St denys avenue

Power cuts can occur for a variety of reasons such as a storm or a cut power line. Not only do they cause us inconvenience, they can also be highly dangerous. Here are a few tips to keep you safe:

• Check if your neighbours still have power. If their power has gone too, it could be a sign that there has been a local power cut. If this is the case, contact your network distributor. If your neighbours do have power but you still don’t, it’s likely there is a problem with the fuses or trip switches in your home.
• Check your trip switch and fuses - Your trip switch should be on or near your fuse box/consumer unit. If the trip switch is off, try switching it back on. If it switches off again, this could indicate that one of your appliances may be faulty, so unplug all appliances and reset the trip switch. The best thing to do in this situation is to call an approved electrician. They will be able to inspect your system and repair any faults straight away, giving you peace of mind.

The importance of your Fusebox

Unfortunately this scenario crops up quite often when I go out to visit clients.

I hear often that electricians turn up hours after they had arranged, or in some cases not at all. This understandably leads to much frustration on the customers part and a general distrust of electricians in general.

I have to say that this kind of 'problem' is very common within the trade. Marshall Sadler Ltd however pride ourselves on a professional service and we understand that time is very valuable.

We offer full flexibility with our appointments – there is no need for you to take time off work and wait in for us.

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 ?