Is the earthing in your home safe?
One of the best ways to improve the safety of your home and increase the life of your electronics and electrical appliances is to make sure that the earthing or “Grounding” of your home is safe and correctly done.
For your home to be properly earthed, there must be a connection between the ground and your home’s electrical components. For most electrical appliances, this is accomplished with the largest prong in your electrical plugs which connects through the socket circuit wiring. Whenever the system is properly earthed, this connection allows a safe pathway for any excess or misdirected electrical current. This can potentially save you from electrical fires and deadly electrical shock. Here’s an explanation on Wikipedia.
Typical Earthing Rod usually located in a box outside the dwelling.
Common electrical earthing issues:
The areas that experience the most electrical grounding problems are large towns and suburban areas. This is simply because these more densely populated locations have a higher level of electrical demand, leading to an increase in issues. Electricians in large towns or cities fight a constant battle with improper earthing, and the problems that result from it. For example, whenever metal pipes or conduit come into contact with an exposed wire, it can lead to a potentially fatal electric shock to any humans, pets or other animals that touch them. Loose or poor connections in the wiring system, incorrectly sized wires or cabling, all of these things can lead to a system that is not as safe as it should be. For this reason, it is vital that you make sure that your electrical system is both in safe condition and properly earthed.
Risks of improper earthing:
If your home is improperly earthed, then you run the risk of many potentially dangerous problems. If you live in an older home, it is possible that your home is not earthed or “grounded” correctly or safely. Newer homes, as a result of modern safety regulations, are more usually earthed properly. That being said, all your safely earthed system needs to be made unsafe is a few bad connections. For this reason, you should have your electrical system inspected regularly by a qualified, local electrician, especially if you believe that you may have a poorly earthed electrical system.
The greatest risks posed by an unearthed electrical system are fire and electrical shock. Because electrical current always moves along the path of least resistance, you are directly at risk of being shocked if you are using an ungrounded device when it discharges excess electricity. In a correctly earthed system, any excess or misdirected current is channelled into the ground connection and from there into the earth. It is very possible that you could end up becoming the “ground connection” if there is not one already in place or if it is a poor earth connection. This could lead to serious injury or death.
In addition to the risks posed to you and all of the other people in your home, unearthed or incorrectly earthed electrical systems can be potentially hazardous to your electronics or appliances. This important safety feature takes the extra electricity away from your device, which can save your electronics from catastrophic damages and incremental wear and tear. As a result, your appliances last longer.
Get an electrical inspection of your home
BE SAFE: Don’t take the risk. No matter how old your home is, you should consider having an electrical safety assessment on a regular basis in order to identify any potential or existing problems that could lead to an unsafe situation. This important step in home maintenance can keep you and your family safe for years to come. Make sure that you get a local, recognised, registered RECI contractor to complete the checks and then you can be sure that you are complying with the most modern safety standards and requirements as well as being sure that your system is as safe as it can be.
When was the last time you had your home inspected for electrical issues?
