Christmas Safety Tips

With Christmas only around the corner it’s easy to forget the safety aspects, especially when you have young children. However, it’s important to keep this in mind so your Christmas doesn’t bring any nasty surprises over the festive period. We’ll be looking at Christmas safety tips and what you can do to keep your family safe this holiday time.

Real tree vs a fake tree.

A real tree, if you’re having one, will catch fire very quickly, so it pays to ensure that it’s safe. Because it’s not fireproof as fake ones are it’s more prone to burning. 

A real tree needs to be watered.

Always remember to keep your tree watered well over the festive period as they can absorb a lot of water, as much as a litre a day. Also, never spray your tree with anything like hairspray or similar because this can be extremely flammable. You may think you’re doing it simply to keep the pine needles from dropping off, but you would only be creating a fire hazard.

Keeping fir trees away from naked flames, fires and heaters.

Keep your tree away from heaters and open fires, and always check lights before you place them on the tree. Check for dud lights that are no longer working and look carefully at the sockets and the cables to make sure they’re not loose or have exposed wiring.

Switch everything off before you go out.

Before you go out for parties and Christmas dinners remember to switch all hair appliances off and anything else you might use for your hair, body or appliances for clothes. Leaving them on could cause a fire when you’re out.

Switch lights off when you’re out so they don’t overheat.

Make sure you switch your christmas lights off, and that includes any others in the house. They could heat up and start a fire very quickly, and if you’re out, then there’s more chance it’ll take your entire house down. Give them a break, and switch them off if you’re not there to see them, that way, you’ll be able to enjoy them when you are. 

Christmas lights and all the things.

It’s tempting that when you have lots of lights and Christmassy things to switch on, watch and listen to, that you overload the sockets in an effort to accommodate everything, if you do this you could cause a serious fire hazard. Don’t overload any sockets and keep your home safe.

Don’t leave things to charge unattended.

Don’t leave things to charge when you’re not present - especially if you’re going on a visit over the Christmas break. Some adaptors can become a fire risk if they’re overheated, so it’s unwise to leave them on unsupervised.

Cooking should be watched until it’s ready.

It goes without saying that you should never leave cooking unattended and Christmas is no different. It’s easy to be distracted, after all we’ve all got so many distractions to consider what with all the presents and extra visitors. Don’t leave anything to boil dry and anything in a pan with oil should be pulled away from the hob if you’re not going to be around to keep an eye on it. 

Chargers and adaptors.

Always use the right chargers and adaptors too because by using the wrong one you could cause a fire. If you use e-cigarettes, use them outside where possible and charge them via a suitable charger that is right for your particular e-cigarette.

VC Electrical - for the best in electrical services, repairs and installations.

If you have any questions about what we’ve talked about then you can contact us, we’re always here to help. All our electricians are trained, qualified and experienced with the right kind of expertise to answer all your queries and solve all your electrical problems.

Electrical Safety Tips For Parents

With Christmas just around the corner electrical safety tips for parents seem like a good idea. After all, children may be getting gifts during the holiday with an element of electricity involved, or they may want to join in with the Christmas decorating.  As well as Christmas, we have the usual family hazards that can prove fatal with small children around, so we’ll be dropping in a few pointers there too. That way you can stay safe before, during and after the seasonal celebrations and all winter long.

Sockets

If you’re thinking of putting up Christmas lights then you need to consider tiny hands. Socket covers alone won’t stop your kids from getting a shock. Never rely on socket covers as they will not necessarily stop your child from getting a shock, either from the lights or any other installation. What you may be better off with is making sure that you have RCD protection in your fuse box or one you can plug-in.

Hot appliances can be dangerous to small children.

You also need to make sure that cords are always kept out of the way of children as they can be easily tripped over and that they’re not easily reachable if they’re attached to anything that’s switched on and hot. Anything like an iron, a kettle or hair appliances are going to cause a lot of pain and possibly permanent scarring.

Curious hands can make an accident happen very quickly.

A good idea to make sure appliance cords are not plugged in in general and you’ll get into the habit of not having them plugged in when kids are around. Children always love to play with anything that looks interesting and will pull something down to their height if they can’t see it, they won’t stop to think it might be something dangerous.

It’s a good idea not to leave white goods like tumble dryers, dishwashers and washing machines on when you’re out. If you’ve not got an RCD in your fuse box, then you can use a plug-in like we’ve mentioned before. It goes without saying that all appliances should be switched off when not in use.

Water and electricity are a fatal pairing.

When children wash their hands, or after taking a bath or a shower they should always be dried off thoroughly before being allowed to go off and potentially play with things where there’s electricity involved. Water and electricity, as we know, are a foul pair and together they can cause a serious accident. Finally, keep drinks away from anything electrical in case they spill, this can include but is not limited to TVs, speakers, computers and game consoles.

VC Electrical - for the best in professional electrical work.

If you have any questions about what we’ve talked about today please feel free to contact us here and one of our expert electricians will be more than happy to go through things with you. If you need any electrical work done don’t forget we’re all qualified, trained and registered with a government approved scheme and we’re here to help.

Your Guide to Electrical Safety in Winter

Winter is going to be all about keeping warm as the temperatures drop. In the meantime, we need to think carefully about how we can stay electrically safe and avoid accidents and life-threatening injuries. It can easily slip our minds as we maintain a warm environment, decorate with lights throughout the autumn and winter celebrations such as Halloween and Christmas, and warm up those electric blankets in the worst of January’s freeze.

Electric Blankets

Always make sure that if you have an older electric blanket, that it’s still safe to use. Check for loose sockets and frayed wiring before you put it to use. If you’re about to invest in a new one, then make sure it complies with all British Standards and has the kitemark to prove this.

Thinking of using a portable heater?

Well if you make sure it’s safe to use and again check for loose or frayed wiring and loose sockets. They can cause a high percentage of house fires each year and can cause accidents including fatalities so it’s important to be careful before you use an old in your cupboard and to be choosy about the next one you purchase. 

Christmas fairy lights will be going up this December.

Have you checked yours are fit to use this year? Have any of the lights become loose? Is the socket safe or is there frayed wiring? Don’t use them if you are in any doubt as to their safety, it’s not worth taking the risk. Bin them and buy some new ones, and make sure what you buy is of good quality from a reputable manufacturer.

Storage - checking those electrical heaters and lights.

Go through your storage and find anything that you might think of using this winter to either light your home or brighten it for decoration. If there’s anything you’re going to use to heat up your beds or rooms, then check them too. Look at them all thoroughly and make sure they’re fit for purpose - it could be the difference between life and death. 

VC Electrical - keep your family safe this winter.

If you have any queries following what we’ve discussed in our post, get in touch and one of our dedicated team members will be more than happy to talk to you and answer any questions. If you have any electrical problems that require solving, repairs that need attention, get in touch and one of our qualified and registered electricians will be more than happy to provide a dedicated service to help solve your electrical issues.

Home Renovation Electrical Safety Guide

We’re going to be talking about home renovation and electrical safety. If you’re thinking of renovating certain parts of your home then you’re going to want to make sure you get it right. After all, you’re dealing with something that requires respect and careful thought, electricity can be very dangerous. We recommend that you call in a professional, highly qualified and skilled team of electricians, and we’re going to go through some of the things you need to consider before undertaking anything yourself, and preferably, call in a professional if you’re unsure.

Where are your wires?

If you’re going to take on the massive task of rewiring your entire electrical system make sure you know where to find those pesky wires. Most of them will be concealed behind walls and plaster. Again, we can’t stress enough the importance of working with a reliable, qualified and experienced electrician to update your wiring because it’s a big job - even for us and we do this kind of work all the time.

If your home is quite dated, and by that we mean possibly going back to the 60s and 70s, then it’s more than likely it’ll need rewiring. You may be considering the option of adding more rooms to your home and adding extra appliances. You could have some additional outlets installed so you’re not using too many extension cords as this can be dangerous and put too much stress on your electrical installation. 

You’ll need to make sure that any new electrical items you buy as part of your makeover is registered, so look out for the British kitemark. They need to be safe to use before you start, so if you have invested in some second hand items do make sure they’re registered and come with a logo that proves this.

Do you know where your new appliances are going to go?

You don’t want to place them somewhere where you’ll fall, trip over them or the cord attached or where they may simply not work as well as they should due to where you’ve placed them. Certain power outlets may have limits as to what power they give. Also, don’t put your appliances anywhere where they will overload the sockets.

RCD

RCDs are important because they will cut the power from your electrical installation should there be a power surge or a fuse blows. These types of incidents can often cause an accident and in some cases death. An RCD in your fuse box will prevent anything like this by cutting the power when an accident happens.

Take a Thorough Approach

If you’re considering carrying out some electrical work on your home because you’re going to be renovating, please make sure you don’t undertake anything until you’ve done thorough research before starting. In some cases you may not be able to do it yourself anyway. This is because anything complex that involves electricals must be signed by a registered engineer. If you fail to do this then you could invalidate any insurance you have on your home. This could seriously impede any future attempts to sell your property, and this is especially important if your renovations have been with the sole intention of selling. Of course, unsafe electrical installation is a dangerous one, and the danger this poses to you and your family isn’t worth the risk if you are not experienced with electrics.

VC Electrical - Expert Electricians

If you don’t think you have the relevant experience and knowledge to undertake electrical work as part of a home renovation, why not leave it to the professional electricians? Why not call us and we can talk through your ideas and we’ll do all we can to help.

Enhance Your Home With Exterior Lighting

We’re looking at exterior lighting and how it can enhance your home. We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. You’ll also find that exterior lighting can provide functionality too, in that it can provide added security for your home and illumination for those with mobility problems, or the elderly who need to be able to see steps and footpaths in the dark.

Secure your home with quality lighting

Your home is your castle and you naturally want to feel safe in it. If you make sure the garden outside is safe and comfortable, you’ll sleep better knowing that no one can break in as easily as they’d like. You can have lights that are triggered by movement and illuminate the entire garden. You can also have lights specifically in areas where it’s difficult to see where you’re going. You could also try having lights on over doors, both at the front and at the back, so you can see perfectly any person that approaches your door (even better with a spy hole as well).

Entertainment

How about lights in the garden to entertain and provide a much-needed ambiance on a balmy summer evening. You can start with something simple like tealights held in a beautiful light holder, a lantern, or mason jar. Dotted around the garden they can provide an ethereal presence that really enhances your party as it slowly pushes people naturally and happily into your garden. Also consider from a versatile range of designs to secure your home from porch and outdoor lightings, security, and floodlights, which can improve security and provide some illumination to your home entertainment. 

You can then graduate to something more sophisticated, perhaps some LED lights strategically placed near the eating area where you prep food, or even situated cleverly around your decking or the floor of your patio. And how about some wall lighting? If you have a wall that’s just basically, well sitting there behind a wall, why not jazz it up with climbing plants and some gorgeous lights? There’s no better way of lighting up your garden than with some beautifully chosen installations. 

There’s a whole range of lights that can be combined to create a really gorgeous and sophisticated installation. Think garden lanterns, cheekily hidden garden spotlights, and solar-powered lights which are great if you don’t want to consider wiring. 

VC Electrical - Exterior Lighting Experts

If you’re thinking of installing outdoor lighting in your garden and you want some advice and guidance, why not get in touch with us here at VC Electrical? We have a professional team of electricians who have years of experience, knowledge, and expertise. Call us today and slowly begin to turn your garden into a fairytale experience and provide illumination exactly where it’s needed.

Avoiding DIY Electrical Disasters

For whatever reason, and there are plenty of reasons right now, you may be doing all the DIY yourself. If you’re lucky it’ll be a complete success with a money-saving end-result you’ll be pleased with. The worst-case scenario is an accident, and if you’re working with electricity, this could cause so much worse than a broken leg, even death. So, with this in mind how can you avoid DIY electrical disasters? You could hire a qualified and experienced electrician who’s registered with a government scheme, but for now, let’s look at what you can do to avoid any disasters in your home.

Using an Electric Drill

If you’re drilling a hole into the wall make sure you do some checks first. You want to be sure you’re not about to drill through a wire which could give you a very nasty shock with damage that could set you back quite a bit in financial terms. 

A simple check of the wall will entail looking to make sure there are no sockets horizontally or vertically aligned with the point on the wall where you’re going to place the hole for the nail. Never try to remove anything from the wall if you have damaged some wiring and if the fuse itself has blown. Please don’t try to repair the wiring either, as before, get in touch with a registered electrician.

Plugs

If you need a plug and you want to attach it to the cable yourself, always make sure you get your plug from a reliable retailer. Also, make sure it meets British Safety Regulations and look out for the kitemark BS 1363. Always follow the instructions and always make sure you replace a plug with an identical one with the same power range so it doesn’t cause an electrical power surge.

Bulbs

Replacing bulbs is something we all try to do ourselves and most of the time we do it successfully. As with the plugs, always buy from a trustworthy source, check the voltage and watt ratings and always make sure you switch the light off at the socket before putting the bulb in. The wrong wattage or voltage could cause a nasty accident so always be careful, it can even cause light fittings or the bulbs themselves to explode sending glass flying and causing an electric shock.

VC Electrical - Expert Professionals

If you don’t want to tackle any electrical DIY yourself for whatever reason, why not leave it to the professional electricians, such as ourselves here at VC Electrical. We’re here to help and we have the knowledge, training, and expertise for all jobs no matter how complex, and we’re all registered with a government scheme. Why not contact us if you have any problems and we can take it from there?

Electrician's Tips For Landlords - Keeping Your Tenants Safe

How can you keep your tenants safe all year long as a responsible landlord? We’re going to be looking at how you can safeguard your tenants safety and comply with the law. If you have any questions about what we talk about in this post you can always give us a call. We’re a friendly team and always here to help. 

The Importance of Ensuring Tenant Safety

The safety and security of your tenants is essential, not just to keep them out of harms way, but also to protect yourself from prosecution. It isn’t simply a case of handing over the keys to your tenants and forgetting about them. It includes a responsibility to their safety and wellbeing throughout their tenancy, making sure that the home you’ve supplied to them isn’t full of hidden dangers. At the beginning of the tenancy why not give your tenant not just the contract, but a list of things you’ve carried out to ensure their electrical safety. If you’ve replaced the fuseboards, carried out EICR & PAT testing and installed alarms including smoke and carbon monoxide. Check out the latest legal and industry regulations in Scotland if you’re unsure of what you’re responsible for. 

EICR & PAT Testing

EICR is an Electrical Installation Condition Report which should be carried out by a qualified and trained electrical engineer and carried out prior to move in. This is a thorough report on all electrical installations to ensure that everything is in working order, that’s lights, wiring, switches and fuse boxes. Anything they report faulty you must either repair or replace.

PAT Testing is the testing of all electrical appliances you supply your tenant with. That could be a cooker, a fridge, a washing machine, anything that you have available to use for your tenants. Again, a qualified electrical engineer should carry out all PAT Testing and anything that’s reported faulty you will have to repair or replace.

Fuse Board Replacements

These are essential to make your electrical installations work smoothly and without issue. If you find they’re giving you problems, it could be time to have them replaced. Any fuse board should have an RCD and this is simply a way of cutting electrical power when there’s a power surge so you don’t get an electric shock. Most modern homes have a fuse board with an RCD, older homes may not. 

Smoke Alarms

These are important in detecting smoke and giving residents enough time to leave the building if a fire has started. It can also give tenants a chance to stop something before it becomes more serious. Smoke alarms save lives, the statistics say so and in order to protect your tenants you’ll need make sure you have them installed. Your electrician will be able to tell you how many you will need in each property. 

Carbon Monoxide Alarms

These are also important if you have gas installed on the property. Carbon monoxide poisoning can result in death, it’s deadly and because there’s no smell, you could easily be poisoned before you were aware of what’s happening. Make sure you have these alarms installed in your rented property.

VC Electrical - Experienced Electricians in Edinburgh

If you’re looking for an experienced electrician in Edinburgh look no further than VC Electrical. Don’t place your tenants in danger and your own livelihood at risk, contact us now to book some electrical checks on your properties.

Find out how interior lighting can enhance your home or business

It’s often the case that people don’t quite appreciate the power of good interior lighting. It’s often seen as a last resort, something that’s not as important as all the other elements of a room. However, lighting can make such a difference to improving mood, space and softening hard areas.

Artificial light, space and harsh wall coverings.

If you don’t have enough natural light, artificial light can often help compensate by providing the illusion of more, and it can even make a room look more spacious. If you’re in an office and you want to soften some harsh wall colouring, track lighting can work beautifully, and wall-mounted lights can work well in a shop or in a living room in a domestic property.

Give your team a reason to be more productive at work.

Keep in mind that the better the lighting the better the mood and the more productive your staff are. Better quality lighting can make all the difference - especially if you change the lighting from harsh to soft. Nobody’s a fan of harsh lighting and for some, it can cause headaches and nausea, so if you invest in something soft and easy on the eye, you might find that your staff start to perform better.

A good mood and some perfect lighting.

When you’re at home, the lighting can have an impact on mood. Good lighting can help with that and help save energy too. You can be in control of the lighting at home in a way you couldn’t before because there is so much clever technology out there. Interior lighting doesn’t have to be about switching a lamp on and off or reaching for the light switch and turning on a 40-watt bulb. Lighting can be moody, fun, practical or sexy, and you can have it in any way you want in different parts of your home.

LED lights can last for many years.

With energy-saving lightbulbs, you can save energy thus helping your wallet and help the environment. This way you get a better mood, a more ambient environment and a healthier bank account. Yes, if you invest in technologically clever lighting there is an initial investment, but in the long run, it’s worth it. LED lights especially can last anything up to 30 years, that’ll definitely be something you benefit from in the long-term.

VC Electrical - Expert interior lighting installation

If you’re interested in setting up an interior lighting installation in your home or office, why not give us a call. We can help discuss your options and our knowledgeable and experienced team can help advise you on what’s best for you. We’re always here and ready to help, so get in touch today!

What does PAT testing involve?

PAT testing is a crucial part of your maintenance programme if you either run a business or a suite of properties as a landlord. PAT testing is not only helpful to your tenants and employees in knowing that the appliances they use are safe, but it also gives you peace of mind knowing that nobody in your employ, or living in one of your properties is liable to be harmed in an electrical accident. 

Health and Safety issues are very much at the fore of your business strategy when you’re in charge of people – in whichever capacity that might be. It’s your responsibility to make sure you use a risk-based approach to make sure all your employees or tenants are safe.

What types of electrical appliances need looking at?

They could be anything from laptops to desktops, printers, scanners and kettles, microwaves and hobs in a workplace office and kitchen. In a rented property this might be things like a cooker, fridge, freezer, washing machine – anything that belongs to the landlord and has been provided for the tenant’s use. 

What happens when you have PAT testing done?

An electrician will visit your premises or property, and then test each appliance and see if there are any faults. The equipment they use will be able to detect the slightest anomaly and whatever they find will be placed in a report. You will be expected to act on this and carry out any repairs needed, or in some cases replace with new appliances. They will check and test the wiring too if anything is amiss, e.g. frayed wires, loose casings and cracked and damaged plugs.

It’s important to always use qualified and trained electricians who are registered to carry out such work and carry it out in accordance with the latest guidelines. Routine safety checks of all electrical appliances can only be carried out by those qualified to do so. Their report will be worthless to you if they aren’t, it could also mean that your insurance goes up.

We cannot emphasise enough how important PAT testing is.

It’s all about those routine safety checks that can save lives. It’s the minimum that you can do to keep people safe from harm, especially those who come into contact regularly with portable electrical appliances. This is especially true if you have employees who use the same ones regularly as part of their daily work.

It’s sensible to have regular PAT testing carried out annually because it ensures the safety of your staff and tenants. It applies to all organisations whether it’s a small modest office or a large-scale business with several people and rooms. If there an accident, then you could be liable legally and face a fine or worse. It’s important then to do the right thing and make sure all your electrical appliances are up to standard.

VC Electrical - a competent and certified team of electricians to carry out your Portable Appliance Testing.

Here at VC Electrical we can see any issues with your appliances or signs of wear and tear, and report on them accordingly so you can make all relevant repairs or replacements. We can talk to you about what steps you should be taking once we’ve carried out our tests too. We’re here to help so get in touch today.