of having one, i've never actually explained what an RCD does and how it protects the household.

An RCD stands for Residual Current Device. It is an essential safety device that automatically cuts off the electricity if there is a problem. This might sound pretty boring and bog standard, and you might even wonder what the point of having one is.

Around this time of year we get many calls from homeowners asking us to carry out an electrical inspection of their property in Sleaford. This is often due to an electrical problem that has arisen such as overloaded electrical circuits caused by switching on electrical storage heaters now that the colder nights are drawing in.