Did you know that you are responsible for the electrical system and equipment in your home and that it is in order?
Last month, the charging rules were launched in a collaboration between the Norwegian Fire Protection Association, the Directorate for Civil Protection and Emergency Planning (DSB), the insurance company If and the country’s fire service.
The charging rules say how you should charge things like your mobile phone and electric car, but you should also take a check in your fuse box to check that everything is in order.
One in four makes a dangerous mistake
Perform this test
To Dinside, Marianne Brattbakk, senior engineer in DSB’s Supervisory Region in Northern Norway, recommends that you should test the earth fault circuit breaker once or twice a year. She says that a ground fault circuit interrupter should automatically disconnect the power if there is a ground fault in the system.
– If it does not work properly, you may risk a power outage, or in the worst case that it starts to burn, warns Brattbakk.
In your fuse box you see all the earth fault circuit breakers and each one should have a test button that you press to test the earth fault circuit breaker. The insurance company must contain information on how to test and how often you should test.
The test button is often yellow or white and is marked with a “T”.
When you press the test button, the earth-leakage circuit breaker must switch off the power by automatically switching off the switch on the fuse. Then tilt it up again to turn on the power again.
– If it does not disconnect the power, there is something wrong with the earth fault circuit breaker and it should be replaced, Brattbakk says.
Then you must contact an electrician to have it replaced.
Note that older systems do not always have one earth fault circuit breaker per fuse, and some may have one common earth fault circuit breaker on the entire system.
Another thing that is important to check is the surge protection. It must protect the electrical system against overvoltages, which can come from lightning strikes, from the mains and thus prevent any damage.
Brattbakk explains that the surge protection consists of several cartridges. These have indicators that show if things are in order. If the indicators are different in color, it is a sign that something is defective and you should contact an electrician to have it examined.
Especially after thunderstorms, you should check the surge protection in your fuse box.
In the video at the very top of the case, you see how to test the earth leakage circuit breaker and check the surge protection.
If the overvoltage protection indicators are different, you should contact an electrician. Photo: Martin Kynningsrud Størbu
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Investigate this
At the same time, she recommends examining sockets and wires to detect any faults. For example, that there is no dizziness on the outlet in the wall.
You should also limit the use of extension cords, and avoid using them for equipment that uses a lot of power such as heaters.
Brattbakk encourages you to check out Elsikkerhetsportalen.no which provides useful tips and advice to consumers about electrical safety.
The electrical safety portal has, among other things, 10 useful tips and advice for using electrical products in the home.
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