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The world of electrical installation can often be a confusing one with conflicting opinions and regulations in place. Although hard work spent training to be an electrician is rewarded by receiving numerous City & Guilds certificates, every day after qualification is still a learning curve. Have a look at these top five electricians tips from test-meter.co.uk which will save you time revisiting a client at a later date to find faults or encounter problems installing additional accessories.

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1. Check Your Distance

Always leave approximate 1.5 – 2 times the length of an electrical accessory in cable conductor length before terminating. It could be you revisiting a client in the future to find an electrical fault or attempting installation from an accessory with no cable length!

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2. PFC + Ze Saves Time

Carry out your Prospective Fault Current test (PFC) when you conduct your Ze test. This will save you from isolating the installation at a later time in order to disconnect the main earth.

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3. Feed The Cable With Care

Whilst feeding flat twin and earth cable from a drum, be sure to guide it in manner so that it does not twist. Twisted twin and earth cable is prone to getting stuck in bored joists, creating a high risk of friction burn which can ultimately lead to failing insulation resistance values. These faults will be very hard to find at a later date, especially when floorboards are refitted and carpet is laid.

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4. Tighten The Screws

When fitting or re-fitting a socket outlet, be sure to re tighten conductor terminals after pushing the socket back to the wall before permanently fixing the socket. Movement caused by pushing a socket flush to the wall can cause the terminal screws to loosen slightly, causing a risk of high resistance terminations if left unchecked.

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5. Survey The Job

When quoting a client for a job, take 5 minutes to carry out basic tests on the circuits that you will be working on. This will save you from discovering an unexpected fault on the day of installation.