A safety switch watches the electricity flowing through a circuit. If it detects current leaking somewhere it should not be, for example through a damaged cord or a faulty appliance, it cuts the power to that circuit in a fraction of a second. That speed is what stands between a fault and a serious electric shock. Installing safety switches is one of the most effective things you can do to protect your family at home.
Does your home have them?
New Victorian homes have needed safety switches for decades, and any electrician adding new circuits, power points or lighting to an older home is required to bring safety switch protection along with the work. But plenty of older homes around Torquay, Geelong and the Surf Coast still have circuits with no safety switch protection at all. If your switchboard has old ceramic fuses, or you are simply not sure what you have, it is worth having an electrician check. It is a quick job to look, and adding safety switches is usually done as part of a switchboard upgrade.
When the safety switch keeps tripping
A safety switch that trips repeatedly is doing its job. Something on that circuit is leaking current, and the usual culprit is a faulty appliance, often one involving water or moisture such as a kettle, fridge or dishwasher.
To find the culprit, unplug everything on the circuit, and we do mean everything, then reset the switch. If it holds, plug appliances back in one at a time. When the switch trips again, you have found your faulty appliance. It is a slow but simple process, and it can save you a call-out. If the switch trips with nothing plugged in, the problem is in the wiring itself, and that is a job for us.
Test them every few months
Safety switches should be installed by a licensed electrician, but testing them is something you can do yourself in under a minute:
- Let everyone in the house know the power is about to go off, so nobody loses unsaved work
- Press the test button on each safety switch, usually marked with a T
- If the switch trips and the power goes off, it is working. Turn it back on
- If the power stays on after pressing test, the switch is not working and needs an electrician
Do this roughly every three months and your safety switches will be ready on the day they are actually needed.
If you have any concerns about your safety switches, or your home does not have them yet, Quay Electrical can help. We service Torquay, the Surf Coast, Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula. Get in touch with us here or read more about our switchboard upgrade work.