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Peace of Mind, One Test at a Time
Having a good, professional, qualified electrician to call on brings peace of mind, and here is a way you can help yourself and us.
All aspects of your home should run smoothly and safely – and they do most of the time. That includes the electrical system, which most people don’t touch or even think about – and quite right too, because electricity is not something to be messed with. But did you know there is a safety feature built into your system that should be tested from time to time? The good news is it’s easy to do this. If you’d rather have a professional handle it, our safety switch testing service covers this as part of a full check.
Why Test the Safety Switch?
Okay, before we get to the how, let’s look at the why. The reason you should do this quick test is because mechanisms sit there for years on end and parts can deteriorate and become faulty, just because physical things do. Even a simple switch can become jammed because it stiffens up, and if something like that happens in your system, you need to know about it so you can get it fixed.
You won’t have to do anything yourself other than press a button to test the whole thing, and all that should do is shut off the electrical supply to the whole property. If that happens, great: it’s meant to, and all you do is flip the switch back up again to put everything back on.
First: Find Your Trip Switches and Safety Switch
In the electrical cupboard or wherever all the electrical stuff is located, you will find a row of trip switches which will flip themselves down (off) if there is a problem (such as too many devices drawing power from the same circuit). In this area you will find something marked Safety Switch, with a letter T for test. If your trip switches seem to flip on their own more often than they should, it’s worth reading our guide on why your power keeps tripping and how to fix it.
Okay, Let’s Do It
You are in no danger at all now: you’re turning things off, not on. Press the T and everything should go off as you test the neutral safety switch. Once you’ve verified that everything electrical has gone off, flip the switch back up and you’re back to normal. You might have to reset a clock or two on your devices, such as a microwave oven, but that’s all.
Don’t Forget to Warn Others in the Property
If there are other people in the house, tell them what you’re about to do so that a) they’re not surprised when the TV, air conditioner etc. goes off and b) so that if they’re doing something important (such as on a computer) they can save their work before you hit the button. Then if everything goes off, that’s good and you put it back on again. If you’re renting or letting a property, it’s also worth knowing your obligations – our guide to Sydney rental safety switch regulations explains what landlords and tenants each need to do.
What if Something Doesn’t Turn off?
This is what you’re checking for. Call your electrician at One Point Sydney Electricians and get them to come and check your safety switch. Again, you don’t have to do anything yourself and if something doesn’t turn off, it’s not your fault. It means the problem was there and now you know about it and can get it fixed. If the switch trips repeatedly and won’t reset properly, take a look at our guide on what it means when your safety switch keeps tripping, or read up on the warning signs it’s time to call an emergency electrician. Either way, our team can carry out electrical fault finding to track down the cause. Get in touch and we’ll sort it out for you.
