247 Electrical Services

Should I Call An Electrician?

Do you know when it is advisable to call out an electrician and what an emergency electrician service is for? Hopefully this article will explain what we can do for you and when you should call us if you have an electrical emergency.

8 Reasons it is Time to Call Your Local Electrician

1. Your lights keeping going out or fuses blowing or tripping regularly.
   For either of these symptoms we advise you call us to check your electrics as there could be a dangerous fault in one of your circuits that could lead to a fire in your home.
2. You are tripping over extension cables and you are using multi-plug extensions at every socket,
   Overloading a socket can cause fire so be safe and call us to install some new sockets.

3. New Lighting.

   You have just bought some beautiful new lights but have discovered fitting them is more complicated than fitting a light shade. Call an electrician to fit your new lights to ensure you don’t electrocute yourself and that they are fitted safely and correctly.

4. Bathroom Electrics.

   Whether you want to hang a mirror that has lights, fit a shaver point, or install a new electric shower always employ a professional electrician when working with electrics in a place with water. You don’t want to run the risk of electrocution either during fitting or when having your first shower.

5. Flickering lights.Do you find your lights flicker or dim when you switch on another appliance e.g an hairdryer or food mixer? Don’t just ignore this, it could be a warning of a bigger, more dangerous problem with your electrics.
6. Smoking Outlets.If you notice that one of your outlets is smoking, stop use of the outlet immediately, turn off the circuit breaker (provided there are no signs of fire there), and call the fire brigade.  You’ll want to make sure there’s not something burning within the wall.  After that’s taken care of, let us know so we can help you resolve the issue.
7. You live in a property over 25 years old
   Electrical safety laws have become far more stringent in recent years. If your property is old and hasn’t had the electrics checked for over 10 years, or is now over 25 years old, then it is probably time you had your fuse board and electrics checked.
8. Do you see exposed wires? Any time that you do, this is cause for alarm. Exposed wires mean an increased risk of electrocution and fire, as well as require immediate repair.

When only an Emergency Electrician will do!

An electrical emergency is when you feel you and your family are in danger and you need help from an electrician as soon as possible.

• Power failure
If you notice that your home is the only one in the street with no electricity, then you may need our assistance. We offer 24-hour emergency service to take care of your issues.
• Small Electrical Fire or Smoke
If you see smoke coming from a socket or have extinguished a small fire, then call us immediately to fix the problem.
• Flood Damage
Water and electrics DO NOT mix, therefore if your sockets or lighting have had water damage call an emergency electrician.

There are hundreds of other reasons why you may need an electrician and some may be large jobs such as a full re-wire of a house or wiring a new extension. However this article covered some of the smaller jobs that you may ignore or try to DIY. Electricity can be dangerous so we strongly advise that you call professional electricians like ourselves to upgrade or fix your electrics.

Please get in touch to discuss your requirements or for a quote.

This page is about Electrical Fridge Freezer Fires.

Could your fridge Freezer burn your house down? You can\'t switch them off. They\'re packed with inflammable insulation that can give off toxic gas. Here\'s why they can be the most dangerous appliance of all...

Electrical Fridge Freezer Fires 90 SECONDS TO DISASTER

  Shocking footage shows how quickly the fire can engulf your kitchen Flames

After 30 seconds, the flames have already taken over the back of the fridge freezer Within a minute the entire back of the fridge-freezer is completely ablaze[/caption][caption id=\"attachme After 90 seconds it has burst into a huge fireball

They can burn extremely quickly!

When fire ripped through Grenfell Tower flats this year killing 71 people, injuring hundreds and leaving residents with nothing but the clothes they were wearing.

So where did this rampant blaze start? The fridge-freezer, said fire fighters. Indeed, this most basic of household appliances is where hundreds of house fires start every year.

Fire crews thought they had put out the blaze at the tower when they saw flames rising up the side of the building.

The flammable cladding on the tower has been blamed for the rapid spreading of the fire, which has killed 71 people.

In the past five years, London Fire Brigade has attended at least one blaze every week — 260 in total — involving fridges and freezers. These have led to 71 serious injuries — and seven deaths.

London Fire Brigade is now lobbying the industry to make these ‘most dangerous of all household appliances’ more fire resistant by replacing some of the more flammable materials found in them.

Although other domestic appliances can ignite — with the press previously highlighting the dangers of washing machines left running overnight or when owners are out during the day — the Fire Brigade says that fridge-freezers pose a particular danger.

This is because they contain large amounts of plastic and a highly-flammable insulation which, when ignited, causes fires that spread quickly, giving off toxic gases.

Although doors and side panels of most fridge-freezers are covered with metal, many manufacturers still use flammable plastic backing, which offers little protection against the insulation catching fire.

Add to that the fact that the usual precautions of switching appliances off at the plug at night and before leaving home is impossible when it comes to fridge-freezers, which must be on at all times to be effective, and you have a potentially lethal mix.

How we can minimize the risk

Every year there are many recalls on various models of fridges and freezers, We recommend fitting smoke alarms, testing them weekly and closing all internal doors before going to bed. This can contain a fire in one room for up to 30 minutes. Also, you should periodically check online to see if any of your electrical goods are subject to a recall.

But for families wanting to avoid a similar risk, it’s not as simple as deciding not to buy certain brands as many use components produced by the same manufacturers in their machines. Of the 855 electrical fridge freezer fires recorded by the fire and rescue services, more than a quarter of the appliances were so badly damaged it was impossible to determine their make.

As there is no central registered for recalled appliances, manufacturers rely on customers registering their details when they buy an item.

If they don’t there is no direct way to contact a customer and many find out about unsafe items by reading about it in the media.

Worryingly, only 10 to 20 per cent of items that are recalled are ever returned or repaired, according to Electrical Safety First.

Check Your Model

You can check if your appliances have been recalled using a tool on the Electrical Safety First website You’ll need the model number and manufacturer.