Archives for October 2018

Dont Let Your Electricity Give You a Fright This Halloween

Halloween is the season to be scary and each year it is turning into a bigger event in this country, so why not get into the spirit of things by adding some spooky lighting to your own haunted house!

There is some great spooky figurines and lighting ideas to be found on the Internet in preparation for Halloween that we have shared with you below, but it is still important to consider electrical safety when purchasing and decorating your home for Halloween to keep your trick or treater safe.

Ghostly Pathways

Add some dark & spooky scenes to your pathway by using floodlights as they cover a large area with colored light. The right color sets the mood for your display, so plan the look you want and choose accordingly. Blue floodlights add to the ghostly feel of a graveyard scene, while red lights enhance a naughty devil theme. Purple lights and red lights can also help set the mood for a vampire setting. Green lights bring a spooky-faced witch to life. Floodlights get very hot, so make sure they are set up safely away from children, pets and combustible material like dry leaves with no cables causing a trip hazard. It is important that any light you use outside are approved for outdoor use so always check before buying.

Webbed Doorways & Stairs

As recommend on lights4fun why not add novelty cobwebs to your Halloween displays, however keep them safe and choose only LED, low voltage or battery powered fairy lights.

Spooky Pumpkins

Don’t use candles in your pumpkin this year and put yourself at risk of a fire hazard, use battery operated tea lights instead. The beauty of battery operated LED candles is that you have the safety of a no naked flame, no fire risk, but a realistic animated effect. LED Tea Lights will never get hot and are perfect around home decorations, fabrics and furniture. Perfect around children and no re-lighting flames when the pumpkin is on the door step!We loved these at lights4fun.

No Haunting Overloads

If you need to use an extension lead when decorating your haunted house remember not to overload the circuit by plugging to many lights into it. This can cause the wiring to overheat which can be a potential fire hazard, instead spread the lighting load over different circuits or lessen the lighting load.

Frightful Extension Leads

Replace any cords that are frayed or show signs of wear, and avoid a trip hazard by keeping them out of the way of where people will be walking. Rain and ground moisture can affect their operation and could cause a dangerous situation as electricity and water do not mix, so keep them inside.

Always roll your extension lead completely out and never leave it partly on the coil otherwise it could suffer heat damage.

Prevent a Freakish Fire

Always turn off your lighting displays when your haunted evening is finished as a short circuit could easily cause a fire. Always make sure that any portable electrical equipment that is used in the garden are protected with an RCD.

If your electricity ends up playing tricks on you this Halloween, please do not hesitate to contact us!

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Burns Baby Burns!

Many household electrical appliances have the potential to cause serious burns and with the nights (and occasional days) suddenly having turned chillier, householders are now reaching for additional sources of heat.

Electrical items such as fan heaters, electric blankets, not to mention the usual suspects like irons, kettles and hair straighteners all have the potential to cause serious burns. It is bad enough receiving a burn as an adult but children suffer the worst from burns due to their skin being a lot thinner than that of an adult. In fact, hair straighteners misuse accounts for one tenth of overall child related burns in the UK.

The dangers that are present

Heated electrical appliances present a particular risk to children as they can often be mistaken as toys. The bright colours of hair straighteners, the moving components of electric heaters, pull cords and long cables all present a problem. A Childs fingers can become stuck in the grills of electric heaters causing severe burns and all this can happen even if you are watching your children. All parents will know where we’re coming from on this!

Burn hazards spotted this week by Fulcher Edwards

Over the past week we have spotted several ‘burning problems’ in households where we’ve been carrying out electrical work.

-Open fires left without any form of fire guard with a young child running about.
-An iron left to cool down unattended in a kitchen. A child could have easily grabbed the cord or switched it back on.
-Hair straighteners left switched on accidentally whilst the householder was out at work.

Top Tips for staying burn free this Winter

As electricians in Hertfordshire, we have unfortunately seen many instances over the years where electrical accidents and burns could have been easily avoided. It takes seconds for a nasty electrical burn to occur and years sometimes to try and sort it out afterwards.

One of the easiest ways to keep electrical appliances safer is to switch off and unplug when not in use. It is all too easy to leave appliances switched on after using them, but remember most burns occur from unattended appliances.

Hair straighteners make up a large proportion of household burns so why not consider a using a heat pouch? Not only will this protect against burns but will also stop damage occurring to surfaces from the heat and also fire. It is always awkward to know where to place hot straighteners after use, a heat pouch is a safe and easy option. We know for sure that two leading hair straightener manufacturers provide heat proof pouches as standard with their products. .

When you might need an electrician

The last thing you need is your electrical appliance malfunctioning when it’s in use, so keep a close check on what’s going on with your electrics. Signs that you need to call an electrician are singe marks on sockets, warm sockets after use, discolouration or hairline cracks on sockets, buzzing noises or odours coming from the socket or sparks when you switch it on or off. These are the main problems, there are more, so if you have any doubt about the safety of your electrics do not leave it to chance and call a qualified and registered electrician as soon as possible.

As electricians in Hertfordshire, we carry out electrical work across many homes including privately owned and rented properties and businesses such as letting agents.

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How to Avoid an Electrical Fire

Electrical fires are one of the main causes of fire starting in the home and very often the fire is caused by something that could have been prevented if fixed by the home owners.

It’s not just home holders that need to avoid electrical fires, it is business owners too. The same electrical recommendations apply whether in the home or work place.

There are two main components to electricity – that is the wiring itself in the property and electrical appliances. If either (or both) of these are defective, then the risk of fire is of course far greater.

To keep yourself, family and colleagues safe you need to look out for a few simple indicators, as well as follow a few common sense procedures to avoid an electrical fire.

Wiring

If you notice any of the following problems, then consult a qualified electrician at the earliest opportunity:

Hot plugs and sockets
Lights that flicker
Scorch marks on sockets, fuse boxes and switches
Fuses that blow for no obvious reason

Here at Fulcher Edwards we have vast experience in dealing with fire safety and not only do we offer a wide range of electrical services in Hertfordshire and London, we can also advise on fire safety both in the home and business. We can also provide a workplace fire training course.

Electrical Appliances

Some of these recommendation may seem obvious but it is not uncommon for us to visit properties and business premises and find electric heaters in bathrooms, towels covering electric heaters, and multiple adapters in plug sockets. Quite often, the householder is aware of the risk they are taking and because they haven’t yet experienced a fire assume that all is safe. It can take some time for a fire to occur, it doesn’t have to happen straight away!

Turn off and unplug all electrical appliances when you are not using them except those that are meant to be permanently switched on (like the fridge or DVD recorder).
Make sure plugs have the correct fuse for the appliance being used. If in doubt, refer to the manufacturers instructions
Use only one plug in each socket.
If you have to use an adapter, use a fused ‘in line’ type.
Avoid multi-way adapters and overloading electric sockets by using several adapters as they may overheat.
Don’t run leads or cables under carpets or rugs – you won’t be able to see if they become damaged.
Check for signs of loose wiring and faulty plugs or sockets (such as scorch marks or flickering lights) and have any problems you find fixed by an electrician.
Replace worn, damaged or taped up leads and cables.
Always use a proper ironing board and turn off the iron after use. Make sure the iron is left to cool on a heat resistant surface away from curtains, carpets and anything else that may catch fire.
Always switch off hair straighteners/curling tongs after use and leave to cool on a heat resistant surface away from curtains, carpets and anything else that can catch fire.

Checking regularly for faults with wiring and electrical appliances can help avoid an electrical fire. Electrical fires have caused devastation to homes and businesses across the UK as well as claimed lives. A few minutes of being vigilant on a daily basis could save your life.

Electrical Safety First also have a great system on their website in which you can check if any of your home appliances or electrical equipment have been recalled. A product will be recalled by the manufacturer if it is deemed not to be safe, and therefore increase the chance electrical fires. It is also a good idea to register your new appliances as that will enable the manufacturer to easily get in touch with you if your product is being recalled. You can register your appliances here!

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Workplace lighting got you feeling blue?

If you are a business owner, you will already be aware of the importance of the correct lighting requirements in the workplace.

Incorrect lighting has been the cause of many serious accidents in the workplace – in a production environment, it can cause obscurity of vision – an example of this would be a machine could appear stopped when in fact it is still moving.

Poor lighting in an office environment can lead to eye strain, fatigue and uncooperative staff. Staff working in front of screens all day need the correct lighting to ensure they do not endure health problems.

When considering lighting, it is important to think about the type of work that is going to be carried out – will it be close, accurate work or will it be for more general purposes such as corridor lighting? To ensure the right type of lighting will be installed in your business, consideration must be given to colour, glare, and contrast amongst many other factors.

This is why it is important to use a qualified electrician to design and install your lighting requirements in your business. Fulcher Edwards are lighting designers and installers in Hertfordshire and have been taking care of the lighting in many businesses over the last 37 years.

Deciding on the correct lighting in the workplace can seem like a technical and difficult task – this is why it is better to leave it to an electrician who understands the workplace lighting regulations and who can work with you to develop a great cost effective lighting solution for your business premises.

Recent studies carried out by the Health and Safety Executive have shown that employees like to control their own lighting and this increases job satisfaction and decrease stress in the workplace. For more information about lighting in the workplace including the problems associated with having inadequate lighting take a look here!

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