ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION CONDITION REPORT (GLASGOW)

Electrical Condition Reports 

Faulty and old wiring is one of the main causes or electrical fires in the home in Glasgow. You can reduce the risk of a fire, and other electrical hazards such as electric shock by direct contact by checking the condition of your electrical wiring, switches, sockets, main consumer unit know as a fuse board and other accessories regularly.

How old is my electrical installation?

Signs that can help you tell the age of your electrical installation in your home include:

• Fixed cables coated in usually black vulcanised rubber (stopped being used in the 1960s).
• Fixed cables coated in lead or fabric sheath (used before the 1960s).
• A fuse box with a wooden back, cast iron switches, or a mixture of fuse boxes (used before the 1960s).
• Older round pin sockets (or light switches), braided flex hanging from ceiling roses, brown (or black) switches, or sockets mounted in or no skirting boards (used before the 1960s).
• Light switches on the walls or in bathrooms (used before the 1960s).

However old your electrical installation is, it may get damaged and will suffer from wear and tear. So you should get an electrician to check its condition at least every 10 years or or every 3 years if your a landlord and now the new regulations states overtime you have a change of tenancy.

westend glasgow electrician

What is the aim of a condition report?

The five main aims of a Eicr condition report are:

1. Record the results of the inspection and testing to make sure the electrical installation is safe to be used until the next inspection (following any work needed to make it safe)
2. Find any damage and wear and tear that might affect safety, and report it
3. Find any parts of the electrical installation that do not meet the IEE Wiring Regulations
4. Help find anything that may cause electric shocks and high temperatures
5. Provide and important record of the installation at the time of the inspection, and for inspection testing in the future.

 Types of condition report

 In general, there are two types of domestic electrical installation condition report:

• Visual condition report - this does not include testing and is only suitable if the installation has been testing recently.
• Periodic inspection reports - this is what we would normally recommend, as it tests the installation and would find any hidden damage.

Glasgow

TESLA WIRELESS POWER

An artist\'s rendition of the Tesla Model III

£30K ELECTRIC CAR EXPECTED TO APPEAL TO THE MASSES

04SEP 2014

ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR

Tesla Motors, the company responsible for producing the all-electric Model S, a car that Consumer Reports rated the “Best Car Ever Tested” in 2013, is expected to today announce plans to build a new $5 billion dollar plant in Nevada which will produce electric car batteries for their upcoming 2017 model.

Being dubbed the “Gen III,” the new Tesla all-electric car is expected to have a range of 200 miles per charge and retail for approximately $35,000 dollars – A price point which is expected to appeal to the masses. The Tesla “Gigafactory” is projected to produce 500,000 battery packs for electric cars each year by 2020. Sources familiar with the project have indicated that the Nevada location was selected due to its proximity to America’s only active lithium mine.

Designed to reduce battery costs by 30 percent, the Gigafactory is Tesla’s company advantage in producing a more affordable, mass-market electric car. For industry watchers, however, the move also translates to a lot more demand for lithium.

In a note sent to shareholders in late March, Lithium Exploration Group CEO Alex Walsh said Tesla is expected to consume up to 15,000 additional tons of lithium carbonate once its Gigafactory operations are in full swing in 2017. To put the amount in perspective, total global demand for lithium carbonate in 2012 was around 160,000 tons, according to international metals and minerals research and consulting firm Roskill.

A MATTER OF TIME

“It’s just a matter of time before electric vehicles take over the market,” said Dennis Bryan, senior vice president of Western Lithium. “Given the continued growth factor in lithium, we expect demand to increase substantially.”

Sales and adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) like the Tesla Model S, Tesla Roadster, and Nissan Leaf have been steadily increasing over the past few years thanks to the financial savings associated with “fueling” a car with electricity. The cost to “fill up” is under $5 dollars, as opposed to $40 dollars or more to refill an automobile with gasoline. Financial savings can be even greater when you install a home solar energy system to collect sunlight and recharge an EV with solar power.

Previous reports have shown Tesla’s new Gigafactory will be powered by on-site renewables including solar and wind power: solar panels

SOLAR POWERED TESLA GIGAFACTORY AT A GLANCE:

• Expected to drive down the per kWh cost of EV battery packs by more than 30 percent
• Forecasted to produce approximately 500,000 EVs per year by 2020
• Will take up approximately 500-1,000 acres
• Will employ approximately 6,500 workers
• Model 3/Model III will be 20% smaller than Model S,
• Expected to have electric range of 200 miles at approximate cost of $35k
• Design expected to be unveiled in 2016, car available for purchase in 2017

TESLA SOLAR POWERED SUPERCHARGING

Tesla Motors is simultaneously building a national network of solar powered electric vehicle fast charging stations.

Tesla’s EV ‘Supercharger’ technology provides a half charge (approximately 150 miles of driving range) in as little as 20 minutes, all compliments of a beautiful solar panel canopy which adorns the top of the EV charging station.

electricians

MAIN BOARD - CONSUMER UNIT REPLACEMENT GLASGOW

Electrical main boards Glasgow

Contact us - www.weselectrical.co.uk - 01418405236


When it comes time to upgrade your consumer unit / older fusebox in your home, you need to take into account several things that will effect how much you are going to spend.

Firstly you should always consult a qualified electrician before any electrical work is undertaken on you consumer unit.

secondly you would need to know how many circuits you have in your home, for example you will have one circuit for your lighting downstairs and one circuit for your upstairs lighting. also you will have a socket circuit in the form of a ring circuit , you would have a shower circuit and cooker circuit also.

The more circuits you have the bigger the main board you will need to power you home.


you will also need to take into consideration if you would choose to install a board with rcd protection.

Most new boards come with an rcd protected circuit board but you can buy ones that don't.
The issue can arise that if the is earthing issues on you circuits or you have some other wiring faults your rcd will trip and not go back up until this is fixed. you would then need to take on testing of your electrical installation through the means of a EIC test to find out where the fault lies.

If in doubt contact a qualified electrician west end Glasgow about your Fuseboard.


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WESTEND GLASGOW ELECTRICIANS

RCDs Explained By   a Professional Electrician

An RCD, or residual current device, is a life-saving device which is designed to prevent you from getting a fatal electric shock if you touch something live, such as a bare wire. It can also provide some protection against electrical fires. RCDs offer a level of personal protection that ordinary fuses and circuit-breakers cannot provide.

Below are the questions most commonly asked about RCDs (click to expand answers).

What does an RCD do?

An RCD is a sensitive safety device that switches off electricity automatically if there is a fault.

An RCD is designed to protect against the risks of electrocution and fire caused by earth faults.  For example, if you cut through the cable when mowing the lawn and accidentally touched the exposed live wires or a faulty appliance overheats causing electric current to flow to earth.

How does it work?

An RCD constantly monitors the electric current flowing through one or more circuits it is used to protect. If it detects electricity flowing down an unintended path, such as through a person who has touched a live part, the RCD will switch the circuit off very quickly, significantly reducing the risk of death or serious injury.

What are the main types of RCD?

Fixed RCDs

These are installed in the consumer unit (fusebox) and can provide protection to individual or groups of circuits. A fixed RCD provides the highest level of protection as it protects all the wiring and the sockets on a circuit, and any connected appliances.

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Socket-Outlet RCDs

These are special socket-outlets with an RCD built into them which can be used in place of a standard socket-outlet. This type of RCD provides protection only to the person in contact with equipment, including its lead, plugged into the special socket-outlet.

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Portable RCDs

These plug into any standard socket-outlet. An appliance can then be plugged into the RCD. They are useful when neither fixed nor socket-outlet RCDs are available but, as with socket-outlet RCDs, they provide protection only to the person in contact with the equipment, including its lead, plugged into the portable RCD.

• What are the main types of RCD?
• Why is RCD protection important?
  RCD protection can save lives by protecting you and your family from fatal electric shock, and can provide some protection against fire.

  Every year in the UK around 70 people die and 350,000 are injured as a result of electrical accidents at home.  A Government report also indicated that, each year, about 4,000 fires caused by electricity in homes might have been prevented if RCD protection had been fitted in the consumer unit.  Despite this, more than half of UK homes – that’s 13 million - don’t yet have any, or an adequate level of, such additional protection.

  RCD protection is particularly important whilst using mains-powered electrical equipment outdoors, where there is an increased risk of electric shock.

  (To provide additional protection against electric shock, an RCD must have a rated tripping current of no more than 30 mA. The rating will be marked on the RCD.)

How much will RCD protection cost?

A plug-in RCD can cost as little as £10. A fixed RCD will cost more, but will provide a greater degree of protection to help keep your family safe. Installation costs will vary, so we recommend getting several quotes before proceeding.

How do I check whether I already have fixed RCD protection?

To check if you have fixed RCD protection, go to your consumer unit and have a look to see if there is a device with a pushbutton marked ‘T’ or ‘Test’. This ‘test’ button is part of an RCD. If an RCD is fitted, there should also be a label on or near the consumer unit stating ‘test quarterly’.

If you have an RCD, you should check that it is functioning properly by pushing the test button every three months. When tested, the RCD should switch off the power to the areas of the home it protects. 

The RCD (or RCDs) in your consumer unit may not cover everything in your home, such as the lighting circuits, so it’s a good idea to check - while the RCD is off - which sockets and lights are no longer working, showing that they are protected by that RCD.

Switch the RCD back on to restore the supply.

If your RCD does not switch off the electricity supply to the protected circuits when the test button is pressed, or if it does not reset, get advice from a registered electrician.

If you don’t have RCD protection fitted in your consumer unit, the best way to protect yourself in the short term is by using a portable RCD, which you can find in most DIY or gardening stores.  All you have to do is plug it into a socket and plug the appliance into the RCD.  The appliance will then be safer to use.

However if, for example, you damage a hidden cable when fixing something to a wall, you won’t be protected against electric shock unless you have an RCD in your consumer unit protecting that circuit.

Is it a requirement to install RCDs?

In 2008 a new edition of the UK standard for the safety of electrical installations, BS 7671, came into effect. This standard calls for virtually all electrical circuits installed in homes since then to be provided with additional protection by means of an RCD.

The Electrical Safety Council has electrical safety advice on a range of issues regarding home electrics and other areas.

if in doubt contact an electrician westend glasgow

Electric shower installations

ELECTRICIANS IN THE WESTEND OF GLASGOW


There are Loads of things one can do to revamp their entire household and renovating the bathroom is no exception. People are becoming increasingly interested in products such as the Electric Showers and Power Showers that need an electrical supply, that can be a good addition to your bathroom. They make the experience of taking a shower way more comfortable with all the features to offer and their user friendliness and style aspect. If you have a fascination with spending quality leisure time in the shower everyday or if you are just there for a quick bath, these products can be helpful either ways. An Electric Shower does not only look impressive stylish and sleek, but it is definitely of equal use. It is a kind of shower device that heats its own water and does not need any external water supply for the same. It is a self sufficient system and can be fitted in any kind of property without much hassle. The electric shower comes with a heater that gets attached to the wall. The shower unit itself can either be fixed or a movable one depending on the preference of the user. It comes in pleasing contemporary designs and doesn’t require much space on installation. The Power Shower on the other hand is different only because it needs an external supply of hot water instead of heating it on its own. They move the water to the shower head using a pump. This way they maintain the water pressure as per the user’s likes and does not let it drop even if there’s less water, unlike regular shower units. There are three basic kinds of Power Showers depending on the placement of the pump and the mixer in the whole system. The Single Impeller Pump, the Double impeller pump and the Built in pump are the most common types available. The cold and hot water pipes are fitted to these pumps and help in pushing the water to the mixer or shower head. The Double impeller pump is considered better of the lot because it can be used for more than one outlet in the bathroom such as basins, baths etc. electrician westend glasgow