Why Use an NICEIC Registered Electrician?

Here at Fulcher Edwards, we find that the majority of our customers don't understand what Part P registered actually means. However most customers have heard of the NICEIC and feel these 'letters' mean something good and they should look for them when searching for an electrician.

Whilst the true meaning of what the NICEIC does or means never means very much to the general public in 90% of cases, it is actually known for being a mark of quality and a safe, high standard of workmanship will be achieved by the registered electrician. This is huge peace of mind for customers who struggle to find the right electrician and cannot be expected to understand the meaning of the Part P building regulation.

Why are we NICEIC registered electricians at Fulcher Edwards?

So why have we always been and always will be NICEIC Registered electricians? Quite simply, it is for our customers peace of mind, not just for the fact they recognise the NICEIC as a mark of quality but also for our belief in each and every job being carried out to the same high standard and ensuring customer satisfaction at the end.

The reason why Fulcher Edwards was set up back in 1981 was to fill a huge gaping hole in the domestic market. As electricians with several years experience it frustrated us to see the lack of care and attention to electrical work being carried out in peoples homes. It is our goal to provide a comprehensive electrical service that is friendly, efficient and geared towards helping home owners and small businesses in Waterloo, South East London and all areas within the M25.

Why use an NICEIC registered electrician?

Another great reason why we would always advise using an electrician who is registered with the NICEIC is that the electrical inspections are thorough, stringent and really test out electrical knowledge. If you use an NICEIC registered electrician, you will be sure of a safe standard of work from a person who has genuine pride in their work.

Another good reason is the customer protection you will receive as a customer. All electrical work we do carries a 6 year warranty which is all backed by the NICEIC.

Quality workmanship and a friendly manner are all part of the service here at Fulcher Edwards.

A Shocking Tale of Bad Electrics

Last week one of our electricians went to visit a property where the owner had reported buzzing coming from some sockets. When we arrived at the property we found a number of potentially dangerous uses of electricity.

The property had not had any electrical work carried out recently, but was in dire need of attention! We have taken some photos so you can see for yourself what kind of problems we saw. If you have any of this going on in your home, you need to contact your local qualified and registered electrician.

As electricians in South London, we do see each of these scenarios on a regular basis in peoples homes, but in this one flat, there were a lot of dangerous electrics!

The Gallery of crack fizzle and pop!

The 2 wires in one cooker socket!

This is a no no! Here the house holder wired in a double socket which was being fed from the cooker socket. The double socket was being used for a kettle.

Daisy chaining

There was multiple use of daisy chaining throughout the flat – this is where extension leads are plugged into extension leads. In the living room, 2 extension leads were in use and in a bedroom, an extension lead was being fed from a plug adapter which was sat next to a bed!

Loose socket on the wall

In the hallway, there was a loose double socket fitted incorrectly which was used for jobs such as hoovering and charging a motorbike battery via extension cable!

Heater in bathroom

An electric heater was located in the bathroom underneath the wash hand basin. This is of course very dangerous as water could easily get into the heater causing electrical shock or injury.

No smoke alarms

The flat also had inadequate smoke alarm protection. A couple of battery fire alarms had recently been purchased but unfortunately had only been fixed to the ceiling with double sided sticky tape so after a week or so they had fallen from the ceiling and were now being 'stored' in the living room amongst paperwork.

In addition, some of the extension leads being used were of an old variety consisting of metal sockets in a row. This type of extension lead is not recommended and should be upgraded to a new bar extension lead.

What to do if you have something similar

Dangerous electrics can cause electrical shock, injury or worse. They are also a huge fire risk. If you find yourself over reliant on extension leads, it makes sense to ask an electrician to fit some extra sockets where they're most needed. It is important to not daisy chain extension leads as this overloads the socket which is feeding them which could lead to house fire or electrical damage.

Never use electrical sockets that are loose or damaged. You never know when they could cause a nasty electrical injury.

Never have any form of electric heating in a bathroom near to sources of water this is very dangerous and an electrical accident could easily occur.

Most of the bad electric situations above can be easily rectified by the house holder making small changes. It is important to use electricity wisely and never take risk or chances.

Always make sure that the electrician you use is both qualified to do the job and registered before you begin.

Blade Danger Warning issued on Kenwood Mixer

It feels very Autumnal here at Fulcher Edwards this morning. If you feel like any of us do here in the office, you might be starting to think about cooking up some good old 'comfort food' for dinner tonight. Inevitably that means slow cookers, blenders, slicers and the like making an appearance. Before you start switching them on though, it is worth checking that they're still safe to use.

Stay safe when using electrical products

If you haven't used your electrical items in a while – perhaps they've been stored away in a cupboard over the last few months – then it is worth checking that there is no electrical damage before plugging them in. Is is easy to accidentally damage cable by storing items against it for example. Check the cable for damage and to ensure to bare wires are visible as this could cause electrical shock and injury if you were to use the item.

The plug should also be firmly attached with no damage visible. If you can see the inside of the plug or there are cracks on the casing then again, this is an electrical safety danger and you should not use the product unless it is repaired.

Should I repair or replace damaged items?

As electricians in South East London, we often see risks being taken with electrical appliances. This is often because of accidental misuse such as the overloading of extension leads or makeshift repairs on cables using PVC tape. Both of these can cause problems with the item. If other damage is found, never take a risk by using it, if the electrical item is of low value, it will be cheaper to replace it – however if your item is high value, then it will be worth getting it repaired. Electrical items should only be repaired by authorised repair personnel or a qualified and registered electrician.

Electrical items are less likely to go wrong if you have them serviced and keep them clean and free of dust. Using them in accordance with manufacturers instructions ensures the products are being used for their intended purpose.

Owners of Kenwood blenders beware!

If you have a Kenwood Blend-X Pro BLM80 then you need to take action as Kenwood have voluntarily recalled this model due to the risk of the blades breaking when the product is in use. Not only could this cause a nasty laceration injury or even risk of the broken blade being ingested, it could also put the user in electrical danger too.

If you think you are affected, you need to visit a safety notice web-page http://www.blendxproblm800safetynotice.com/ set up by Kenwood to identify if your blender is affected and needs corrective action.

Items under a possible recall should not be used until they have been checked by by the manufacturer.

Other problems with electrical appliances

If you have electrical items that stop working for no reason and you are using them safely, it may be worth having an electrical safety inspection carried out in your home. This is known as an EICR and will identify any problems that are present in your home electrical system. We carried out an EICR for a customer last week when his hoover stopped working. It was found that there was unsafe wiring in the hallway where the hoover had been plugged in. Without an EICR, this problem would have got worse and more costly to repair.

It is never worth chancing with electricity – it rarely pays off! :)