Electrical installation safety measures

Many people like to try and do it yourself with many household installations including electrical installations. This article will walk you through important safety codes you need to follow when doing this however first of all it is important to note that electricity is very dangerous if it is poorly handled by people who do not know what they are doing and we recommend you have a qualified electrician help you with whatever installation you may be trying to make.

Tip 1: Always ensure appliances and equipment installed are compatible with their use: it is very common for people to imagine that they can get a home coffee maker and use it for commercial purpose or a commercial coffee maker and use it to make coffee in the house. This is a safety hazard especially if it is a domestic appliance being installed for commercial purpose. Electrical wiring on commercial premises is very different from that in your house so you can easily end up with a fire because the appliance either received too much power in a commercial setting or because it drew too much power in a domestic setting. Always read the instruction manuals for any appliance before you set it up.- this is not just about coffee makers, it could be dish washers, laundry machines, air conditioners, blenders and the like.

Tip 2: Ground/Earth all energized equipment: then you are carrying out any wiring, it is important to provide a grounding connection, this is meant to divert any electrical current that may be transmitted from a lose wire on the equipment to the ground. For example if you have a fridge and a wire at the back got lose and touched the body of the fridge, it would mean anyone who touched the fridge could be electrocuted or even a fire could result from a short circuit. But when you have grounding, this will not happen. You may need an electrician for this if you are not conversant with this procedure.

Tip 3: Insulate ALL electrical conductors. If you are going to carry out any electrical installation be it commercial or residential electrical installation, ensure that you insulate all the wires and metallic fistures that may be connected to the electrical equipment. Standard regulation requires that “All energized conductors within 8 feet of the floor must be guarded against accidental contact. You could use electrical tape or provide a plastic cover depending on the size of the exposed conductor.

Tip 4: Always use the right wires for installations. It is important to remember that commercial electrical installation is not the same as domestic and so even the wires are different. The amount of power conducted through the commercial ones is much hire that residential and if you used the lower voltage wires for a higher power flow, you will have a fire on your hands. Check with the hardware store before you purchase the wires to ake sure they are the right ones for the job.

Tip 5: Extension cables cannot be used for long term installation. Extension cables are not made for prolonged use it would be a regulation violation to use flexible or extension cables as replacement for the usual cables when carrying out electrical installation. These cables cannot withstand constant flow of electricity and eventually they will heat up and burn – obviously that will be a fire on your hands.

Tip 6: Get the polarity right. If you do not understand what is meant by polarity, then you probably should not think about carrying out any installation on your own – just call an electrician. Cases of reverse polarity have led to a number of accidents for example if you mix up the neutral and live wires on a socket, equipment might start working immediately they are plugged in – now think of what would happen if that was a drill? Getting the polarity right is very important in electrical wiring.

Tip 7: When using portable electrical appliances, ensure that the wires are not damaged; quite often you may use an extension cable that is going to be lying on the floor. If any of the wires is exposed, there is a risk of electrocution and it is even worse if the floor is wet. So always check before you use them and ensure that the wires are well insulated.

These are just 5 tips you can follow if you wish to do your own electrical wiring or installation but there are more cautions you should take to ensure safety.