POWER AND LIGHTING

Repairs to your home’s wiring and electrical systems should always be left to qualified professionals. However, there are still many steps you can take to restore power in the event of a outage, to increase energy efficiency, and to improve the safety and reliability of your home appliances.

HOME APPLIANCES

Over the last 20 years, home appliances have become much more sophisticated, incorporating systems such as low-voltage lighting, underfloor heating, outdoor lighting, and powering sensitive electronics. It is not a good idea to attempt a repair yourself—find a reliable electrician to address any faults and install new fixtures. Meanwhile, get to know your system so that you can spot emerging problems before they become crises, and so that you know what to do in case of an interrupted power supply.

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JARGON BUSTER

Panel box The electrical panel is a box wired between your electricity meter and the electrical outlets in your home. Its job is to distribute power to subsidiary circuits, and protect these circuits from dangerous overloads. Older boxes contain fuses for this purpose, while modern ones have miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) that switch off the power if it exceeds a set value. The panel box may also contain a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). This detects the leakage of electrical current that may occur if your wiring is faulty, or if someone receives an electric shock, and cuts the power immediately. A main on/off switch in the box cuts power to all circuits in the home.

The power’s gone off

Check your breaker panel or fuse box

Keep a small flashlight next to your electric panel for use in emergencies—it’ll save you from hunting for a light in the darkness.

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To restore power to a circuit within your home, reset the miniature circuit breaker in your breaker panel.

The plug feels hot

Sand the contacts

A hot plug on an appliance is unsafe, so don’t ignore the problem. If the appliance is plugged in via a power strip (a block that turns one wall outlet into several sockets), try plugging directly into the wall socket. If the problem persists, try lightly rubbing the prongs on the plug with fine sandpaper to remove any oxidation on their metal surfaces. Next, try replacing the plug or (if possible) the entire cable that connects to the appliance. A continued problem indicates a fault within the appliance or in the wall socket—don’t use either until they have been checked out by an electrician.

The socket is dead

Reset the trip switch or call an electrician

Check if the other nearby sockets are working. If not, you may have tripped a MCB or GFCI in the electrical panel (see opposite), so try switching this back on. Modern sockets may be fitted with their own, individual GFCIs on their faceplates—try pressing the “Reset” button.

If your problem persists, call in a professional.

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WARNING

Even though some electrical repairs may appear simple, they may not be easy to carry out safely. Attempting to do it yourself may lead to death, injury, or fire, and leave you in breach of building laws and regulations. You should always contact a qualified electrician if in doubt.

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Eight ways to improve electrical safety

Faulty or aging wiring is a major cause of fires and accidents in the home, but you can take some easy steps to keep your family safe.

  1. 1 Remove plugs from sockets carefully by pulling straight back on the plug; never tug the cable.
  2. 2 Switch off electrical appliances at night unless they are designed to be left on (like refrigerators).
  3. 3 Never use power strips with appliances that have a high-power (wattage) rating, such as electric heaters, irons, and toasters. Don’t plug adaptors into other adaptors. If you don’t have enough sockets in your home, have more installed by a qualified electrician.
  4. 4 Dry your hands before touching electrical equipment. Never dry clothing over an electric heater.
  5. 5 Avoid running cables under carpets; run them around the edge of the room instead, securing them to the walls or baseboards with cable clips or within plastic casing.
  6. 6 Don’t wrap electrical cable around any appliance (such as an iron) until it has completely cooled down.
  7. 7 Examine the cables of appliances for signs of wear, cracking or darkening of their plastic sleeves. Open the plug from time to time; make sure there are no loose strands of wire or blackening visible. Make sure the flex is gripped tightly at the base of the plug and that the correct fuse has been fitted (check the manual of the appliance for guidance). If you don’t feel confident rewiring the plug or cable, get professional help.
  8. 8 Renew old wiring that may no longer be safe. Call in an electrician for advice if your home has wall-mounted switches in the bathroom; sockets mounted on baseboards; an old fuse box with a wooden back or cast-iron switches; cables coated with fabric, lead, or black rubber.

DON’T OVERLOAD A SOCKET BY PLUGGING IN TOO MANY APPLIANCES—AVOID USING POWER STRIPS IF AT ALL POSSIBLE

LIGHTING

Lighting technology has changed dramatically in the last decade with the widespread introduction of low-energy bulbs, but some common problems still have simple fixes. For example, dusting your light bulbs and fixtures with a lint-free cloth when they are turned off can boost light output by one fifth, saving your eyes and conserving energy, too.

The bulb keeps blowing

Fit a quality replacement

The lifetime of a light bulb will be shortened by poor connections, overheating, and rough handling. CFL and LED lights are replacing traditional incandescent and halogen bulbs (see box, below) because they have longer lives and use less power, so it’s worth switching to these designs if you haven’t done so already.

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JARGON BUSTER

Incandescent bulbs These “classic” bulbs produce light when a wire filament is heated by an electric current.

Halogen bulbs These are a type of incandescent bulb that contains a small quantity of a halogen gas within the glass. They are longer-lasting and produce a brighter light than a classic bulb of the same size.

CFL bulbs Compact fluorescent light bulbs are basically fluorescent tubes that have been made in the shape of a classic bulb. They last about five times as long as classic bulbs and use around one quarter of their power.

LED bulbs These use an array of light-emitting diodes to produce light. They have very long life spans (up to 100,000 hours) and use around 80 percent less energy than classic bulbs, but are expensive to buy.

My fluorescent tube won’t light

Replace and dispose of it safely

If a light doesn’t come on when you throw the switch, the tube’s contacts may need cleaning, or the tube may need to be replaced. Safely set up a stepladder so that you can reach the tube without overstretching (see here). Switch off the electrical circuit supplying the light at your panel box. Then climb the ladder and remove the cover over the fixture and pass it down carefully to a waiting helper.

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WARNING

Don’t take any chances when working on a light fixture. Switch off the light at the wall and tape over the switch, and turn off the lighting circuit at the breaker panel.

Dispose of fluorescent tubes responsibly at your local recycling center—they contain harmful chemicals and should never be thrown away with domestic waste.

My lights flicker

Install a new switch or transformer

Try checking and cleaning the bulb’s connections or replacing the bulb. If this doesn’t work, there may be a problem with the switch, especially if you can hear a buzzing or fizzing noise when the switch is on. You’ll need to call an electrician to install a new switch mechanism.

My chandelier is dusty

Clean it with cotton gloves

As dust settles on a chandelier, it dulls its light output and robs it of sparkle. Using a cloth to clean your chandelier can be an arduous job, so make life easier by buying a pair of white cotton gloves (available from home improvement stores). Switch off the light and remove the bulbs. Put on both gloves and moisten one with some window cleaning liquid; wipe each crystal with this glove first, then dry with your other gloved hand.