In today's world, electricity is an essential part of our daily lives. From powering our lights and appliances to charging our devices, we rely heavily on our home's electrical system. At the heart of this system lies either a fuse box or a circuit breaker panel, which plays an important role in ensuring our safety and the proper functioning of our electrical devices. But how safe is your fuse box, and should you consider upgrading to circuit breakers? As a fully qualified electrician and electrical lecturer I have seen many old fuse boxes and replaced many of them with a new electrical panel and there are some things that we need to discuss.

As a fully qualified electrician and electrical lecturer with years of experience in the industry, I've seen my fair share of circuit breakers in various states of wear and tear. In this article, I'll share my personal insights on the lifespan of circuit breakers and the factors that can affect their longevity and performance.

A boiler can trip switches in the electrical system for a variety of reasons. Different electrical faults can occur, internal failure of boiler components can short the electrics out and wiring can become damaged due to heat and moisture. We look at 9 common reasons that a boiler would trip the electrical supply.

​The Electrical Panel is the brains, the nerve centre and control system for our electrical wiring systems. It is responsible for many vital functions in the home's electrical system and for keeping us safe from electrical dangers. The electric panel helps to prevent electrical shock, detects electrical issues, protects electrical cabling and aids in the avoidance of electrical fires. Without this electrical equipment there would be no protection from electrical faults and chaos would ensue.

Every electric shower should have a shower isolator switch for emergency power disconnection. The alternative is to dash to the consumer unit should there be any issues with the electrical circuit or shower. These shower switches will commonly fail and in some cases, they will burn out. When this happens, it can be a very concerning time for homeowners as they try to establish what has happened and why?

Electrical accidents at work can largely be prevented but without safety systems in place, electrical shock, burns and electrical injuries can leave persons with ongoing injuries, cause sickness and absences, and mean large fines or possible imprisonment for employers. Implementing electrical safety protocols, safe work practices and electrical safety training are vital to ensure a safe work environment for everyone.

Following a Periodic Electrical Inspection also known as an Electrical Safety Check, Landlord Electrical Check, fixed wire testing, or Safety Certificate. An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is produced on the condition of the electrical system. Within the report will be a number of observations the qualified electrician or electrical inspector has made on the installation. Each observation will be allocated a code depending upon the severity of electrical danger present.

Electrical problems can occur in all places throughout an electrical system due to a number of reasons. One of the most common issues I see as a qualified electrician is that appliances regularly cause issues. If you have a WASHING MACHINE PLUG MELTED it can be a real concern a serious electrical danger. As such, it’s important to understand why this occurs and what can be done about it. Why does a washing machine plug melt? It’s always down to excessive heat! How is that heat generated? We discuss this and more in the following article.

There are a number of strange smells that may emanate from the electrical panel or consumer unit in your home. But how do we determine if the smell is likely to indicate serious problems or not? An electrical fire smell has a distinct fishy odor that is unmistakeable once experienced once. Bad smells coming from your electrical wiring, electrical appliances or electrical breaker panel are warning signs that things are not quite right.

Wherever there is electrical equipment, there will nearly always be some form of heat generated no matter how small. In some cases, we actually want the electrical equipment to produce heat if that is its intended purpose such as space heaters. In other cases, heat is an unwanted side effect of electrical equipment in normal operation such as the use of computer equipment and in extreme cases, heat can indicate serious electrical faults in equipment that should not normally generate high temperatures. CAN HEAT COME FROM ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT? Yes, absolutely, but in many cases, the heat is unwanted! We will look at different appliances, types of equipment and situations where electrical equipment produces heat.