Categories Electrical Safety, Uncategorized

Emergency Electricians

Buderim Electrical – Emergency Electricians 24hrs

Loss of power after a storm event or heavy rain is not uncommon. The Sunshine Coast has more than its fair share of natural weather events usually leaving suburbs without power. Buderim Electrical has emergency electricians to help get you powered up.

Fallen power lines require emergency electricians

Energex require an electrician to attend site in the event of a power failure to ensure that the customers installation is not the cause of power loss. Once our electricians have established that your property is ok, Energex will deploy their support crews to site. There are refunds available from Energex website for up to $200 inc gst (see site for further information)

Care must be taken when investigating loss of supply – especially where trees have fallen on lines or wet weather has caused an outage. Opening a switchboard can be a serious hazard if there is a fault.

Loss of power can also be from equipment failure such as a faulty appliance, a faulty fitting or wiring that has developed a fault and has come into contact with the carpet. When resetting an RCD or circuit breaker (if safe to do so) and the fault is still present, do not try to reset it again – call Buderim Electrical. Reenergising faulty equipment or appliances can lead to electrical fires. Unplugging devices and appliances from all power points in the house prior to an electrician turning up will help in speeding up the process.

Emergency electricians can replace burnt out safety switches

If you still have power but have an issue such as an electrical burning smell or smoke coming out of an appliance call the fire brigade 000 immediately. Smoke detectors will not sound if the fire is in the switchboard or in the ceiling of your home. Do not wait for an electrician to arrive before you call emergency services!

For all electrical emergencies call Buderim Electrical on 0499995125

Author Buderim Electrical 0 Comments Categories Electrical Safety, Uncategorized
Categories Electrical Safety

Christmas Lighting Electrical Safety

Christmas Lights

How Safe is your Christmas Lighting? When designing and installing your display, take into consideration the following safety tips from Buderim Electrical

  • Do my lights have a regulatory compliance mark logo to ensure compliance with Australian Standards
  • Are my lights suitable for where i want to install them and are they rated indoor use only?
  • What are the manufacturers specifications for the use of the lights? Do they for example require adequate ventilation 
  • If using last seasons Christmas lighting, do they have any visible damage that might cause an issue when operating?

When installing your Christmas lighting display:

  • Do i have adequate power supply that is protected by an RCD? All power points must be protected by an RCD. If you don’t have a safety switch or are unsure, contact us for an inspection
  • If using power boards are they in an area that is protected from rain? Do they have overload protection built in?
  • Check that all outdoor connections are weatherproof 
  • Check that all extension leads are in good repair and if not dispose of them and purchase new ones
  • Don’t run extension leads over pathways or driveways
  • If using ladders make sure you follow working at heights safety and ensure that you are not around the electrical point of supply 

Safe operation of Christmas lighting:

  • Supervise children around the display
  • Always turn off all lighting if going out or going to bed or if it looks like it may rain
  •  Limit the amount of time that you operate the display. Summer in Queensland is hot and electronics are very susceptible to overheating causing permanent damage to your lights

Remember, a small amount of safety and a little extra time in planning and installing your lighting will ensure the longevity of your lights and protect your family and home from fire or electrocution. 

Merry Christmas from Buderim Electrical 

Author Buderim Electrical 0 Comments Categories Electrical Safety
Categories Electrical Inspection, Electrical Safety

Sunshine Coast Pre Purchase Electrical Inspection

Does your new home need an electrical inspection?

Buying a new home can be stressful process that involves many small processes such as finance applications, building and pest inspections and legal reports. One area that is often overlooked is the electrical inspection.

Electrical Inspection equipment

Electrical inspections are relatively low cost inspections that provide peace of mind and family safety. Quite often we see buyers that have purchased a home find issues relating to equipment failure, illegal DIY electrical wiring, air conditioning systems that don’t cool/heat, sub standard switchboard wiring and switchgear and much more. These issues can end up costing the buyer a large amount of money as they aren’t included in a building and pest report.

Post purchase, you may be budgeting for renovations or extensions to a prospective property. At the time of inspection we can also check mains sizing, point of attachment location and switchboard redundancy to give you an indication of additional costs that may arise unexpectedly.

There are also legislative requirements for sellers to sell a property with RCD protection as well as smoke alarms that meet current standards. These often get overlooked and cost the buyer more money after purchase

An electrical inspection can be arranged to coincide with building and pest times to minimise hassle.

Other types of electrical inspections

Perhaps you have already purchased a property and are unsure of the condition of the wiring and the protection is adequate. You may:

  • Have spotted what looks like DIY wiring
  • Noticed old cloth style wiring
  • Have issues arising after a recent storm
  • Suspect that halogen lighting may be covered over in ceiling or close to timber structure
  • Want to make sure all circuits are protected by RCD’s (safety switches)

Whatever the purpose, we can provide a report that satisfies your requirements. Give us a call to arrange a time that suits your schedule.

Author Buderim Electrical 0 Comments Categories Electrical Inspection, Electrical Safety
Categories Electrical Safety

Surge Protection

Surge Protection

Electrical safety is paramount to protect your family from electrocution but have you considered asset safety such as surge protection to protect the thousands of dollars worth of electrical equipment purchased each year?

Surge Protection to prevent Power surge
Lightning causing power surge

Power Surge

Power surges (or spikes) can occur from lightning, accidents or even starting electrical equipment. Power surge causes higher than normal current to flow, resulting in damage to equipment. The surge is usually very brief lasting less than a thousandth of a second, but it can still cause damage to your home and electrical appliances.

What Damage Can Occur?

Without surge protection, all electrical and electronic devices such as TV’s, microwaves, fridges, phones (on chargers), computers, printers etc are at risk. Sensitive electronics are destroyed by minimal surges in current.

How Can I Protect My Equipment?

There are three different methods of surge protection: portable, power point protection, and switch board protection.

Portable surge devices: can be expensive and one time protection and limit the amount of protection due to restriction of outlets

Power point protection: can be installed in places with sensitive equipment such as the home office and whilst restrictive, provide a good level of protection that can also be reset after a surge event. However, these are not ideal for applications such as fridges/freezers where you require power restoration

Switchboard protection: offers a blanket protection to your home by diverting power surge to earth in the switchboard before it reaches your power circuits. Installed by a licensed electrical contractor, this system offers a high level of protection for the whole house without leaving appliances powerless in the process. Care must be taken after a surge event however to ensure that the low cost,  replaceable module is replaced for ongoing protection.

Additional Protection

To further protect your electrical and electronic equipment we recommend to disconnect all TV antennas to avoid possible damage to TV’s. For further information or to book Buderim Electrical  to assess your situation, please call 0499995125.

 

Author Buderim Electrical 0 Comments Categories Electrical Safety
Categories Electrical Safety

Smoke Alarms

New Laws around Smoke alarms now apply in Queensland

 

Smoke alarms are vital for saving lives and possibly possessions. As we leave behind another long hot Sunshine Coast summer, focus begins to shift towards the cooler months. Electric blankets, heaters and fire places get dusted off and ready for those chilly nights. Getting the electrical items checked by a licensed electrician is a good start to ensure safety and integrity of the appliances and reduce the risk of fire in your home but often the age and condition of our smoke alarms get overlooked.

 

Smoke Alarms

 

What happens if these appliances or systems fail?

 

The second and final line of defence in the case of an electrical appliance or system failure causing fire is smoke detection. Smoke detectors save thousands of lives every year and the government hasmoved to phase in new legislation that is aimed at increasing smoke alarms throughout Queensland homes.

When it comes to residential fires, the statistics don’t hide the facts, with approximately 2500 people killed each year and another 500 people losing their lives to the effects of carbon monoxide. Sadly, many of these deaths could have been avoided with the installation of smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms throughout the property.

What is now required?

 

New and substantially renovated homes are now required to have interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms in all bedrooms, in hallways where bedrooms are connected, and on each and every level of the residence. This applies to homes where building applications were lodged after 1 January 2017. Requirements for other homes will be phased in over 10 years. Interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms will be required from: 1 January 2022 in all homes leased and sold 1 January 2027 in all other homes.

What Can I do to Comply?

 

To comply with the new laws homeowners can install either hardwired 240V smoke alarms or non-removable 10-year battery smoke alarms. However, any existing hardwired 240V smoke alarm must be replaced with a hardwired 240V photoelectric smoke alarm by a licensed electrician. The installation of hardwired 240V smoke alarms must be performed by a licensed electrician. In existing homes, it is possible to have a combination of detectors, which can be 240V or battery operated and interconnectivity which can be both wired and wireless.

Buderim Electrical can take care of all your pre winter testing.

For further information contact Qld Fire and Emergency Services

Author Buderim Electrical 0 Comments Categories Electrical Safety
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