Commonly asked electrical questions answered.
1. Is There A Difference Between A Fuse And A Circuit Breaker?
The main difference between fuse and circuit breakers is that fuses cannot be reused while circuit breakers can be reused over and over again. Circuit breakers are used to protect homes and devices against overloading and short-circuiting while fuses protect devices and homes against overloading only.
2. What Is A “Short” Or A “Short Circuit?”
A short circuit occurs when the current finds a way to bypass the appliance on a path that has little or no resistance—for example, where frayed insulation bares a wire and allows it to touch the frame of the appliance, so the current can flow straight to the ground.
3. What Is A GFCI Outlet?
A residual-current device (RCD), residual-current circuit breaker (RCCB) or ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) is an electrical safety device that quickly breaks an electrical circuit with leakage current to ground. It is to protect equipment and to reduce the risk of serious harm from an ongoing electric shock.
4. Why Do My Light Bulbs Blow Out Frequently?
In many instances, light bulbs constantly blowing out can be traced back to loose connections or high voltage problems. In some cases, you may have issues with your electrical grounding.
5. Should I Be Worried About Outlets That Don’t Work?
Even if the outlet has never worked, it is a good idea to schedule a visit with one of our electricians. The best-case scenario is that the outlet was never connected to power. However, some situations can pose a fire or electrical shock risk, such as when the outlet has sustained damage or has a bad connection
7. What Is Tripping My Circuit Breaker?
The most common reason for a tripped circuit breaker is circuit overload. Typically this means that too many things are being operated or plugged into one electrical socket at the same time resulting in the consumer unit “tripping” or switching off.
8. What Is The Difference Between Conventional Circuit Breakers And AFCI?
An AFCI is a product that is designed to detect a wide range of arcing electrical faults to help reduce the electrical system from being an ignition source of a fire. Conventional overcurrent protective devices do not detect low level hazardous arcing currents that have the potential to initiate electrical fires.
9. Why Is My Light Switch Hot?
Light switches can only handle so much power before they become overloaded. When a light switch becomes overloaded with power, it can overheat and be hot to the touch. While most light switches can handle no more than 15 amps of power, many electrical circuits use closer to 20 amps of power
10. Can I ‘DIY’ Electrical Projects?
Is it illegal to do electrical work in your home UK?
All new electrical work must comply with Part P of the Building Regulations which restricts DIY electrical work on grounds of safety. However, you are still allowed to carry out some work yourself without notifying Building Control.
11. What is a spur in electrics?
A spur circuit is an electrical circuit that runs between a fused spur and the main electrical supply to a building. It operates independently, as a separate branch of the ‘ring circuit’ which runs between all the devices on-site using conventional plug sockets.
12. How is the electricity delivered to a house?
Electricity is supplied to our homes by underground cable or overhead power line at 230 volts. The electricity supply cable enters your home through a meter which records how much electricity you are using and a consumer unit (or fusebox) where your main switch and residual current devices (RCDs) are located.
13. How big is the electrical cable bringing electricity into a regular house?
Normally 6 mm² are used for the uprights, 2.5 mm² for the circuits that power the sockets or fixed appliances such as the air conditioner and 1.5 mm² for the light circuits. Continuing with general information, the larger the section of an electric cable, the greater the current that will pass
