Whether you own a home, a residential building or a commercial building, you know how important it is to ensure that the electrical connections, machines and appliances are in proper working condition. This is primarily for the safety of those living in your building as well as for proper functioning of the building's amenities that rely on electricity such as the lifts and air conditioning, among others.
While there may be unavoidable circumstances where you encounter an emergency breakdown, there are some steps you can take to curb the frequency of these emergencies. You will need to work closely with your electrician on these steps.
Step #1: Upgrade your switchboard
If you have bought an old home or building or you have had it for a long time, you should have your electrician upgrade your switchboard. The switchboard routes electricity through your home, making it a central part of the entire electrical system in your building. A failure in its function could result in a complete power outage in your building at best or an electrical fire at worst.
You know you need to have your switchboard checked if you are experiencing power trips, short circuits or flickering lights. The switchboards also come with an expiry date which you can check on to see if it's time to get a new one. A new switchboard can cost quite a bit of money, but it is worth every penny considering the risks involved in retaining an old one.
For homeowners, remember that in the past, homes did not have as many electrical appliances as there are nowadays. If you have an old home, you should certainly consider upgrading your switchboard to one that can effectively handle all your electrical needs.
Step #2: Check your wiring
Along with checking on your switchboard, you can have the electrician take a look at your wiring. There may be worn-out cables and distribution boards in there that are in urgent need of replacement. Also with advancement in technology, the old wiring may no longer be compliant with current safety standards.
The electrician will check if there are any circuit overloads, faulty wiring (some buildings were not wired by professionals), or areas that show potential to be a fire hazard. He/she should then give a thorough report on the way forward as far as rewiring your home.
The benefits cannot be understated. Apart from improving the capacity of your electrical system to handle all the appliances and machinery in your building, rewiring will improve the safety of your building as well as increase its market value. Plus, you won't have to keep calling the emergency electrical services to fix a breakdown.
Share22 March 2016
If you are working on a big project for your home, your business or an investment property, you may need to do some electrical work or hire an electrician during that process. If so, I want to help you with my blog full of tips and ideas. Hi, my name is Katie, and I was briefly an electrician before I left to start a design company. However, I still harbour an interest in electrical work, and because of that, I was inspired to create this blog. If you have questions about electricity, please explore my blog posts. If they help you, share them with your friends. Thank you!
