04Jul Even though Perth’s winters are pretty mild, there are enough thunderstorms and poor weather that can do damage to your home’s electrical system. In order to avoid this and other storm related disasters to your home’s electrics, we have compiled a few tips for you to consider. BE PREPARED Don’t wait for the storm to hit and damage to occur. Take our advice, prepare well beforehand and you will be equipped to handle most eventualities. This will make any winter storm a fun time to snuggle up safe in your home, without having to worry about an electrical disaster. SECURE YOUR ELECTRICS AT HOME Be proactive and pre-empt the first thunderstorm by checking your home electrics before winter sets in. But do make sure it is a thorough check, the last thing you want are power points that are exposed to the elements, or faulty electrical points in your home. The best way to have your place checked is to call the experts, who can then identify and hopefully solve any problems while they are there. Any exposed wires must be immediately repaired or water proofed. Remember rats love chewing on electrical cables, so check all accessible cables, especially those in the basement and roof. In addition to checking the outside, check your indoor electrics as well, this includes the stove, oven and electrical blankets. Any frayed wires must be replaced or repaired, or the item chucked. POWER OUTAGES Depending on where you live, power outages will occur, usually during winter. While you can’t predict these blackouts, you can be prepared, which will prevent a minor nuisance from becoming a major home disaster. USP If you work from home or just want to protect your computers and data, then it’s advisable to have a USP installed. This will ensure an uninterrupted power supply, and means that no storm or power outage can affect your computers and data. Generators This is a fairly big investment for many, especially as you might never need to use it, or only very occasionally. The best part is that you never have to worry about your dinner party being ruined by a blackout, or not being able to access the internet to Instagram your dinner party.While generators are more useful for businesses, they do provide your home life with good back up when the power goes out. Even if you buy a smaller generator, this can keep your sump pump running, and your lights and heat on until normal power is resumed. Broken power points Most homes have a number of outdoor weather proof power points. This can include swimming pool pumps and lights, reticulation boxes and outdoor lights to name but a few. Check these all thoroughly making sure none of them are vulnerable to bad weather. SAFETY FIRST A good way to ensure that no one suffers from an electric shock in your home is to install a safety switch. This switch, also known as a residual current device (RCD), can help prevent an electrical disaster in your home. Do not try to install it by yourself, you will need to call qualified, licensed electricians. BE AWARE OF ELECTRICAL HAZARDS AFTER A STORM OR FLOOD Once the storm has passed, this does not mean that the danger has. Listen to the radio and follow social media for any warnings. Contact your local power company if there is no power and check around your property to make sure no electrical cables are damaged or pose any threat. This includes public power lines not just those at your home. When it comes to electrical damage or prevention, do not rely on your down ability, no matter how talented you were at school science experiments, call in the professional electricians. Previous Next