Electricians new regulations (Scotland)

WES ELECTRICAL 01418405236

WESThe Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has announced the IET Wiring Regulations BS 7671:2008 incorporating Amendment No. 3:2015 will be available in January 2015 in both print and digital formats. The amended IET Wiring Regulations, which sets out the national standard for which all new and amended electrical installations are to comply, will feature a number of important new changes and will be available from the IET from 5 January 2015. This latest amendment, the third following Amendment No.1 which was published back in 2011 and Amendment No.2 in 2013, will be published as a new consolidated book.

The amended regulations will include changes to the electrical condition report section, new requirements for mobile and transportable electrical units and changes for the installation of luminaries and light fittings – bringing them in line with the latest international and European standards. The amended IET Wiring Regulations will also include the new Regulation 421.1.200. This regulation requires that within domestic (household) premises, consumer units and similar switchgear assemblies shall comply with BS EN 61439-3 and shall have their enclosure manufactured from non-combustible material, or enclosed in a cabinet or enclosure constructed of non-combustible material and complying with Regulation 132.12.

This has been developed to safeguard against the risk of fire that can be produced from the overheating of connections in consumer units. Geoff Cronshaw, chief electrical engineer at the IET said: “The amended IET Wiring Regulations BS 7671:2008 incorporating Amendment No. 3:2015 will set the electrical standards for those professionals working in the electrical, construction and built environment industries. It is paramount that, as an organisation, the IET continues to ensure that electrical standards are up-to-date and relevant to the ever evolving requirements of the UK’s electrical industry. “What’s more, it is essential that all electrical industry professionals familiarise themselves with the amended IET Wiring Regulations when they are published in January 2015, to ensure that the work they do is compliant and, most importantly, is carried out in a safe and appropriate manner.”

 The IET will be making the amended Wiring Regulations available from 5 January 2015, both in print and via a digital subscription; more information and pre-orders are available now at www.theiet.org/amend3-books-pr.

westend Glasgow electricians

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

Electricians 2013 Glasgow

Electricians Glasgow west end follow us on Facebook 

This is the last blog of 2013 from WES Electrical, its been a fantastic year always learning year on year on how to deal with business, new situations that can arise, new customer we meet and new business relationships in Glasgow/ clarkston / giffnock / newton mearns that we have made.

Business is fantastic and hopfully going into 2013 we maintain the standard going forward. As per every start of a new year we work out an advertising budget going forward this year we are going to focus on paisley the westend of glasgow, and bearsden. with a busdget of around 2000£ p/m we aim to be pretty busy.
As our goal is to take on a new electrician by february and a new apprentice for the start of june.

We have updates to our websites electricians westend glasgow and to our electricians bearsden.
over the festive period we have been busy with call to attend mostly domestic clients but it is difficult to get materials at this time of year but, usually with the stock we have in our vans and our office in the westend of glasgow we usually get the job done.

thanks for reading our blogs this year, this has been the first year of blogging for us and look to continue into the foreseeable future.

Have a great time tonight for the bells and have a great new year....dont drink too much.

W.E.S Electrical 01418405236