Professional Advice

At Scholz Electrical, we focus on giving back! We felt it would be appropriate to share some of the following professional advice with you to help save the environment.

• "A safety switch is designed to save the lives of yourself and your family"

  Do you regularly check the functionality of your safety switch?

  A safety switch is designed to save the lives of yourself and your family. Every home in Queensland should have a functioning safety switch. You as the house owner need to test your safety switch. This can be done by pressing the TEST button on the safety switch.

  When the test button is pressed and earth fault is put across the internal coil of the safety device which should in turn trip out the device. If this doesn’t occur you may have a non functional device and you will need to have it seen to by a qualified electrician.

  
  
• "A power surge can have damage beyond repair"

  What is a power surge and what damage can surges cause?

  A power surge is a rapid increase in voltage, which can be caused by lightning strikes, power disruptions or major electricity users such as factories or shopping centre’s switching large loads on or off. Power surges can even be caused by switching certain household appliances on or off.

  A power surge can have damage, beyond repair, many electrical devices ranging from radios to wide screen plasma televisions to major electronic machinery. There are very few insurance companies that will insure against surge damage. But you can, by installing a surge diverter protection device into your main switch board that will protect all electronic devices in your home and work place.

  The main function of a surge diverter is to redirect any excessive voltage above 240 volts to earth and not through your electrical system.

  
  
• "All electrical portable devices should be tagged and testing by a qualified electrician"

  Are you keeping your electrical equipment up to date with electrical safety test and tagging?

  All electrical portable devices should be tagged and tested by a qualified electrician especially in the work place where many different people can come into contact with electrical devices.

  Construction/ Demolitions Areas electrical equipment should be tagged and tested every 3-12 months dependant on the type of equipment.
  Service Areas electrical equipment should be tagged and tested every 3-12 months dependant on the type of equipment.
  Office Work Areas electrical equipment should be tagged and tested every 6-24 months dependant on the type of equipment.
  Manufacturing Work Areas electrical equipment should be tagged and tested every 6-12 months dependant on the type of equipment.

  Always make sure that the electrical equipment that you are about to use is protected by an EARTH LEAKAGE PROTECTION DEVICE..

  
  
• "A CFL provides the same amount of light for about one-quarter of the power compared with incandescent lighting"

  What does CFL stand for?

  A CFL is a compact fluorescent light. We more commonly refer to CFL’s as energy efficient or long life lights. A CFL provides the same amount of light for about one-quarter of the power compared with incandescent lighting.

  Low- voltage halogen lights are often mistaken as energy efficient. In fact, because they are recessed, they can use more energy for room lighting than incandescent bulbs, and they use from four to 20 times the amount of energy as CFL’s.

  
  
• "Solar hot water heating will save you up to 90% on your current hot water bill"

  Are you considering a change to solar for your hot water consumption?

  We are fortunate in Queensland with our weather and we are in remarkable position to harness the energy from the sun. Solar hot water heating will save you up to 90% on your current hot water bill which calculates approximately around $350 per annum on an average family consumption with a 305 liter system. With the constantly increasing electricity prices now is a good time to have solar installed on your home and take advantage of the current rebate structure.

  There are currently a number of suppliers and with that a great variant in quality. Solar hot water heating is just one way that you can help reduce the carbon footprint and start giving back to mother earth

  
  
• "For every hour that you reduce the use of your pool pump, you save over $80.00 and half a tonne of greenhouse gas emissions per month"

  Did you know that you can place your swimming pool motor onto a tariff control?

  Most of us current find that we have our hot water units on a controlled tariff either on tariff 31 or 33, but have you considered putting your pool pump onto the same system. For every hour that you reduce the use of your pool pump, you save over $80.00 and half a tonne of greenhouse gas emissions per month.

  To economically place your pool pump onto a controlled tariff an independent power circuit needs to be in place or installed. If the financial outlay cannot justify the savings to be had from a cheaper tariff, at least consider the installation of a timing device to regulate operating hours of the filtration system.

  
  
• "By cleaning or replacing the filters and clearing out the evaporator the efficiency of the system will dramatically improve and keep running cost down"

  How to maximize the efficiency of your air conditioning unit.

  Before the weather starts to heat up you should have your air conditioning system serviced. Inefficient systems will not only put a strain on the units operation but also the electricity grid. By cleaning or replacing the filters and clearing out the evaporator the efficiency of the system will dramatically improve and keep running cost down.

  Remember to keep the operating temperature at 25 degrees and keep windows and coverings closed.

  
  
• "Remember that the batteries within a smoke detection unit have a limited life and should be replaced on regular basis."

  Do you have smoke alarms fitted to your home and workplace?

  Many lives are lost every year due to fires in the home. Alternatively many lives are saved where home owners have taken the initiative to have smoke alarms installed. There a quite strict regulations around the necessity to have smoke alarms installed in dwellings. It is compulsory to have smoke alarms fitted to all rental properties and new homes.

  There are many forms of detectors such as battery only, 240 volt hard wired units, lithium battery backup, ionized and non ionized alarms and infra red detection smoke alarms. If it’s a matter of affordability but you still wish to protect your home and family our recommendation is to fit a functional lithium battery device which can be fitted by the home owner.

  On all smoke detection units there is a TEST button. When newly installed and on a regular basis (monthly) the test button should be pressed to indicate whether the device is functioning correctly. If the unit’s siren doesn’t activate then the device may be faulty and should be replaced or checked by a licensed electrician or fire safety specialist. 

  Remember that the batteries within a smoke detection unit have a limited life and should be replaced on regular basis. If at any time you hear a tweeting sound come from the detector this is an indication that the battery has perished and should be replaced immediately.

  
  
• "Legislation has been passed that by mid 2011 the production of electric hot water units will stop"

  Did you know that by mid 2011 all electric hot water units will be discontinued?

  Legislation has been passed that by mid 2011 the production of electric hot water units will stop. Your alternative options will be gas, heat pump or solar hot water systems for the generation of hot water within your home or business. There are currently attractive rebates in place for consumers to install sustainable heating devices.

  The more efficient and economical option is to go with solar generation as the main source of energy is freely at our disposal and has zero impact on natural resources.

  
  
• "Having your switchboard checked for ways to vermin proof your switchboard will prevent you from going through the inconvenience of power loss and damage to electrical equipment"

  Do you know that a large portion of power failures are caused by rodents?

  The electrocution of a fat rat in an electric substation caused a three hour power outage in Stockholm’s central railway station. The rat had sneaked into a secondary substation and came into contact with parts that caused it to short circuit. The short circuit was so forceful that the rat actually burst.

  Time after time we attend to power failures and find that rodents such as rats and geckos are a main cause for the loss of power. These animals shelter in switchboards for dry and warmth around the home and work place.

  Having your switchboard checked for ways to vermin proof your switchboard will prevent you from going through the inconvenience of power loss and damage to electrical equipment.