An electricity supply to a detached garage, outdoor workshop or greenhouse requires a separate circuit of 20A or 30A current rating. The circuit can be from a fuseway in the existing consumer unit with a double-pole 30A switch fixed near the consumer unit. If there is no spare fuseway it is necessary to install a … Read more
Fuses the fuses of various current rating have different physical dimensions (except the 15A and 20A which are of identical size) which prevents, say, a 5A cartridge being replaced by one of higher current rating, on 03 bath There are two types of circuit fuses, rewirable fuses containing ordinary fuse wire, and cartridge fuses. The … Read more
Some appliances need to be wired direct into the domestic supply. These include items such as showers, immersion heaters and cookers. Instant showers A shower unit has an electrical loading of either 6kW or 7kW and therefore requires a circuit of 30A current rating, since the current demand is 25 or 29 amps respectively. The … Read more
It is a fairly simple job to convert a single 13A socket outlet to a double. Materials required: One 13A double socket outlet. One plastic two-gang surface mounting box. A short length of green/ yellow PVC sleeving. Surface to surface conversion Turn off the main switch. Release the existing single socket from its box and … Read more
The modern rocker-operated 5A lighting switch is a square plateswitch containing 1, 2, or 3 switches on the one plate and has two screw holes for fixing to the lugs of a one-gang plastic shallow surface box or a metal plaster-depth flush box. Each box contains an earth terminal to which is connected the sleeved … Read more
The modern ceiling rose has three terminal banks arranged in-line plus an earth terminal. One outer bank has three terminal screws, two for the neutral feed wires, the other for the blue flex wire. The other outer bank has two terminal screws, one for the circuit switch wire, the other for the brown flex wire. … Read more
Cables used for home wiring are mainly twin and earth PVC flat sheathed cables containing one red and one black PVC insulated conductor and one uninsulated earth conductor. The red conductor is used in the live pole of the circuit, the black in the neutral pole. (The black conductor is also used in the live … Read more
The mains electricity supply in a house or flat is in two parts. First the electricity board’s apparatus comprising the service fuse unit, the meter to register the electricity consumed, and, where night storage heating is installed, a time switch. This apparatus is sealed and must not be tampered with. You are responsible for any … Read more
All too often lighting is limited to a single dangling bulb and lampshade; yet it has an enormously important and all-pervading effect on your house. No matter how good your decorating is, if the light is bad a room will look uninteresting. Good lighting can transform a very ordinary setting. What is good lighting then? … Read more
Electric fires take a heavy load and should be fused accordingly, with a 13 amp. Fuse in a fused plug. The element in a fire is a coiled piece of wire with a high resistance. When a current flows through it, it glows. In the simplest one or two bar fire, each element is made … Read more
Older wiring had red insulation for the live line, black for the neutral line and green for the earth wire. Newer wires conform to a European standard. If you have a 13 amp plug with a fuse, the live wire may connect under or alongside the fuse. The neutral terminal (marked N) is at the … Read more
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS 1 Electricity can kill. Treat it with respect. 2 If unsure about the safety of any equipment, consult an electrician. 3 Remove plugs before examining equipment and switch off at the mains before working on fixed equipment. 4 Do not overload circuits by using too many adaptors. 5 Do not use wall switches … Read more
A casual glance at shop windows in the High Street will be sufficient to indicate the enormous range of electrical fittings on the market. If you know precisely what you want you may get fittings a little cheaper at chain stores such as Walmart, but you will not necessarily be able to get advice. So, … Read more
Home lighting offers the creative homemaker much scope. Although intended primarily for illumination, lighting can be used to enhance the furnishing scheme and décor. It can transform a dull room into a bright and exciting room. By means of switching, lighting can be changed as mood or social circumstances demand; a lot of light for … Read more
Fuses When a circuit fuse blows, turn off the main switch, remove the fuse in the consumer unit and try to find out what made it blow. It could be over-loading. If it is a lighting circuit fuse, examine the flex of the light which blew the fuse when it was switched on. Also examine … Read more
A ring circuit is a multi-outlet power circuit which may supply an unlimited number of 13-amp plugs, socket outlets and fixed appliances but is limited to supplying an area not exceeding 1000 sq ft (100 sq. m). Where the floor area exceeds this, more than one ring circuit is necessary. It is wise to install … Read more
There are two principal methods of wiring lighting circuits in the home: the loop-in ceiling rose method and the joint box method, used mainly for surface wiring where there is no access for cables above the ceiling and for wall lights where looping in the absence of ceiling roses can be difficult. The loop-in method. … Read more
Electricity comes into the house from the street via a service cable. In the street the service cable is connected to one of the phases and the neutral of a four-wire distribution cable. The phases are coloured red, yellow and blue respectively. Some houses are supplied from the red phase; some from the yellow phase; … Read more
The electric kettle is a very useful appliance and worth looking after, since you will only realize how much you rely on it when it breaks down. A regular check takes only a matter of minutes, while the length of time it takes to boil a pan of water on a cooker compared with the … Read more
Food mixers and blenders are two of the most labour-saving appliances available for the kitchen. There is a wide range of models and your choice will be determined — apart from appearance and price — by the number of jobs the appliance can perform using the variety of attachments available with each model. Some food … Read more
Refrigerators and freezers are designed to keep perishable foods for varying lengths of time by storing them under suitable conditions and at the right temperature. The appliances work by means of a liquid refrigerant flowing through tubes which vapourizes into a gas and absorbs the heat from its surroundings — the freezing unit and refrigerator; … Read more
There are two main types of electric fire: radiant heaters which give off reflected heat from the front of the fire and convector heaters which give off convected heat from the top of the casing, supplying background heat to an area. Some heaters combine the two types, with radiant elements for instant heat and a … Read more
There are many makes and models of hair dryer on the market from which to choose; while looks and price will influence your choice of dryer there are other factors you should consider when buying. For example, it is worth enquiring about servicing both in and out of guarantee, since you may not want to … Read more
There are two basic types of electric iron — dry and steam. Some repairs are simply a matter of maintenance involving no special tools, while others are complicated and best left to a qualified person. Bear in mind if you embark on a complicated repair and find you cannot put the pieces back together properly, … Read more
Along with the growing trend towards automatic washing machines away from twin tubs, there is an increased demand for tumble dryers. A tumble dryer is often purchased as a twin to an automatic washing machine; many manufacturers market the items as a matching pair and provide a stacking kit as an optional extra to enable … Read more
There are three basic types of domestic washing machine. The single tub is purely a washing machine, with possibly a wringer to extract excess moisture from the clothes; the twin tub is a combined washing machine and spin dryer; the automatic carries out washing and spinning in a single drum. Thee are two main types … Read more
The digital television set is now a standard fixture in many homes. Most areas are able to receive dozens of free channels through Free View. However, it is often necessary to fit a special arial on the roof to get the new digital services. Depending on the area in which you live, there is a … Read more
Fitting a bell, buzzer or door chime is a simple job, since many are sold in kit form specifically for DIY installation. All work off a low voltage supplied by dry batteries or a small safety transformer which is permanently connected to the mains and reduces your 240 volt household supply to 3, 5, 8 … Read more
Wall-mounted lights and spotlights offer wide scope for lighting arrangements since they can be installed in any room as the main lighting or to supplement existing lighting, which is usually supplied by a conventional ceiling rose. If you have individual lighting, such as a rise and fall pendant over the dining table, wall lights can … Read more
The bathroom can be one of the most dangerous places in the home if you don’t follow the rules for electrical safety. But it can also be one of the most comfortable with the introduction of electrical fittings. As long as you install them correctly they will not only work at maximum efficiency, but need … Read more
One great advantage of an immersion heater fitted to your hot water cylinder is that it can be used to supply as much or as little hot water around the home as you need at any particular time. It can also supplement other heating systems such as gas, oil or solid fuel. With care, you … Read more
A storage fan heater resembles in appearance a storage radiator, but it is generally larger and has an inlet and outlet grille. The fan heater is normally of a higher loading and contains a tangential fan. This draws in cold air which passes through ducting in the storage casing and over the storage blocks, where … Read more
Storage heaters are a relatively efficient method of supplying heat in the home; because heat is stored, you do not have to provide a continuous supply of energy. After the initial supply needed to provide the heat for storage, the electricity can be switched off and heat will still be emitted. There are various makes … Read more
There are basically two types of cooker hood – recirculating and ducted. There are also models which are suitable for either recirculation or for direct extraction from the rear or top via ducting to the outside air. With one make of this type there is a wall grille as an optional extra. Each hood is … Read more
The average domestic electric cooker consists of an oven, a hob containing three or four rings and a grill. The conventional position for the grill is below the hob and usually built into it, although with some models it is positioned at eye level. Some models have a double oven. The majority of cookers are … Read more
An earth leakage circuit breaker (ELCB) is a double pole mains switch which automatically trips (switches off) when there is sufficient leakage of current from a live wire or earth terminal to earth. It does not normally operate, however, when a circuit is overloaded or if it develops a short circuit (when the live and … Read more
Extending existing electrical wiring into the roof space to allow extra lighting points and socket outlets is generally similar to wiring extensions in other parts of the house. Switches, ceiling roses, socket outlets and other wiring accessories can be similar to those used in other parts of the house. They will usually be made of … Read more
The conventional vacuum-operated time lag switch – used with stair and corridor lighting to save electricity – will operate for up to five minutes, but can be dangerous to stair users because it gives no warning before cutting out. The control, which can also be fitted in place of any square-plate switch, comes in a … Read more
The dimmer is an electronic device which contains a semi-conductor, associated components and a TV suppressor. But unlike the old resistor dimmer, which consumed unwanted wattage and became very hot, the modern version does not use a significant amount of electricity and can be regarded as an energy saver. These switches have been designed to … Read more
It is a simple operation to add an extra ceiling light, controlled by its own switch, to an existing lighting circuit. If as in most modern homes the wiring is flat twin PVC-sheathed cable, it is likely the loop-in system is used, which means an extension can be taken direct from an existing ceiling rose. … Read more
Electricity can be supplied where you want it, as long as you have enough outlets. You can install new power points or move existing ones yourself. Having done all the non-electrical work such as lifting boards, channelling plaster to take cables, or cutting recesses for the new knock-out boxes and installing them, it is time … Read more
Electricity is one energy source you can switch on where and when you want it. There is no reason to run a power tool off an extension from the kitchen when you need to work in the garage — or to unplug the bedside lamp when you want to use a portable television in the … Read more
Garden lighting is practical, attractive and not expensive to run; two units of electricity will light the average garden from dusk to midnight. The lighting of walls, patios and possible danger points such as steps helps prevent accidents and discourages intruders. Effective outside lighting also lengthens the time you can enjoy the garden and can … Read more
Wiring to sockets or lighting points attached to the outside walls of a house can be part of the domestic circuit. Wiring to a point in the garden, greenhouse or separate garage, however, has to be treated as a different installation, with its own main switch and 20amp fuse unit close to the meter. It … Read more
Electrical circuits run through walls, along skirting and under floorboards to all parts of your home, carrying current to feed the various fittings and appliances. All circuits run from the main fuse box or consumer unit, which in turn is fed from the mains supply from outside. Once you have learnt how these circuits are … Read more
Probably the most common electrical job in the home is wiring a plug. It is crucial that the right core is fitted to the right terminal and that all connections are tight. Houses that have been wired or rewired in Britain since 1947 will be fitted with ring main circuits. These are continuous loops of … Read more
One of the real dangers involving electricity is the joining up of flex, which can be a fire hazard. If you really have to do this job, always use a proper connector and check you have wired it up in the correct way. Whenever possible avoid joining flex. If you have to, always use a … Read more
There are certain basic rules you must remember before you start to strip flex or cable for connecting to a plug or appliance or for wiring power or lighting circuits. Remove only sufficient insulation to enable the cores to be connected to the terminals; none of the bared wires should be exposed. Don’t stretch the … Read more
When electric current passes through a wire it causes heating: the thinner the wire the greater the heat. Even the thick wire used in domestic wiring will overheat if too much current passes through it — and may easily set the house on fire. To prevent this, a fuse is built into every circuit. This … Read more
Increased electricity costs and the need to conserve energy make it even more desirable to keep a check on household consumption. To do this you must read your meter and check it is functioning correctly; you will also need to know how much power different appliances in the home consume; check this on our chart. … Read more