Welcome to Steve OShaughnessy Electrical
Why you should upgrade your old switchboard
Protect your house.
This is a ceramic fuse holder and fuse as used in many older houses.
This device was designed to protect household wiring from overheating and catching fire. They are slow to operate, can be overloaded easily and can be put in the wrong place.
Miniature circuit breakers have replaced fuses in new houses.
Miniature circuit breakers operate faster and more accurately than fuses and cannot be inserted in the wrong place.
Fuses and miniature circuit breakers do not protect people from electric shock, to do this you need a residual current device.
Protect yourself.
A residual current device as installed in all new houses.
A residual current device will disconnect the power before 0.03 Amps can flow through a persons body preventing any interference to the hearts operation. The combination of residual current devices and miniature circuit breakers in a new switchboard provide the best protection for your house and your family.
For older houses
Wiring and switch gear in older houses can deteriorate over time, old insulation becomes brittle and can literally fall off the wires if they are moved. This may allow a spark to ignite nearby material causing a fire.
An arc fault detection device.
Arc fault detection devices detect when an arc occurs and disconnect the power before ignition can occur. They are required in the following areas;
- Locations where there is a risk of fire e.g.barns, woodwork shops and combustible material stores
- Storage for irreplaceable items
- Historic buildings
- School dormitories