Recently we received a callout at 10.30 on a Friday night due to a house fire. We had to go out and make it safe for the firefighters, and then go back first thing on the Saturday morning to reinstate power at the adjoining shop. It was pretty heartbreaking to see an elderly woman sitting out the front of what was her home in her dressing gown, in tears. After consulting with the fire investigators, we both concluded that it was an electrical fault on their consumers mains. They were incorrectly installed, and being a very old, neutral screened cable, it had been damaged a little more each time someone entered the roof cavity over the years. Finally it gave way and shorted, melting all the insulation and eventually sparking the fire within the roof.
This is a prime example of why people need upgraded switchboards and mains cabling. A new load limiting, circuit breaker main switch would have tripped as soon as the mains shorted, almost certainly avoiding the fire. The old mains were neutral screened rubber cables – new cables would not have had this issue. Especially if they were installed correctly with proper support and run in an appropriate manner.
Finally, and most importantly, always check your smoke alarms! The two smoke alarms in the house did not go off! If it had not have been for the neighbour, this could have ended in tragedy. Give us a call to arrange an inspection and quote of your mains, switchboard and smoke detectors
.