Richtek Blog

Regardless of whether or not your home’s lighting or electrical appliances appear to be operating smoothly, you may not be able to trust that this is enough to negate the need for an electrical wiring inspection.

If you are a Perth property owner with a property that is 20+ years old, your home may be at particular risk for faulty or obsolete wiring. Although there are several noticeable signs that often prompt homeowners to call a local electrical technician, sometimes the age of a home is enough to necessitate a need for a wiring inspection as well.

Signs Indicating Need for Electrical Rewiring

While building professionals recommend houses twenty years and older have their various wiring systems inspected, newer homes can sometimes need inspections as well. There are several signs a homeowner can look for to determine whether or not their property requires rewiring services.

These include:

• Current or past pest issues – Pests such as mice or rats in particular can be a threat to wiring within a home, as they are known to chew on what wires they may find. Whether your property has experienced past problems with pests or is currently experiencing pest control issues, it may be best to have a qualified professional inspect your wiring to determine whether it has or has not been damaged.
• Colour of your wiring – While modern wiring is typically grey or white due to the PVC material covering it for long-lasting use, older wiring is likely black in colour, covered with a rubber-like material that can wear over time and become unsafe.
• Flickering or dimming lights
• Fuses that blow on a regular basis
• Any burning smells – If you are noticing any strange burning smells within your home, and are not able to locate the source, this may indicate a shorting of wires either underneath your floors or within the walls of the walls.
• Frequently-tripping circuit breakers

Having your home’s electrical wiring inspected not only can give you reassurance that everything is functioning suitably but can also ensure the safety of your home.

Checking, repairing, or replacing wiring within a home that is experiencing any of the above issues is an important part of planning for a safe future, so you can be sure that you are not putting yourself or any other occupants residing on your property at risk.

Hire Professionals to Handle Your House’s Rewiring

 Due to recent changes to Institute of Electrical Engineers (IEE) wiring regulations, some electrical rewiring duties are now required by law to be performed by a licensed electrician.

Some of these include:

• Checking and replacing damaged cabling
• Rewiring kitchen and bathroom lighting systems
• Replacing electrical sockets, light switches, and ceiling roses

Attempting to perform these repair and replacement services on your own can also be dangerous and is, therefore, best left to a qualified professional who has experience performing rewiring tasks.

In order to have your home undergo a comprehensive rewiring process, it is in the best interest for homeowners to find hire a local electrician that is qualified to efficiently attend to your home’s rewiring.

Richtek Electrical & Air Solutions is Perth’s #1 favourite group of electrical contractors who are available to assist homeowners in need of electrical rewiring services.

Call us at (08) 9375 3926 to get a FREE no-obligation quote for your home rewiring service today.

by Michael Gray

Having up-to-code, hardwired smoke detectors within your home is essential for the sake of both your property and the safety of its occupants. As a truly life-saving technology, hardwired smoke detectors are powered by the electrical system of your property and – when properly installed – can serve as an important alert system in cases of fire or smoke-related emergencies.

To ensure the safety of your home and its occupants, check out this 101 guide for using and maintaining your smoke detectors:

Different Types of Smoke Detectors

 Battery-charged smoke detectors were considered acceptable smoke detector systems for residences for many years. However, since the establishment of specific building code requirements in 1992, hardwired smoke detectors have become the standard system.

In fact, all Perth buildings constructed post-1992 are required to have these hardwired smoke detector systems installed, with battery packs for backup power. If your home was built before 1992, it is not strictly required to have a hardwired system versus that which is battery-charged. However, the latter system requires diligence, as batteries need to be regularly checked and the system tested frequently for any faulty or dead batteries.

How Many Smoke Detectors Should I Have?

 Homeowners should ideally have a smoke detector installed in every room of their home. Having one or two installed here or there throughout the home simply is not enough to adequately ensure the safety of your property or its residents should an emergency situation occur.

Having smoke detectors installed in every room and/or open area of a home can ensure that any individual in a room at any time may be properly alerted by the smoke alarm and act accordingly.

Adhering to Building Code Requirements

Building code requirements differ somewhat depending on whether or not you are renting, selling, or the owner of a property.

How Do I Make Sure My Smoke Detector Is Up to Code?

Property owners who are not trying to sell are not likely to have building inspectors check out their home’s smoke detector systems.

Those that are renting or selling a property, however, are required to have their system up to code. It is your responsibility as the property owner to:

• Have the appropriate number of alarms installed within the rooms of the property
• Regularly test the smoke alarms at least every six months as part of a general maintenance procedure recommended by electrical experts.

Carbon Monoxide Detector Requirement

Since 2011, all rooms that contain electrical appliances and devices that release carbon monoxide – such as gas and wood-burning heaters, stoves, and ovens – are required to have the additional installation of carbon monoxide detectors.

This is due to the fact that smoke alarms may not detect fires that have been started by these carbon monoxide-releasing appliances. In these cases, having carbon monoxide detectors can be life-saving. They also are required now by code to be installed in rooms where these appliances are present.

Contact Your Perth Electrician

If you have any additional questions about your property’s smoke detectors, need an installation, or believe your current smoke alarm system needs to be upgraded, feel free to contact a Richtek Electrical & Air solutions electrical expert for assistance.

Call (08) 9375 3926 to install, repair, or update your property’s smoke alarm system today.

by Michael Gray

Bathroom exhaust fans can serve many important purposes within a home. Perhaps most importantly, these electrical appliances serve as an integral part of a residence’s healthy ventilation system.

High humidity within the home is a common problem experienced by Perth residents, and as the primary function of these fans is to remove that excessive moisture, an increasing number of local residents have been opting for the installation of these fans for effective ventilation.

Exhaust fans and extractors can be installed in several areas throughout the home, but they are perhaps most beneficial when installed in the washroom areas. Activities such as showering –  which can produce a lot of steam – or the presence of incandescent lights above bathroom mirrors can lead to the generation of a great deal of heat within the bathroom. If nothing else, this can be uncomfortable, particularly during the warmer months.

Therefore, exhaust fans can serve as an effective tool to mediate some of the general heat as well as odours within your bathroom, particularly when there are no other means of ventilation, such as windows, to alleviate it.

Bathroom exhaust fans are available in a number of sizes and shapes, allowing you the opportunity to choose a fan that you believe would be most suitable for use within your home. For assistance determining what fan may best fit the needs of your bathroom, you can also ask a reliable professional electrician. 

Benefits of Having Bathroom Exhaust Fans in Your Home 

In addition to removing excess moisture and effectively ventilating your bathrooms, having bathroom exhaust fans professionally installed within your home can provide a number of other benefits.

These benefits include:

• Staving off the accumulation of mould and mildew on your ceilings and walls that can occur as a result of inadequate ventilation.
• Less rust on your metal appliances, as high levels of moisture can speed up this process.
• Makes your bathroom more comfortable by effectively ventilating the generation of excess heat or steam.
• Prevent your mirrors from fogging up 

Why You Should Opt for Professional Installation 

The importance of having professionals handle the installation of exhaust fans within the bathrooms of your home cannot be understated.

As convenient as it may seem to do these installations on your own, fans that are incorrectly installed will not only fail to function property but may also cause damage to your home and raise several safety concerns. The repercussions of an improper installation can range from leaks in your roof on rainy days, to electrocution concerns, and the possibility of your fan becoming a fire hazard due to faulty wiring.

Hiring an experienced electrician to ensure the safe and proper installation of your bathroom exhaust fans is therefore imperative, and a more economical option as well in consideration of how costly damage control could become in the case of a faulty installation job.

If you are interested in having a bathroom exhaust fan installed on your residential or commercial property, call Perth’s Richtek Electrical & Air Solutions at (08) 9375 3926 to get a quote for your professional installation today!

by Michael Gray