Dampness combined with an electrical current is deadly.

If your property has suffered any water damage from minor flooding or rain coming through the roof a licensed electrician should be called to inspect for possible problems and to verify everything is in order. Sharpe technicians can be there within the hour.

The first step towards guaranteed safety and peace of mind is to check that your switchboard has a safety switch installed. An electrical short circuit can kill in an instant.

We are surprised at the number of older houses which still rely on old porcelain fuses and have only had the most basic of upgrades over the years.

Many householders are confused about the difference between a safety switch and a circuit breaker.

Both look similar except the safety switch has a test button. Circuit breakers only protect against current overloading and short circuits. Safety switches monitor electrical flow and disconnect mains power almost instantly if a leakage of current is detected.

As we’ve said before, the best option is fitting multiple combination safety switches/circuit breakers to all circuits running through the switchboard. Installing them is not an expensive upgrade. It will help bring your switchboard up to the best current specification.

Another bonus is that if one circuit overloads, it only shuts down that part of the system, not the entire power supply to the house.

Safety switches, also referred to as Residual Current Devices (RCDs), have been around for decades, which means some may be due for replacement.

If you have any doubts about your electrical protection give us a call on 131 750.