Home Safety Checks The Importance of Safety Switches

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The Importance of Safety Switches

Safety switches are important for monitoring your electricity circuits and detecting any leaks.

Electricity is not something one should take lightly. We must recognise that it can cause great injury and even death. Safety switches largely minimize the risk of either of these from happening. 

Having safety switches in your home can potentially save lives. They monitor the flow of electricity through a circuit. And if they detect any current leaks, they shut off your power at the source immediately. This protects you against electrical fires, power surges, and electrocution. 

Safety switches monitor the flow of electricity through a circuit and detect any current leaks.

To make sure your safety switches are working properly, you need to test them every three months.

Installing safety switches in your home

A safety switch will only protect you from electric shock if it’s installed on that particular circuit. According to AS/NZ 3000:2018, it’s mandatory to install them on all circuits in your home such as lights, the oven, hot water, air conditioning, etc. That way you can be assured you’re always protected in your home.

Testing your safety switches

To make sure your safety switches are working properly, you need to test them every three months. Here’s how:

  1. Before you test them, make sure no one is using any electronics connected to the switches; those circuits will lose power.
  2. Press the “Test” button on the safety switch on your switchboard. If the switch flicks off and cuts the power, then it’s working. Check that the lights and appliances no longer have power. But if they do, this means your safety switches aren’t working and you aren’t protected. If this happens, call us on 0450 091 815 right away to get this fixed.
  3. After testing that everything is working, turn the switch back on. For circuits connected to the refrigerator or air conditioner, wait a few minutes before resetting to avoid damage.

Tripping switches

If your switches are tripping excessively, it might be due to a faulty appliance or a high load from a lot of appliances. You can find out the cause by disconnecting all your appliances and plugging them in one at a time; the faulty one will trip the switch again. If this appliance continues to trip the switch, it may be time to replace it or have it checked. Don’t attempt to touch the appliance while it is on and still connected to the switch.

If your safety switches need to be checked, call Beta Electrical Solutions and we’ll help make sure your home and family are well protected.

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