The Body's Reaction to Electricity

It is a well-known fact that the human body will conduct electricity. A current flows any time the body comes into contact with an electrically energized part while simultaneously making contact with another conductive surface, such as metal. Once the current enters the body at one contact point, it will pass through the body and exit at the other contact point, usually the ground.
Several factors affect the severity of electric shock injuries, including the system voltage, the amount of electricity or amperage, the type of current (direct or alternating), and the body's resistance to the current. The path the current takes through the body and the length of time the body remains in contact with the current are also factors.
The body's reaction to electric shock can range from a minor tingling sensation to instant death. Even at levels as low as 3 milli-amperes, current traveling through the body can cause indirect or secondary injuries, including bruising and bone fractures. Keep in mind that a standard domestic earth leakage device (RCD),when functioning correctly, should disconnect the circuit at 15mA-30mA when a fault condition is detected.
Consider how the body reacts when it comes into contact with the following levels of electricity:

• 0.5-3 mA      Tingling sensation 
• 3-10 mA     Muscle contractions and pain
• 10-40 mA      "Let-go" threshold
• 30-75 mA      Respiratory paralysis
• 100-200 mA      Ventricular fibrillation
• 200-500 mA      Heart clamps tight
• 1500+ mA      Tissue and organs start to burn

To put these levels of exposure into perspective, the voltage levels for equipment and power sources present in various installations follow:

• 220V – 240V    Standard domestic installation - sockets, light switches, appliances, heaters,
• small machinery, drill presses etc
• 380V – 440V      Large domestic, commercial and industrial installation - Heavy-duty machinery,
• appliances, equipment etc
• 525V -6600V     Mining and industrial installations - machinery, substations, transformers etc
• 11000-22000V       Incoming feed from the power company 

How can I prevent electric shock
1. The best thing to do is to leave the electrical work to the experts! Registered electricians are dedicated professionals who specialize in their field and study for years. They are qualified to handle electricity and all electrical problems safely and successfully.
2. Ensure that you have a valid certificate of compliance for your electrical and electric fence installation.
3. Regularly test your earth leakage to ensure that it is working correctly
Dan Electrical Contractors specialise in peace of mind. We are registered Master Electricians and can test your electrical or electric fence installation to identify hazards and faulty components before you become part of the statistics.
Contact us today at 012 997 2737 or sales@danelectrical.co.za
www.danelectrical.co.za

So, what exactly is an electrician...and what do we do?

An electrician is a tradesperson specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, stationary machines and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance and repair of existing electrical infrastructure. Electricians may also specialize in wiring ships, airplanes and other mobile platforms.
Electricians are divided into two primary categories: linemen, who work on electric utility company distribution systems at higher voltages, and wiremen, who work with the lower voltages utilized inside buildings. Wiremen are generally trained in one of five primary specialties: commercial, residential, light industrial, industrial, and low-voltage wiring, more commonly known as Voice-Data-Video, or VDV. Other sub-specialties such as control wiring and fire-alarm may be performed by specialists trained in the devices being installed, or by inside wiremen.
Electricians are trained to one of three levels: Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master Electrician. They generally take several hundred hours of classroom instruction and are contracted to follow apprenticeship standards for a period of between three and six years, during which time they are paid as a percentage of the Journeyman's pay. Journeymen are electricians who have completed their Apprenticeship and who have been found by the local, State, or National licensing body to be competent in the electrical trade. Master Electricians have performed well in the trade for a period of time, often seven to ten years, and have passed an exam to demonstrate superior knowledge of the National Electrical Code, or NEC.
Service electricians are tasked to respond to requests for isolated repairs and upgrades. They have considerable skills troubleshooting wiring problems, installing wiring in existing buildings, and making repairs. Construction electricians primarily focus on larger projects, such as installing all new electrical system for an entire building, or upgrading an entire floor of an office building as part of a remodeling process. Other specialty areas are marine electricians, research electricians and hospital electricians. "Electrician" is also used as the name of a role in stagecraft, where electricians are tasked primarily with hanging, focusing, and operating stage lighting. In this context, the Master Electrician is the show's chief electrician. Although theater electricians routinely perform electrical work on stage lighting instruments and equipment, they are not part of the electrical trade and have a different set of skills and qualifications from the electricians that work on building wiring.
Electrical contractors are businesses that employ electricians to design, install, and maintain electrical systems. Contractors are responsible for generating bids for new jobs, hiring tradespeople for the job, providing material to electricians in a timely manner, and communicating with architects, electrical and building engineers, and the customer to plan and complete the finished product.

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Standby for more Savings

Dan Electrical

These days our homes are full of appliances that use electricity all the time, even when we aren’t there. We leave them on standby mode, waiting to be used again. You would think that an appliance on standby would only use a little electricity, but sadly we are mistaken.
In some households appliances of standby mode use the equivalent of leaving a 100W light bulb on all year
Some examples of appliances that use power, but can be switched off are; battery and phone charges, microwaves (do you really need that digital clock?), computers, TVs, DVD players, decoders, Hi-Fis, game consoles, rechargeable toothbrushes, the list can go on and on. There are some appliances that do however, need to be powered all the time such as; home security systems, remote controlled gates and garage doors, to name but a few. Make sure you select low consumption models to reduce your electricity usage.
Check the Label

Before you buy a new appliance, check the energy efficiency rating, which is rated on a scale from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient). A-rated appliances are better for the environment and cost much less to run. For example, if you replace the fridge-freezer you bought in 1995 with an A-rated energy efficient one, you would save about R 680.00 a year on electricity. Some brands are A+ or A++ rated - the pinnacle of appliance energy efficiency.
Here are some handy tips for reducing energy around the house:

Lights:

1.    In most homes, lighting accounts for around 17% - 20% of the electricity bill. A considerable amount of electricity can be saved by replacing your conventional tungsten bulbs with compact-florescent lamps (CFLs). They are more expensive, but CFLs last 8 times longer.
2.    Turn off the lights that you don’t need on and use lighter lampshades as they will make the most of the energy.
3.    Fit lower wattage bulbs wherever possible and avoid leaving spot lights on for too long, as they use more electricity.

In the Lounge:

1.    Switch the TV off when not in use, leaving it on standby mode uses up to 50% of the power the TV would use if it was actually on, the same goes for the Hi-Fi’s and computers.
2.    Rather use a gas heater or a temperature-controlled oil heater for space heating and switch of the heater if you leave the room.
3.    Curtains help to retain the heat, so draw them early in the evening.

www.danelectrical.co.za

Dan Electrical Master Electricians Pretoria South Africa

Teachers ask that electrical safety be worked into program content



If there's one thing common to all children, it's curiosity. The urge to discover how things work, that drive to explore the unknown, is to be celebrated.

But children have to learn how to be safe. We have to teach them that cars and trucks and electrical outlets can be dangerous. And as the utility that provides electricity to so much of the province, BC Hydro takes responsibility for helping to deliver that safety message.

"We use electricity every day," says BC Hydro's Mary Ferguson. There are potentially hazardous situations everywhere.

Overhead lines are dangerous to kite flyers. Residential transformer boxes on the ground can be obstacles to kids playing hide-and-seek. Toasters and appliances in the kitchen must be used properly and with safety in mind.

Luckily, young children in particular want to do the right thing, says Mary, one of the people who coordinates FirstWave and BC Hydro's school programs.

"Kids take learning seriously," she says. "We teach electrical safety in the context of understanding how we get our electricity and how we use it."

Developed for every age of student, from early childhood and kindergarten to high school, the programs offered by BC Hydro are created to support the curriculum and learning outcomes set out by the Ministry of Education. And teachers at all levels, says Mary, have asked that safety be embedded in the electricity context.

An outdoor activity included in the Energy Explorers resource kit for teachers helps kindergarten students learn the "look, but don't touch" rule. The flash cards pictured here are used in games that directly teach safety lessons.

These activities help teach the "Safety and injury prevention" module established by the Ministry.

Safety messages are always presented in context. Grade 6 students, for example, learn how electrical circuits work, and also learn to think ahead. That forward planning, says Mary, is both prudent for safety but it's also part of the scientific method.

High school students take things a step further with more sophisticated lessons about electricity and safety.

What children learn in the later years, says Mary, is built on what they've learned previously. "It scaffolds," she says.

www.danelectrical.co.za

info@danelectrical.co.za

27 12 997 2737

Dan Electrical Master Electricians Pretoria South Africa

We, Dan Electrical - Master Electricians, have had some extensive experience in the field of electrical contract work. Her are some brief reports on some of the projects we worked on.



We inspected part of Eskom NER North Eastern Regions Substation to compile a specialised compliance report as to the condition of the battery banks. These battery banks provide the substation protection equipment with a continious voltage to ensure overload protection at all times. This is a specialised function and should be performed by a Master Installation Electrician.



A particular site at Rhodesfield where the Gautrain rail crosses a high voltage overhead line. Because huge mobile cranes were used a customised earthing solution was required to prevent the crane operator from receiving a nasty shock due to induction from the high voltage overhead lines.



Even though electrical installations on farms are seldom under scrutiny when it comes to the wiring code, the buyer or bank in this case may require a valid certificate of compliance before a loan is approved. This was a prime example where our client wanted to sell his farm between Warmbaths and Thabazimbi and we first had to perform an inspection, repair years of substandard reticulation connections, before the certificate of compliance could be issued.



We have experience with various popular brands home automation systems and can assist with design, installation and repairs. We also deal with local companies which means lower costs and availability of spares.

Dan Electrical

012 997 2737

info@danelectrical.co.za

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Dan Electrical Master Electricians Pretoria South Africa

We, Dan Electrical - Master Electricians, have had some extensive experience in the field of electrical contract work. Her are some brief reports on some of the projects we worked on.



We inspected part of Eskom NER North Eastern Regions Substation to compile a specialised compliance report as to the condition of the battery banks. These battery banks provide the substation protection equipment with a continious voltage to ensure overload protection at all times. This is a specialised function and should be performed by a Master Installation Electrician.



A particular site at Rhodesfield where the Gautrain rail crosses a high voltage overhead line. Because huge mobile cranes were used a customised earthing solution was required to prevent the crane operator from receiving a nasty shock due to induction from the high voltage overhead lines.



Even though electrical installations on farms are seldom under scrutiny when it comes to the wiring code, the buyer or bank in this case may require a valid certificate of compliance before a loan is approved. This was a prime example where our client wanted to sell his farm between Warmbaths and Thabazimbi and we first had to perform an inspection, repair years of substandard reticulation connections, before the certificate of compliance could be issued.



We have experience with various popular brands home automation systems and can assist with design, installation and repairs. We also deal with local companies which means lower costs and availability of spares.

Dan Electrical

012 997 2737

info@danelectrical.co.za

Facebook

Dan Electrical Master Electricians Pretoria South Africa

How to save electricity in your home

 

Save electricity

Saving electricity will not only save you money, but will also help with the rising power cuts, as the country needs to cut energy use by 10% for the current system to cope. Saving electricity will also give you a warm fuzzy feeling, as you will be doing your bit to conserve natural resources, i.e. coal, and reducing the impact energy consumption has on the environment, slowing down global warming.

What’s Watt?

 

·         Electricity is measured in units of power called watts (W)

·         1 000 watts = 1 kilowatt (kW)

·         1 kilowatt hour (kWh) = 1000W or 1kW working for one hour

·         Electricity is measured in kilowatt hours, and on your electricity bill each kilowatt hour is shown as one unit.

All household appliances are rated in watts or kilowatts. This will indicate how much electricity the appliance uses in a certain amount of time. For example, a 1kW kitchen appliance uses one unit of electricity an hour. A 100 watt light bulb uses one unit of electricity every 10 hours. Usually the rating is shown on the appliance, the higher the rating, the more electricity it will use.

Hungry Appliances

The first step in saving electricity is to understand how electricity is used in your home.  South African households, on average, use electricity in the following ways:

·         Space heating and cooling: 18%

·         Lighting: 17%

·         Fridges and freezers: 8%

·         Cooking: 11%

·         Consumer electronics: 5%

·         Consumer electronics on standby mode: 15%

·         Geysers: 24%

·         Miscellaneous: 2%

 

Standby for more Savings

These days our homes are full of appliances that use electricity all the time, even when we aren’t there. We leave them on standby mode, waiting to be used again. You would think that an appliance on standby would only use a little electricity, but sadly we are mistaken.

In some households appliances of standby mode use the equivalent of leaving a 100W light bulb on all year

Some examples of appliances that use power, but can be switched off are; battery and phone charges, microwaves (do you really need that digital clock?), computers, TVs, DVD players, decoders, Hi-Fis, game consoles, rechargeable toothbrushes, the list can go on and on. There are some appliances that do however, need to be powered all the time such as; home security systems, remote controlled gates and garage doors, to name but a few. Make sure you select low consumption models to reduce your electricity usage.

Dan Electrical

info@danelectrical.co.za/+27 12 997 2737