Emergency Electrical Household Threats

Types of Emergency Electrical Household Threats

At Gordon’s Powers, we’re passionate about power and people, so we recognise that emergency services are not a luxury. But rather a necessity. Our emergency electricians are on-call 24/7 and can get to the Eastern suburbs, Inner-West, Sutherland Shire, North Sydney and The Hills District within 60 minutes.

It’s important to recognise when you should reach out to an emergency electrician. Interference with overhead service cables, irregular smells and sounds, and improper digging methods are all indicators of an electrical threat. Essentially, if it poses a risk to anybody’s safety, immediately call an emergency electrician.

Hazardous Overhead Service Cables

Low-running, collapsed or damaged overhead service cables require urgent attention. It’s advisable you have an emergency electrician remedy the issue to prevent it from causing any harm to bystanders or people that live and work in the area. Overhead service cables may become hazardous because of 4 primary reasons.

• Extreme weather conditions: Strong winds, heavy rainfall, lightning and debris in the air can all cause overhead service cables to become displaced or collapsed. They can have either a direct or indirect impact. Falling trees resulting from these weather conditions may come into contact with overhead service cables, posing an immediate risk to the safety of anybody nearby. Overhead service cables can also be deteriorated by the sun. If the insulation around the cables is UV-damaged, it should be replaced as soon as possible. Contact an emergency electrician if your overhead service cables are affected in any of these ways.
• Changes to property: Your cables may be considered low-running if you’ve recently added an extension to your property or elevated the ground beneath. If so, your overhead service cables will need to be raised by an emergency electrician to meet minimum safety clearances.
• Introduction of new structures: Recently installed a clothesline, antenna or flagpole? These too can cause your overhead service cables to become low-running. It’s best to have an emergency electrician assess and possibly correct the clearance to ensure it complies with legal standards.
• Vehicular interference: Often truck-drivers underestimate the height of their own trucks. Trying to squeeze under overhead service cables that aren’t quite fit for an oversized semi-trailer can cause overhead service cables to collapse or be severely damaged. When this happens, an emergency electrician will need to repair or replace the cables immediately.

Electrical Faults

Can you smell something metallic or burning? Are your lights flickering or dimming? Can you hear crackling noises? These warning signs should not be ignored. Reach out to an emergency electrician pronto! Electrical faults are one of the leading causes of property fires. Before it gets to that stage, an emergency electrician will be able to identify the electrical threats and have it rectified.

It could be something as simple as a blown fuse or overloading a power point. Be wary of how you use electricity. Increased electricity consumption may warrant a switch to a three-phase supply so be sure to note with your electrician if you’ve recently upped your usage. Other obvious things to look out for are frayed cords, overused power boards and electrical heaters near flammable objects.

Excavation of Property

Mistakes happen. The first and most important step before excavation is to contact Dial Before You Dig. If you haven’t, or if you haven’t studied the site plans thoroughly, it is not unlikely you’ll hit some underground infrastructure. Not only can this damage underground electrical systems and third-party networks, but it can be extremely dangerous. Before moving onto another area, have the issue at hand immediately addressed by an emergency electrician. The longer you leave this area exposed, the more likely the risk will eventuate.

Outdated Electricity Meters

Only a small fraction of Australian properties are hooked up to a smart electricity meter and so it is not uncommon for us to receive reports of defective accumulation and interval meters. As the owner of the property, it is your responsibility to ensure your meter is maintained and fully-functioning. If there are issues, the expectation from your electricity retailer is that you have them resolved as soon as possible. An emergency electrician can not only perform these sorts of repairs but if necessary, you can install a replacement smart meter as these are now the mandatory upgrade.

If you encounter one of the above or suspect an emergency electrician may be needed for any other reason, do not hesitate to reach out. Our emergency electricians are Level 2 certified so are qualified to perform any electrical repair or installation. Once we identify the cause of electrical threats, we’ll provide an upfront quote so that there are no hidden surprises. We’ll then eliminate the risk on the spot, and depending on the issue at hand, provide a same-day repair or replacement.

If you’re from the Sydney Metropolitan and you contact us today, mention “Emergency Electrician Offer” to receive $50 off your next booking with an emergency electrician. Call us today on 02 9199 7480!