electrician causes of electrical fires

Why you Should Upgrade your Electrical Components this Year

The chances are that you don’t think about your electric outlets, or your plug sockets, very often.

But outdated electrical components can cause serious problems for your home’s wiring and could even cause danger to you and your family.

Read on to find out why it’s important to upgrade your electric outlets when they get old.

Outlets and wires degrade

Outlets and wiring can start to degrade in as little as 5 years. As wiring gets older, it can settle and wires can touch, which could cause sparking, arcing and even fires.

That’s why it’s important to get an electrician to check your wiring every few years.

Older outlets can get overloaded

We all know how much technology has moved on in a short amount of time. If your electrical components are older, they may not be able to cope with the amount you demand from them.

If your outlets can’t keep up with your appliances, then they can give too much or too little electricity to them. This can cause lights to flicker and can even damage your equipment.

Your fuse box, or consumer unit, is one of the most important components that you should update. This is because it controls and distributes electricity to your whole electrical system. If your fuse box malfunctions because it’s overloaded, it could cause a lot of damage to your appliances.
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Older components don’t meet safety regulations

The UK’s most recent wiring regulations came out in 2008. It says that all electrical installations should have RCDs. RCDs, or Residual Current Devices, cut off power to an outlet if it becomes dangerous. So if the outlet is exposed to water or is overloaded, it will stop the connection and keep you safe from possible fires. Electrical installations that don’t have RCDs are dangerous and don’t comply with current wiring regulations.

Upgrading electrical components doesn’t take much time. A qualified electrician can replace plug sockets, light switches and fuse boxes, and even take a look at the rest of your electrics to check everything is in order. If you need to upgrade your electric outlets, fill in our online form. We’ll connect you with up to 4 qualified electricians in your local area.

Emily Rivers

Emily Rivers is the Customer Experience Manager at Quotatis. She informs customers of the latest developments in a range of products so they can make the best choice for their homes and ensures they get the best out of our service.