Many Sydney homeowners
may not be aware that aging electrical cables in their
home may pose a high risk of electrical fire.
If
you have been in the roof of your home and noticed
that your electrical circuits are run in old split
steel conduits, it is time to contact a licensed electrical
contractor.
Many
federation homes and art deco homes in Sydney were
originally wired in a type of cable called Vulcanised
Indian Rubber (VIR) cable. As the name suggests, the
insulation on the copper conductors is made of Vulcanised
rubber, which deteriorates over time until it simply
crumbles away, leaving nothing to insulate the copper
wires from one another, or from a person working in
the roof.
In
fact, Energy Safe Victoria (similar to Workcover NSW)
has appealed to the electrical trades to help in raising
the awareness of property owners and other trades
people to the dangers of electrical metallic split
conduits. This follows the death of a man in the ceiling
space of a property near Geelong in February 2010.
ESV investigators called to the scene said that the
electrical wiring in the ceiling space was best described
as “a fatality waiting to happen”. There
were a number of damaged Vulcanised Indian Rubber
(VIR) cables in split conduits and exposed defective
connections.
There
was no safety switch or RCD installed at this installation.
The man's life could have been saved if an RCD Safety
Switch had been installed.
The solution is for a licensed electrician to remove
all old VIR cable from your home, and install modern
PVC sheathed cables with modern circuit breaker and
RCD Safety Switch protection at the switchboard.
The
process of rewiring your home is relatively quick,
and it dramatically reduces the risk of electrical
fire, and of electric shock. Rewiring your home may
be cheaper than you'd think, and the cost certainly
compares favorably against the possible cost of damage
caused by an electrical fire.
As
licensed electrical contractors, Sydney Electrical
& Data are available to inspect and asses the
wiring in your home, and provide a report on the type
and condition of wiring in the premises. We can install
all types of electric wiring and data cabling in any
premises, and can upgrade the electrical switchboard
to modern standards.
Contact
us today for an inspection and quote.
Click
here to contact us.
