A smell of burning plastic was followed by a total power loss at this Richmond property we were called to this week.

A residual current device (RCD) can save lives, but only if installed properly and tested regularly. This one failed and it could easily have caused a major fire.

An RCD trips within a thousandths of a second if someone plugs an unsafe electrical appliance into a power socket or maybe hits an electrical cable screwing a shelf or picture hook into a wall.

An RCD looks similar to a circuit breaker but only an RCD prevents electrocution. Circuit breakers only protect against overloading of a circuit.

We install quality RCDs and make sure they are fitted to the highest standard. Be warned: You can’t take risks with electricity.