Will Your Wiring Survive Christmas?
A recent interview with a fireman on the radio brought the shocking comment that the majority of fires nowadays are in premises occupied by the poor and the elderly.
Whilst the latest official fire statistics released by the Government don't include a breakdown of fire causes, a survey from 2005 puts cooking at the top of the list at 53% followed at 11% by electrical faults and wiring.
With regulation on electrical wiring having been tightened considerably over the past few years, the fireman's comments could be understood in that poorer families don't generally have the spare money to rewire a house to modern standards and the older the wiring in a house, the more likely it is to develop a fault.
Christmas can put a considerable strain on the wiring within a home.
With the mid-winter darkness needing lights to be left on even during the day, the family at home looking for warm drinks and extra calls on heating the household wiring is already under some strain.
Add in Christmas tree and other Christmas lights and cooking that special Christmas dinner and the power usage can soar.
Those living towards the end of a grid can even see their lights grow dim as families further up the electricity grid draw extra power.
Checking your electric wiring can be a fairly simple job and will give you some idea of whether you need to consider rewiring or even just cutting down on power usage this Christmas.
For those who do rewire, the latest consumer units are more sensitive than older models and will quickly trip out at the slightest fault, dramatically cutting the chances of fire.
Most home rewiring jobs are fairly straightforward and can be completed in a few days.
There is some disruption as it is usually necessary to move furniture to allow the electrician to have easy access to walls and under floorboards.
However, careful planning with your electrician can make this a smooth process.
If the thought of a complete rewire is too much, look at installing a fire blanket in the kitchen and smoke detectors.
Those linked into the electrical system are fairly cheap and an electrician can fit one in a very short time.
Finally, take care with elderly appliances.
If your toaster is starting to toast one side only then it is probably on its way out and more likely to burst into flames than a new one.
Get it professionally checked or buy a replacement before you become one of the 33,000 "accidental" fires in the home this year.
Whilst the latest official fire statistics released by the Government don't include a breakdown of fire causes, a survey from 2005 puts cooking at the top of the list at 53% followed at 11% by electrical faults and wiring.
With regulation on electrical wiring having been tightened considerably over the past few years, the fireman's comments could be understood in that poorer families don't generally have the spare money to rewire a house to modern standards and the older the wiring in a house, the more likely it is to develop a fault.
Christmas can put a considerable strain on the wiring within a home.
With the mid-winter darkness needing lights to be left on even during the day, the family at home looking for warm drinks and extra calls on heating the household wiring is already under some strain.
Add in Christmas tree and other Christmas lights and cooking that special Christmas dinner and the power usage can soar.
Those living towards the end of a grid can even see their lights grow dim as families further up the electricity grid draw extra power.
Checking your electric wiring can be a fairly simple job and will give you some idea of whether you need to consider rewiring or even just cutting down on power usage this Christmas.
For those who do rewire, the latest consumer units are more sensitive than older models and will quickly trip out at the slightest fault, dramatically cutting the chances of fire.
Most home rewiring jobs are fairly straightforward and can be completed in a few days.
There is some disruption as it is usually necessary to move furniture to allow the electrician to have easy access to walls and under floorboards.
However, careful planning with your electrician can make this a smooth process.
If the thought of a complete rewire is too much, look at installing a fire blanket in the kitchen and smoke detectors.
Those linked into the electrical system are fairly cheap and an electrician can fit one in a very short time.
Finally, take care with elderly appliances.
If your toaster is starting to toast one side only then it is probably on its way out and more likely to burst into flames than a new one.
Get it professionally checked or buy a replacement before you become one of the 33,000 "accidental" fires in the home this year.
Source...