Electrical Safety in the Home

All domestic electrical installations in the UK run on the same voltage – 240volts but in the event of a fault causing electric shock, it’s not the voltage that causes the damage, it’s the current that passes at the time of the incident and a current of just one tenth of an amp (0.1 amp) can cause the heart to stop.

Frightening to think then that if you have the old style fuseboard, the fuses will not blow until full current has passed and this can be from 5 amps to 30 amps depending on the circuit. If you are unfortunate enough to be touching a live terminal through a fault or accident and completing the circuit, that current can be flowing through you! Makes you think, and should keep you determined to keep yourself and your family well away from the electricity that flows all around your house.

However, it doesn’t need to be that grim. New fuseboardshave the circuits protected by a Residual Current Device (RCD). This means that the supply will be automatically disconnected within approximately 20 milliseconds if a current of only 30 milliamps (0.03 amp) flows in fault conditions (such as touching a live terminal). This makes the installation much safer.

For a free survey and estimate, call Mike Allen on 07889303411.