Fused Electrics⚡

1) When there is an electrical problem in your Liverpool home or business you may find that you have fused electrics and an issue at your consumer unit or fuse box.

FUSED ELECTRICS is just a way of saying that a fuse has blown or a circuit breaker has tripped. Whichever words you choose to describe it, if you have these kinds of electrical issues then you may need an electrician to come and investigate the cause for you. There are various different ways that you can end up with FUSED ELECTRICS in your home or business and there may be some investigation that you can carry out yourself. Things that may cause these problems with your electrics are:

• Damaged wires.
• Broken switches.
• Damaged Sockets.
• Water in the electrical system.
• Aging cabling.
• Faulty fuse box / consumer unit.
• Trip switch problems.
• Loose connections somewhere.

There are other reasons for electrics fusing out and causing problems but these are the main ones. 

2) Can I sort this myself?🤔

There are certain electrical problems that you may be able to narrow down or fix yourself with some time and persistence but in many cases, electrical investigations are only safely carried out by your electrician and should be left to them. If you find that your RCD switch is tripping then you may be able to carry out some investigation by turning off other switches and trying to find which switch makes the RCD trip. This technique is covered in more depth on our help sheet which can be found here: https://www.electricalfaultsfixed.co.uk/helpsheet/help-my-house-electrics-are-tripping 

3) Are there any other things I can do?

It is helpful if you can remember any work that you carried out at home in the last few weeks. This can be small things like hanging a new picture, drilling into a wall, any alterations to the electrical system however small, moving furniture around and so on. These things can all affect the electrical system and may help your emergency electrician to find out what has occurred or where to start looking. Your electrician should have specialist test equipment in order to find the fault and will be able to locate the fault with enough time and perseverance using their equipment, skills, and knowledge. If you can give them as much information as possible it is often helpful to them in assisting with rectifying the electrical issue. 

4) We have never had a problem before, why now?🤷

Electrical problems can seemingly occur as if from nowhere when, in reality, many electrical problems have been there for a long time and have gradually been getting more severe until the ELECTRICS FUSED and your attention is then drawn to it. Electrical systems (especially much older systems) will work until they are at the point of near destruction. The safety of these systems will diminish as they deteriorate and eventually when the damage or fault is sufficient the ‘brains’ (fuse box / consumer unit) will trip a circuit or blow a fuse and alert you to the fact that there is a problem. 

5) How long do home electrics last? 

This can be a somewhat difficult question to answer but I will try. Electrical systems that are correctly installed to the wiring regulations, regularly maintained by, and only worked on by a professional are likely to last up to 60-70 years. This assumes that no external factors affect the wiring system such as pests, rodents, weather, fire, poor alterations and so on. The wiring system life span may be diminished with heavy use. For example, a family of 6 living in a property is likely to affect a wiring installation much more than a retired couple living in the same property. The various factors that can affect your electrics are:

• Wear and Tear – The more people and appliances using the electrical system, the quicker the cabling will wear out and cause FUSED ELECTRICS to occur. 
• Use and abuse – Using too many appliances on electrical circuits that were not designed to take the load will not only cause nuisance tripping and fuses to blow but will wear out the electrical accessories, the cabling, and the consumer unit components quickly.
• Weather and water ingress – Water is an enemy of electrical systems. Water can cause insulation breakdown in cabling meaning that electrical current can leak to earth. Water also leaves behind permanently damaging minerals and salts that can degrade and corrode metals and cable insulation.
• Poor alterations or modifications – When electrical work is carried out poorly, in contravention of wiring regulations and using poor workmanship and materials the resultant problems can haunt the property for years to come. Electrical faults can drive homeowners nuts and leave expensive repair work to be carried out.
• Building work – When work is carried out that disturbs the fabric of the building, it can affect wiring systems. Cables can become damaged or trapped causing electrical problems to occur. 
• Rodents, pests etc – Electrical wiring is absolutely irresistible to rodents and pests. There is something about the PVC cabling and tingling of electricity that they really love. ☹ If you have had a rodent infestation at some point, it is worth checking all the visible cabling for signs of damage. We have known these pests to enter floor cavities and boilers to cause havoc. 
• Original quality of installation – If the wiring installation was carried out to a high standard when it was originally installed then it is likely to last longer than a poorly installed, rushed system put in for a cheap price.
• Quality of products installed – A higher quality installation with higher quality cables and wiring accessories is likely to outlast a cheaper rewire or wiring system with the same use. 

As we can see, it can be hard to determine a wiring installations life span even knowing a lot of the above factors. 

6) Can I update or prolong the life of my home electrical system?⚡

The best way to prolong the life of your home electrical system is to have it maintained by a professional, have your consumer unit updated when required and only have electrical work carried out by a professional company with good customer reviews. This way, you are likely to get the most from your electrical system and also gain peace of mind that works have been carried out correctly and in accordance with the safety wiring regulations. If you are at all concerned about FUSED ELECTRICS, or any other wiring or electrical issues in the home then please feel free to contact us. We cover from Liverpool to Wigan and all areas in between so we are able to help many customers with their electrical problems and projects. 😊

📞 01925 595 980 (Warrington)

📞 0151 351 4011 (Liverpool)

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