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

British General Consumer Unit

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Consumer Unit 17th Edition

19-module high integrity, fully insulated consumer unit. Flexible busbar.

• 100A Main Switch
• 2 x 63A RCDs
• 10 x MCBs (3 x 6A
• 2 x 16A
• 4 x 32A
• 1 x 40A)
• 3 Spare Ways
• Modern Stylish Design with Curved Smooth Profile
• Designed for Fast Installation
• Integral Spirit Level
• Easy Fit & Easy Clean Cover
• Backed Out & Retained Terminal Screws
• View more information

Product contents:
Consumer unit, 100A main switch, 2 x 63A 30mA RCDs, 3 x 6A MCBs, 2 x 16A MCBs, 4 x 32A MCBs, 1 x 40A MCB, busbar, cables and labels.

Specifications:
W x D x H: 451 x 117 x 234mm. BS EN 60439-3.

For a BG consumer unit that's right for you, check out the Britsh General range. Consumer units are an integral part of everyday living and that's why we do our best to supply you with the best.

Electricians Byers Road - Westend Glasgow

Above is one of our latest wall mounted tv installations in the westend of glasgow.
The start of this year has been fantastic the work has been pouring, and as we are in our 7th year at www.weselectrical.co.uk, we are delighted with the progress of work, but mainly with the progress of contacts that we have made.

The westend of glasgow is an up and coming area for investors and private investors alike for student accommodation , bars and restaurants, we work in conjunction with landlords for their electical inspection certificate, in order so they have a hasstle free letting.

we offer electrical rewiring, sockets , lighting solutions, wall mounted tv installations, and much more feel free to visit our website and check our some of the electrical services we can offer.

Wes electrical are the leading electricians and electrical contractor in the westend of glasgow, so you can rest assured your in safe hands

Expanding as an electrical contractor

As with all businesses the problem arises when you look to expand and take on more work. there is a few problems with this that you must over come. Firstly being an electrical contractor, basically an electrician working in the westend of glasgow for more than 10 years, i have found that i can pretty much keep myself busy with 2- 4 jobs daily during the week and 1-2 jobs at the weekend. Which in itself provides a great income for electricians but to take you electrical business to a new level you must have things in place, the idea similar to the chicken and the egg dance - which one comes first?

Well let me tell you, when you start up in business you do want to be able to get to the point where you are getting more work than you can actually manage to do, and it is at this stage you would consider taking on more staff. The difficulty comes when you hire the staff, are they the right person for the jon, in my case are they a good electricians, willl they be loyal to your business, will they try and steal from you, be it materials of even cash? you never know so it is essential that when the time comes to expand you make sure you find the best person for the job.

the main reason i would want to take on another electrician would be that i cannot be in two places at the one time, so here comes the next problem to overcome - new vehicles - i would need to offer my new electrician a van to do his work from, a mobile office if you will, and from this he will generate income for the business without you having to drive around with you new employee and also give him a sense of responsibility and freedom to get his work done with the boss breathing down that back of his neck.

with these two new additions to the business - new employee - new van the cost of running your small one man band electrical contractor business has just went through the roof and its at this point you start to doubt yourself or well i did, but that is the wrong thing to do as i will explain later in my blogg. i needed to find the extra exposure to find more work to keep now two electricians busy not just one, i now need to turn to advertising again which dosnt come cheap. But this is the only way for the cash circle to work. you need to spend money to make money but it usually works out a lot more than you were planning on spending, that being said it dosnt take away the fact that your business would be growing and your turnover with dramaticallly increase, but having that extra cash for that rainy day might come in handy.

hope you like what i have said and check out my website www.wesuk.co.uk

Electricians clarkston glasgow

Electricians in Glasgow City center and Westend

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electricians giffnock clarkston Glasgow

ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR WESTEND GLASGOW

working the weekend usually is the ideal way to spend you saturdays, i would rather be attending some sporting occassion or heading to the cinema for some nachos and popcorn. But when rewires come up its important to have a rewire comeplete as soon as it is possible to do so.

Wes electrical rewiring a 4 bedroom house in clarkston glasgow, it has took us 4 days to get it ready to test, which is the part of the job that can be most enjoyble but it also tells you any mistakes that have been make or other wise so you can understand that this is an important part of the job.

firstly going to test the final ring circuit of the downstairs ring circuit, we have 10 sockets on this ring with no spurs off of it. Going to test 1. insulation resistence 2 earth loop impedence 3 continuity 4 polarity.

this test can take up to 40 min to complete and record.

i am then going to repeat this on the upstairs electrical ring circuit.

Once the testing is complete you can the turn the power back on sign the document and hand over the report and at this point this is when you are looking to get paid.

Electrician Clarkston Glasgow

www.weselectrical.co.uk

Beatroute Arts Glasgow

Today is one of my favourtie days as i get to do electrical testing and pat testing in a little place in Glasgow called beatroute arts.

Beatroute arts is a community music center for the kids of barlonock Glasgow. Run by julie they provide music experiences to young people and is a very busy little venue. we have been providing electrical work for beatroute arts for the past few years.

Electrical testing is an important part of running a public building you have to make sure that the electrical system, power and light is safe for everyone to work and play in.

They have some fantastic stuff in here, a lot of it is too delicate to fully pat test like the computers and the electronic recording equipment. but i will do all the tests that i can without damaging the equipment.

Glasgow