How a smoke alarm could save your life this Christmas

Christmas seems to come earlier every year! Here at Fulcher Edwards, we are working in homes and businesses across London who already have their Christmas decorations up. Such festivities can quickly brighten up dreary old November, but can also be a huge fire risk.

Have you seen this video? This is how quickly a fire can engulf a room. In just 60 seconds, a living room is engulfed in flames and thick black smoke. http://youtu.be/hMtjGfr0tYs

The fire is caused by not turning off Christmas lighting, a simple thing to do you may think, but it is surprising how many people simply leave them on overnight or when out and about. Like any other electrical item, Christmas tree lights can develop faults. Lights that have not been stored correctly could have damage to the delicate wires and older lights that are not LED have an even greater risk of over heating and catching fire.

Christmas decorations just add to the mix

Once a fire starts Christmas trees particularly real trees can form the perfect fuel for a growing fire. Paper chains and other flammable decorations will add to the mix. Of course no household or business can guarantee to be 100% fire free once their decorations are in place. The speed in which fire can develop is truly frightening – a fire like in the video could occur whilst you are in another room in your home! This is why it is essential to have at least one smoke alarm in your property.

How can a fire alarm help?

A fire alarm detects fumes that contribute to the start of an actual fire. Burning, smouldering and overheating take place some time before the fire itself starts. In the case of the video, a fire alarm may pick up fumes given off by the tree lights prior to the fire starting. The activation of the fire alarm would ensure that the occupants of the house are able to get out safely before the fire becomes unmanageable.

Remember that smoke alarms also need testing. Test it Tuesday is a very popular campaign aimed at getting people to test their smoke alarms every Tuesday. Today is the last Tuesday before Advent begins, and the weekend will see many more households join in with the Christmas hype and decorate their homes with all manner of decorations!

Before you begin, ensure that your smoke alarm is working.

The Fulcher Edwards Christmas check list

As electricians in South East London, we see many cases of risks being taken when it comes to Christmas decorations. Overloaded extension leads, decorations that are a fire and an electrical hazard and dangerously positioned trees and other decorations. Reduce the risk of house fire and ensure your electrical safety by:

• Checking Christmas lighting, both indoor and outdoor for damage before assembling. Check cables are free of damage, plugs are intact and crucially check for blown bulbs before hanging them.

• Are your bulbs LED? LED lights are far safer and are less likely to over heat. If a bulb does blow, the lighting will need to be replaced as bulbs are not replaceable. LED lights are now sold as standard in shops.

• Ensure that lights used outside are suitable for outside use.

• Minimise the use of extension leads. Never be tempted to plug an extension lead into another extension lead.

• Consider the use of timers. These will ensure that your lights go off at a set time. It is easy to forget to switch lights off especially if they are outside or in a window.

• Never place trees or decorations near to sources of heat such as fires or electric heaters. The heat from them can ignite flammable objects nearby.

• Never carry out repairs using insulation tape or try to connect one set of lights to another set by connecting the wires.

• If you have any doubt about the safety of your lights at any point, turn them off immediately and do not use them.

• Purchase flame resistant decorations and trees. Old decorations and some real trees are not flame resistant and will just make a fire worse if one occurs.

Finally, remember to keep checking your smoke alarm weekly throughout Christmas (and beyond!) Christmas time sees a huge increase in house fires with the added decorations, people being off guard and the increased risk of cooking related fire.

If you have any concern about the safety of your home electrics, it is not too late to have a pre Christmas electrical safety check carried out. Contact us today to find out more.

Is an electrical item under product recall affecting your home electrics?

What type of action do you take if you become aware of an electrical appliance in your home that may be dangerous? According to research carried out by the electrical safety charity Electrical Safety First, only 10-20% of electrical goods that are placed under recall are ever actually returned.

What is a product recall?

A product recall is an item that has been found by the manufacturer to be dangerous. They need to try and get the product back from you and will normally exchange it for a safe version or refund your money.

It is important that you act on a product recall notice if you become aware of it. Electrical items under product recall have the potential to cause electrical injury or even death if you continue to use them, even if you are using them perfectly safely.

Despite this, 2 million adults in the research admitted to ignoring a product recall notice. This is quite alarming given the risks of using dangerous electrical products which include fire and electric shock. Here at Fulcher Edwards, we have had several of our clients in the past tell us about their recalled electrical product that is “still going strong”.

How often are electrical products recalled?

Another myth about product recalls is that they are rare. This is not quite right. Since 2011, 288 electrical products have been put on product recall. These products include seven types of fridges, four types of washing machine and seven types of hair dryers.

Electrical products of all sizes can be re called, and each product carries the same electrical risks regardless of it's size.

So why are people not responding to product re call notices? Electrical Safety First believe that this is down to the lack of awareness of the extent of the danger electrical products can cause. Respondents to the research carried out by the ESC suggested that product recall notices were regarded as nothing more than annoying faults.

Can products under electrical recall cause damage to electrics?

Yes they can. As electricians in London, we have on several occasions carried out repair work on home electrical installations that have been damaged as a result of an electrical item on product recall. Electrical items under product recall could be at high risk of catching fire – this may be the reason for the recall in the first place. If a fire was to occur then damage caused to the socket and internal wiring can be extensive and costly to repair. In worse cases a serious house fire could occur.

Here at Fulcher Edwards, we highly recommend that you act on a product recall notice should you receive one and never leave your electrical safety to chance. If you are concerned that an electrical item subject to product recall could have caused damage to your electrics, we recommend that you contact a qualified and registered electrician as soon as you can.

Damage can become more costly to repair the longer it is left, so ask an electrician to investigate sooner rather than later.

Carbon Monoxide alarms save lives – and the life you save could be your own

The importance of carbon monoxide alarms should never be under estimated, yet they are often overlooked or worse still mistaken in identity.

As installers of fire alarms systems in London we advise landlords, business owners and home owners of the importance of not just a working fire alarm, but also a working carbon monoxide (CO) alarm. In many cases, customers believe that their fire alarm also acts as a carbon monoxide alarm and don't realise that they actually need a separate CO alarm to be protected.

Fact: A fire alarm is NOT a CO alarm.

Other facts about CO alarms

At this time of year, problems with CO once again return. Dangerous levels of CO in the home are the result of the CO not being able to exit your home in a safe way. CO leaks through cracks and poor joins in chimneys, flues and other outlets in your home. The CO levels build up in confined areas and can cause death to householders if the levels are high enough. CO problems are rarely the result of faulty appliances.

• Having boilers and other fuel appliances serviced does not protect you from CO poisoning. You still need a CO alarm.

Carbon Monoxide is often referred to as the silent killer. You may have heard of the dangers via television advertisements. CO is odourless and colourless and you would not be aware that you were breathing it in. As electricians in London, we have heard on many occasions that CO is smelt on appliances and in the air. If you can smell fuel like gas, oil or any other unwanted odour from a fuel burning appliance then this is a different matter. It is not CO that you are smelling, however you still need to have the appliance looked at to rule out other problems with it.

• You cannot smell, see or taste CO. If you can smell fuel like gas or oil, this is a different problem.

Installing a CO alarm is often seen as a hassle for householders who just feel like CO alarms get in the way and they don't know which ones to get. Firstly, CO alarms come in a range of options. Here at Fulcher Edwards, we often install dual fire alarms and CO alarms. These 'all in one' mains powered devices save on ceiling clutter and ensures reliable operation of both your fire and CO alarm system. However, no specialist technical skill is required to obtain CO protection in your home. It it possible to purchase CO alarms that are free standing and require no screws or attachments.

As electricians in South East London, we are often asked where the best place is to install CO alarms. We always recommend following the manufacturers instructions for best placement of your CO alarm. However CO is slightly lighter than air and therefore does rise so it makes sense to place a CO alarm on a ceiling away from corners where air can stagnate.

• No fixing of CO alarms is needed, however do take care over where CO alarms are placed. Having a CO smoke alarm is 100% better than not having one at all however.

Never under estimate how dangerous carbon monoxide can be. Many householders we speak to think that CO is the result of poor household maintenance or negligence. This is far from the case. There are survivors of CO who have had a lucky escape with CO, however 40 people die from CO poisoning every year in the UK. A room with extremely high levels of CO within it will kill you within less than 3 minutes and you would become unconscious after 2-3 breaths. Symptoms of CO poisoning are often mistaken for other Winter 'bugs' and include head aches, dizziness and nausea. If you are suffering from these symptoms and do not have a CO alarm, we highly recommend you do so ASAP. CO levels can rise to dangerous life threatening levels quickly without your knowledge.

• Never under estimate the danger of CO poisoning. Any home which have fuel burning appliances such as a boiler, gas oven/hob, log burner, open fire, gas fire is at risk.

Pay attention to your CO alarm once installed. In the same way you test your fire alarm, here at Fulcher Edwards we recommend you test your CO alarm at the same time. The recommendation is to test your smoke alarm once every week. In addition take note of any screen display messages. CO alarms have a CO sensor and it is vital that this works as it should. Regular servicing of mains powered CO detectors will ensure that the sensor is working correctly. CO sensors normally have a lifespan of 6 years, it is recommended that the alarms are replaced after this time if it is not worth replacing the CO sensors.

• Test and maintain your CO alarm in accordance with the manufacturers instructions.

Get a CO alarm before you switch on your heating this year

If you haven't switched on your heating yet this year, then this is an ideal opportunity to get yourself protected from the dangers of CO. With the weather gradually turning chillier, we will start to see increases of CO problems. Make sure you won't be this years victims.

Are you aware of the dangers of electrical DIY?

Electrical DIY remains a big danger in the UK with electricity killing 1 person every week and injuring 1000's others. Many people die needlessly by taking dangerous risks with electricity which could have been dealt with safely by a qualified and registered electrician.

What is electrical DIY?

Electrical DIY by it's very name can mean anything from changing a socket to bigger, riskier jobs such as rewiring parts of your home. Most electrical work in your home is subject to Part P regulations which means that it is illegal to carry out work in your home without being Part P registered.

As a general rule, you can carry out basic electrical jobs like changing your plug sockets for like for like, however if you are considering electrical work in your home, we recommend that you do not attempt the work yourself. Here at Fulcher Edwards we see every week the problems that DIY work cause. Even a simple job can cause damage to the wiring within your home which would lead to expensive repair work and this alone could become more costly than a qualified and registered electrician doing the job in the first place.

The dangers of DIY

DIY electrical work worries us for several reasons. Firstly it's the safety aspect. Many people assume that just because the lights are working that everything must be ok. In many cases this is not the case. Electrical fire is currently the biggest cause of house fires in the UK, and in many cases it is bad electrics that are the cause. DIY electrical work is often blamed for these fires because of the way the fires begin.

A common cause of electrical fire is the overheating of cable where the wrong sized cable has been used. Cable has also been positioned incorrectly and the heat from it can cause fire in lofts, joists and inside walls.

The other concern is the lack of testing that takes place beforehand. Work carried out by an electrician is tested to ensure it is safe before it is switched on. There is no way of knowing if DIY electrical work is safe. DIY or bad electrical work doesn't always kill you instantly either. It can be a number of years before the result of bad electrics catches up with you, and the fact of the matter is you don't know when that will be.

Are you worried about DIY electrical work you have done?

The first thing to know is you are not alone and we won't preach to you about how dangerous it is! As electricians in South East London we rectify DIY jobs on a daily basis and ensure your property is left electrically safe.

Of course it can be difficult to know exactly what you have done electrically over the years, so a good starting point is for a qualified and registered London electrician to come and carry out an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) which will identify any areas in your home which are an electrical risk.

As a householder, you will then be making an informed decision about repairing DIY electrical work.

If you get into difficulty with DIY work

Stop working immediately and contact a qualified and registered electrician. It is better to do this sooner rather than later as electrical damage can be costly to repair if it is badly damaged. Never attempt to make 'bodge' repairs just to get the lights back on. This will leave you and your family at risk of electrical fire, injury or worse.

An electrician will inspect the work, and carry out the necessary remedial works to ensure your home is electrically safe.

Are you clued up about the dangers of burns?

Many household electrical appliances have the potential to cause serious burns and with the nights (not to mention days) suddenly having turned chillier, householders are now reaching for additional sources of heat.

Electrical items such as fan heaters, electric heaters of all types, 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 straighter 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.
• We were PAT testing in a room which had several electric fires. Although the fires were electrically safe, they had been left plugged in and a child could easily have switched them on and burnt themselves as a result.
• 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 London 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.

The great news is that two leading hair straightener manufacturers have just confirmed to the Electrical Safety Council that they will be providing heat proof pouches as standard with their products. This is great news and hopefully this will be the start of reducing burns from hair straighteners.

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

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.

Are you a member of the tit club?

You'll be pleased to know that we didn't make a glaring error in the title of our blog post, but rather that we wanted to draw your attention to a very important fire safety campaign known as TestItTuesday!

The meaning behind TestItTuesday

Apart from it being a rather catchy name, it serves an important message to householders whether they are home owners or tenants – or perhaps even businesses to ensure that the testing of smoke alarms takes place on a Tuesday.

According to a Government report issued back in 2012, only 12% of people test their smoke alarm every week to ensure it is working as it should. A fire alarm is only useful to you and your family if it works. From batteries that have been removed to a faulty fire alarm, there are many reasons why testing a smoke alarm weekly should form part of your Tuesday routine.

Testing your smoke alarm

The testing of a smoke alarm is a straightforward procedure that you can do yourself or even get the kids to help you with. Simply press the Test button on your smoke alarm to ensure it emits a high pitched beep.

If you can't reach your smoke alarm, the use of a broom handle is far safer than attempting to stand on a chair to carry out the testing.

However, you test your smoke alarm, it is important that you don't forget! So set up a reminder in your phone, or write a note in your diary....or you could even have a household rota to do this very important task. As fire alarm maintenance specialists in London, we unfortunately come across many householders who do not test their fire alarm at all.

What type of fire alarm is best?

Of course any working smoke alarm is better than no alarm at all! Simple battery operated smoke alarms can be purchased at a small cost on the high street. In some areas, the fire service will fit fire alarms for you free of charge.

Fire alarms can consist of:

• Ionisation smoke alarms which are still commonly used in the UK. These type of alarms are best suited to areas such as landing and office environments where fires would consist of fast flaming fires such as wood or paper.

• Optical smoke alarms. Here at Fulcher Edwards, we recommend that homes are fitted with both an ionisation smoke alarm and an optical smoke alarm. Optical alarms are best suited to areas with soft furnishings such as bedrooms, lounges or even hall ways. Optical alarms are less likely to activate during 'false alarms' like burnt toast – the bain of many smoke alarms!

• Heat Alarms. It is important that heat alarms are installed in the right areas within your home. When we fit fire alarm systems to businesses and householders in London, we often come across heat alarms that have been installed incorrectly. Heat alarms are not suitable for living spaces in your home. They are commonly located in areas such as kitchens and garages as they can detect excessive temperatures and unusual speeds of temperature rises.

• Combination smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms. These are a convenient all in one unit that detects both smoke and CO. Here at Fulcher Edwards, we highly recommend that all UK homes have both smoke alarms and CO detectors – ideally one on every floor of your home. A combination alarm prevents your ceiling becoming cluttered with alarms! These devices emit different beeps to let you know the cause of the problem.

All versions of fire alarms can be fitted as battery or mains powered versions. As fire alarm engineers in London, we recommend the use of mains powered smoke alarms as these are also backed up by batteries in the event of a power failure. Essentially you receive double the protection.

Have your alarms fitted professionally

Where the smoke alarms are fitted in your home does matter. Installation of basic smoke alarms is very simple, often with just a screw or sticky fitting, mains powered smoke alarms must always be fitted by a qualified and registered electrician.

Using a qualified and registered electrician or fire alarm engineer to install your smoke alarms will mean they'll be fitted in the right part of your home, to ensure that not only will you be able to hear it when you're asleep, but also detect the smoke in the first place!

Generally speaking, fitting a fire alarm as near to the staircase as possible on the ground floor, and on the landing on every floor in your home is normally sufficient.

What happens if my alarm doesn't work when tested?

If your smoke alarm is mains powered, then it could be a fault that has developed. It is important that you contact a qualified and registered electrician as soon as possible.

Try new batteries if your smoke alarm is battery powered, if it's not that, you will need to replace the whole alarm.

Make checking your smoke alarm part of your daily routine

Remember to use TestItTuesday to remember to test your smoke alarm regularly! We can almost hear the sound of all those beeps now!

Electrical dangers in the home – are you at risk?

This week 15 - 21^st September 2014 is Gas Safety Week. In homage to our gas engineer friends, and to highlight the importance of maintaining both gas and electrical appliances so they remain safe to use, we are going discuss the dangers of both!

Before you turn on your heating...

Stop! Have you checked if your boiler is safe? Dodgy heaters and boilers are probably causing a potential problem on your own street! Are you one of them? According to the gas safe register, in some areas of the UK, 1 in 11 boilers are unsafe, and just as alarmingly, 1 in 3 gas fires are unsafe too! From a blocked flue to dodgy electrical wiring on the heating control, it is essential that dangerous problems are found before you flick the switch to on!

The best way to check all is well is to have gas appliances and electrical appliances that have large motors or run at high speeds such as washing machines serviced once a year. Of course such services will need to be carried out by qualified trades people. Gas appliances by a qualified and Gas safe registered engineer and electrical appliances by a qualified and registered electrician.

Just because it works doesn't mean it's safe

As electricians in South East London, we often come across dangerous electrical problems. Is is particularly the case at this time of year, as more people start thinking about putting on their heating and having the lights on for longer.

Telling a customer that their home is dangerous is never easy especially when they can see their lights are working “It's always worked this way” is a common expression we hear often at Fulcher Edwards. Unfortunately we often come across dangerous wiring where attempts to get the lighting working have been made. Although the lights are on, what the person doesn't realise is that damage is being caused all the while the light is in use. Damage to cable, overheating, and worst of all risk of electric shock.

If you are guilty of carrying out make shift repairs on electrical appliances, do the right thing and check the appliance is still safe by having it serviced. Electrical appliances, plugs and cables that are old or incorrectly wired are a real danger. Do not wait for a fire or someone being injured or killed from an electric shock to find this out.

Signs of danger

Carrying out your own visual checks on electrical appliances in your home will prevent accidental electrical shock.

• Check for tears or damage to cable and untwist or unkink the cable when using appliances.
• Check the plug is in place firmly and no wires are visible around the plug or the cable.
• Do not be tempted to wrap insulation tape around visible wires.
• Replace faulty electrical appliances or call an electrician to look at large appliances.
• Plugs or sockets that heat up excessively in use are signs of faulty or loose wiring. As electricians in London, we recommend you call a qualified and registered electrician for advice.

Do you have a carbon monoxide alarm?

Carbon monoxide alarms are as important as a fire alarm. Our team of expert fire alarm engineers in London recommend the installation of both mains powered fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Just 60 seconds of high level exposure to carbon monoxide (CO) can kill you. If you do not have a CO detector, we highly recommend you get one before switching on your gas appliances. Don't forget coal fires and any fuel burning appliance used in a confined space will give off CO. Most cases of CO poisoning are caused by blocked or cracked flues or chimneys. Most people are completely unaware of these problems and rely on a CO alarm to alert them.

Keep your home cosy this Winter, but above all stay safe. Never take risks with electricity or gas. If you suspect a problem, call a qualified and registered gas engineer or electrician as soon as possible.