Sockets and Plugs

Plugs and sockets should be hidden away in the kitchen. Sockets should be fitted at a safe distance to avoid coming in contact with hazardous areas such as the sink, dishwashers and washing machines. 

Additionally, appliances like fridges, dishwashers, and washing machines should be kept under worktops. This will make the sockets difficult to reach for the younger children in your house. A switched fuse connection unit would be perfect for the kitchen appliances so that you can reach plug sockets much easier. 

A Clean Kitchen 

Some homeowners have a very messy kitchen with plates and appliances not stored away. Electrical cables might be obscured by the mess within the kitchen, crumbs and dirt may creep into the crevices of plug sockets causing a hazard which may spark into a major hazard. To avoid hazards, cleaning the kitchen thoroughly along with kitchen appliances and untangled electrical cables will prevent and sockets from being potentially damaged.  

Keep Cables Away from Hot Areas

Electrical cables can come into contact with a hot stove or toaster if you are not careful, therefore, melting the outer layer of the electrical cable, allowing the wires to be exposed and cause a possible house fire. The best idea would be to conceal untangled electrical wiring under the countertop into a safe spot to avoid coming in contact with hot surfaces.

Prevent Water Contact with Cables

Water can spread across the kitchen into any area while using the dishwasher or baking, which may cause electrical damage to kitchen appliances or electrical shock by touching a wire with your wet hands. 

Avoid handling liquids around electrical cables and avoid spills from being around the outlets to prevent hazards occurring. Additionally, you can purchase outlet covers on unused outlet sockets to stop dirt, dust and splashing from entering the plug socket.  

Don’t Tangle Electrical Cables  

Kitchen appliances such as microwaves, ovens fridges require a significant amount of power to function. The causes stress upon the electrical circuits around the home. Too many kitchen appliances connected to one socket will cause the breaker to trip on your electric box due to circuit overload. The amount of power being consumed from one socket by multiple appliances. 

Contact Us

Get in touch with our professional domestic electricians who will help you complete your electrical solutions smoothly, ensuring that your premises are fully electrically safe. Call 07813 137236 or use our contact form.

The post Keeping your Kitchen Safe appeared first on MT Electrical.

Frequent electrical surges may be caused by your electrical device connected to your home power grid or the wiring being incomplete.

Circuit Overload 

Circuit overload is due to multiple appliances being plugged into one socket, consuming a significant amount of power. This causes the breaker to trip and the power board shutting off all electrical movement around the property. 

To prevent circuit overload, homeowners will need to avoid daisy-chaining power boards. This is when extension cords are plugged into other power strips. Secondly, remove any electrical device that isn’t in use because power is still drawn even when not connected. Try to spread electrical devices around the home; avoid placing electrical devices into one single circuit. 

Electrical Consumption  

Using a considerable amount of electricity throughout the house will increase your electrical bills. Understanding what electrical devices that you should be moving from the plug sockets to reduce electrical consumption. Here are some tips on reducing electrical consumption:

• More efficient gadgets and appliances e.g. Smart Thermostat
• Turn off Standby Appliances
• Switch to LED Lighting
• Use Smart Power Strips

Additionally, electrical wiring may be damaged due to continuous surges which would require a domestic electrician to repair or replace the electrical wiring around the home. 

Electrical Shocks 

Electrical shocks leave a negative feeling which reminds us that electricity is a dangerous component and should be dealt with carefully. Children may come across a plug socket then end up sticking their fingers inside or touching an exposed wire. Parents should educate their children on electrical safety and how a combination of water and electricity isn’t a good idea. 

Electric shocks happen when plugs are turned on or off, most likely caused by a faulty appliance or wiring. If you experience an electric shock and you think your wiring is faulty, the best idea would be to call an electrician to explain the problem.

Light Bulbs

Light bulbs are frequently used in your home. Bulbs that quickly burn out are caused by the wattage being too high, which can dim other lights within your property. The best solution would be to check with your electrician to see how you could solve the problem without causing further damage to the light bulb trying to fix the problem yourself. 

Contact Us

Get in touch with our professional electricians who will help you complete your electrical work correctly, ensuring that your premises are fully electrically safe. Call 07813 137236 or use our contact form.

The post Common Electrical Problems in Your House appeared first on MT Electrical.

From 1^st July 2020, landlords will need an Electrical Installation Report before a new tenancy commences. As a landlord it’s your legal responsibility to make sure all electrical apparatus in the property you let out through the entire occupancy. This duty includes plugs, light fixtures and internal lighting.

An electrical equipment installation entails all electrical equipment that is provided through your properties electrical meter. Like other areas in the property, electrical installations within the property suffer depreciation and can before dangerous if not treated. Therefore, it’s crucial that you have the house electrically tested.

The professional electrician that will provide your electrical testing will produce an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR). This report will tell you either that all electrical installations met the required standards and regulations set or they will tell the landlord that they need another investigation or electrical repair work within 28 days of the test. The report will also outline when the next test should be carried out. These checks should be carried out every 5 years or sooner if the report tells you. The tenants they must receive a copy of the EICR within 28 days of the electrical testing inspection.

When does an Electrical Test have to be done by?

For tenants that move into your property on or after 1^st June 2020, the EICR must be completed before they start their tenancy. A potential landlord must provide a copy of the EICR before you move in. For tenants that are moved into your property before 1^st June 2020, the landlord must carry out an EICR before the 1^st April 2021.

What will the report show?

If the testing fails, the electrician that completes the electrical testing will use classification codes to show where the landlord must carry out remedial work.

• Code 1 – Danger is Present (This code tells the electrician that there is severe danger present, this is most likely to tended to by the electrician carrying out the test.)

• Code 2 – Possible Danger Present

• Further Investigation (FI) – Additional assessments are needed without interruption.

• Code 3 – Improvements Suggested (further changes is not needed for the EICR to be passed)

PAT Testing

Your landlord will need to ask a professional electrician to provide a portable appliance (PAT) testing for any electrical equipment the tenants have in the property e.g. kettles, toasters and washing machines. The expert electrician will thoroughly test the electrical appliances in the property and place a sticker on the plugs when the appliance was tested and when the next PAT test is needed. Portable appliance testing isn’t a direct requirement, however, it’s useful to have because it will cover you if something did go wrong with the electrics.

Contact Us

Get in touch with our professional electricians who will help you complete your EICR smoothly ensuring that your premises are fully electrically safe. Call 07813 137236 or use our contact form.

The post Why Do You Need Landlord Electrical Testing? appeared first on MT Electrical.

The analysis shows that there were an estimated 33,000 women tradespeople in 2019, which was 120% increase from 2009.

Within these 10 years, the number of people working in construction, electricals and plumbing has increased by 5% to 750,000. The percentage of tradespeople that are women currently account for about 4% which is a significant improvement compared to 2% a decade ago.

When the figures of broken down by industry, most of the female tradespeople can be found in the building industry (24,000) accounting for 6% of the total workforce. There are an estimated 8,000 females working as electricians, 3% of the total workforce.

The number of females working in these trades has been steadily rising over the past decade figures show that female representation is rising at a bigger rate with over half of the female workers in construction being registered since 2009.

Over the past decades, these types of trades have been dominated by males, therefore it is encouraging that the number of female tradespeople are increasing. Young females that are aspiring to be in a trade, can now see there is a pathway there for them.

Based on projections, there is expected to be a further 220,000 more women of working age in the UK by 2030. If the number of women working in construction remains constant over this time it could result in over 5,500 women in the industry by 2030. However, if the industry grows as it has since 2009 then we could see over 50,000 women in construction by the end of the decade.

Looking at the mean wages for tradespeople, women are still getting paid less than their male colleagues. On average female tradespeople earn 11% less than male tradespeople. This is lower than the average gender pay gap across different industries, in 2019 it was 16%.

The post Huge Rise in Female Trades People appeared first on MT Electrical.