Our Twelve Tips for Electrical Safety at home this Christmas (Part 1)

Christmas is a time for sharing and giving. One of the greatest gifts I think one can give is the gift of experience! So, as a homage to one of the greatest Christmas carols, instead of bringing you the twelve days of Christmas we can give you twelve tips for Christmas. As our gift to you, find the first six tips for electrical safety at home below. Look out for the sequel in a few weeks.

We wish all our clients a very wonderful Christmas.

1.      Be careful with trees 

If you have a real Christmas tree, make sure it is not too dry. A dry tree is at a much greater risk of catching fire. Although modern LED fairy lights do not conduct as much heat, many people use decorations that they have collected over the years. Older fairy lights have a greater risk of overheating.

Sellers of real Christmas trees should be able to give you advice on the watering of your Christmas tree.  

Also, be careful when buying an artificial tree that it is a high-quality product. Only buy trees from a recognised manufacturer. Cheap products from overseas often do not adhere to the same safety standards and can have a greater fire risk.

2.      Limit the use of extension leads

If you are going to use extension cables make sure you do not daisy them. “Daisying” refers to when one extension lead is plugged into another. Excessive cable use means there is a greater risk of trips and falls too.

3.      Check your extension leads 

Again, check an extension lead before you use it, particularly if it’s the one that goes up into the loft with the Christmas decorations every year. It might have worked fine when you brought it in 1990, but these things do depreciate over time. You should be looking for exterior damage including cracks, nicks, cuts, or frays to the cable.  

4.      Do avoid block or cube extension plugs

If you do need to temporarily increase the number of plug sockets you need due to Christmas lights you are better use an extension lead rather than an extension block. One of the main reasons for this is it will put less strain on the wall socket. You are more likely to have a fire due to a block being plugged in than an extension cable. This is because the weight of all the plugs weighs it down and can cause a loose connection. This in turn can cause a fire.  

5.      Do not overload

Check the rating of your extension lead and the power required to power your desired items. You do not want to blow a fuse.

6.      Do not go cheap

Is it worth saving £5.00 because you found a cheap unbranded extension lead online? It’s just not worth the greater fire risk. When it comes to electrical safety stick with well-known, safe brands that comply with British standards.  

A Bathe Electrics wishes you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Above all, keep safe this Christmas. For all your electrical needs, please do not hesitate to give us a call.