Installations
Top 5 signs your building might need electrical rewiring
Under the NSW Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017, any person conducting a business in a commercial or industrial property has an obligation to ensure the safety of employees, customers and any other person visiting the property. This means you need to be rigorous in maintaining the condition of your electrical wiring and respond immediately to any signs the building might need to be rewired. Here are the top 5 signs to look out for.
- Flickering or dimming lights
While some flickering or dimming of lights is normal in situations where motor driven devices are being turned on (which pulls more amps from the circuit), they can also be a sign of an over-loaded circuit, faulty wiring or a faulty circuit breaker. If the lights in your industrial or commercial property are regularly dimming or flickering, you should have your wiring checked by a licensed electrician as soon as possible. - Frequent blown fuses or tripped circuit breakers
This is a significant sign that something is not right with your wiring, as it is an indication that your circuit is not handling the amount of electricity you need to run your business. It may very well be the case that your wiring is worn out and you need to rewire. If you are experiencing either of the above issues, your wiring needs urgent attention. - Buzzing, charred or dead power outlets or switches
All of the above are signs of something seriously wrong with either the switch or outlet in question, or with your wiring as a whole. As soon as you notice these warning signs, you need to contact an electrician and have the problem diagnosed and fixed. Failure to attend to these signs as soon as you notice them can potentially lead to a very dangerous situation. - Electric shocks from power outlets or switches
As above, if your outlets or switches are giving a shock when used, this is a sure sign things are not right with either the outlet or switch, or with your wiring. If you or any of your employees receive a shock from an outlet or switch, you must get an electrician to find out what’s going on as a matter of urgency. - Cracked, cut or broken insulation cable
Insulation cable prevents your wiring from coming into contact with other conductors, protects it from the elements and inhibits electrical leakage. For this reason, it is essential that the cable is in good condition throughout your entire electrical circuitry. To prevent more serious electrical issues, ask your electrician to carry out an inspection of your wiring and replace any damaged cable. If the damage is extensive, you may need to rewire the building.
While there are a number of other signs that point to faulty wiring, the above are the most common indicators and should never be taken lightly. Always ensure that the electrician diagnosing and fixing the issue is licensed and has experience in the relevant commercial or industrial context.
Under the Workplace Health & Safety Regulations, all businesses must maintain a regular Test Tagging schedule, to avoid damage to people or property from electrical equipment or circuitry.
At Caslec, our highly experienced commercial and industrial electricians provide Test Tagging services to businesses throughout the Greater Sydney region. Call us today on 1300 659 273 to discuss or visit our Service Areas page to find an electrician near you.
What’s the difference between an industrial & a commercial electrician?
What is an industrial electrician?
Industrial electricians are highly skilled specialists who are trained to install, maintain and repair electrical and data & communications systems for manufacturing and production facilities, power plants and other large industrial projects. Their role requires them to ensure the safety and efficiency of large electrical systems and maintain and repair complex equipment, such as industrial motors, fans and control systems.
Industrial electricians are called in at the construction phase of any industrial facility, to install and test new equipment and systems to ensure they meet the relevant regulations and standards. At Caslec, our industrial electricians are regularly re-trained and tested in order to meet the demands of an industrial landscape where the technology and related standards are always evolving. This includes our ability to design and install a Programmable Logic Control System that incorporates Variable Speed Drives and Soft Starters to suit any industry’s processes and drive greater efficiency.
What is a commercial electrician?
A commercial electrician installs, maintains, repairs and tests electrical and communication systems in businesses or public facilities such as hospitals, schools, shopping centres, restaurants and retail outlets, to name just a few. Fundamentally, commercial electricians are responsible for wiring the instruments that control the power, lighting, heating, air conditioning and refrigeration units in commercial buildings.
At Caslec, our commercial electricians are highly qualified in working with security and communications systems, the installation of commercial lighting, including energy efficient options such as LED, and the installation, testing and inspection of commercial/workplace electrical equipment so it meets Australian Standards.
Like an industrial electrician, commercial electricians are called in at the installation phase of new buildings and commercial projects. At Caslec, our commercial electricians work with you to determine the best electrical and lighting solution for your business or project, ensuring that you are provided with the highest standards of safety and efficiency.
Most importantly, whether you’re an industrial or commercial business, government workplace health & safety regulations require you to have your electrical equipment tested on a regular basis. Call Caslec on 1300 659 273 to book your industrial or commercial Test Tagging today.
Power factor correction
Power Factor Correction is an increasingly important tool in the effort to help large power consumers like factories save on electricity bills.
To increase your energy savings rate commercial electricians from Caslec would like to assist you with the installation and maintenance of Power Factor Correction units.
If your installation has poor power factor, your company’s electricity bills can be too high. A Power Factor Correction unit (PFC) can save you a lot of money by correcting this low power factor.
For commercial or industrial premises, particularly those with many inductive loads such as motors, pumps, inductive lighting or where the installation has low power factor – Caslec is here to help.
Our team of experts can use a Power Analyser to check your power factor, then design a Power Factor Correction unit with the appropriately sized capacitor steps to correct your power factor as close as possible to unity power factor, meaning you will pay less for electricity. The best news is that many of these power factor correction units can be paid for with the savings generated on your electricity bill, meaning you are not out of your pocket for the installation.
Contact Caslec commercial electricians from Sydney and discuss your Power Factor Correction solution.
Type of cabling you might need for your business
For those who aren’t interested in the subject, cables are cables, but there is a distinct difference between electrical cabling which runs electrical current and communication cables that include all types of Data Cabling. Other common names for Data Cabling are Network Cabling and Data Network Cabling.
Commercial Data Cabling which is basically the same as Commercial Network Cabling refers to industries in which Communication Cabling is commonly used.
Data Cables are usually made of copper or optical fibre. Each of them has the capability to serve both data and communications, but each has varying strengths and purposes, for example, Telephone Cabling.
When Data Cabling is arranged in a certain fashion it is known as Structured Data Cabling or just Structure Cabling.
Structured Cabling design and installation is managed by a set of standards that specify the wiring of data centres, shops, offices, factories, schools, residential buildings etc for data or voice communications using various types and categories of data cabling with modular connectors. These standards describe how to display data cables in different typologies in order to meet the needs of the customer, typically using a central patch panel from which each modular connection can be used as required. Each outlet is then fixed into a network switch for data network use or into an IP or Private Box Exchange telephone system panel.
Wireless networks extend data and communications cabling beyond the physical range of data cables.
Our experts from Caslec in Sydney are qualified to service all kinds of Data Cabling and Electrical Cabling in accordance with all Electrical, Data and Telecommunications standards, which not all Electricians or Electrical Contractors are qualified to do so.
We are looking forward to discussing the specifics of your business electrical system
Find out more about Level 2 Services we provide
What’s involved in Energy Audit Report?
A comprehensive Energy Audit Report obtained by Caslec Industrial Electricians is an in-depth study into power consumption within your company premises.
Scope of Work:
· Applying a data logger to the main switchboard for approximately 7 days, monitoring power, lighting and air conditioning system which measures and records the amps, voltages and harmonics being drawn from each circuit.
· Entering every room throughout the premises to count all electrical equipment.
· Identifying sub-boards and whether they require further data logging to measure accuracy.
· Producing a graphical interpretation of the monitored results.
· Formal presentation of the results and assistance in the implementation if required.
Energy Audit covers power, lighting, air conditioning and all other circuits that are used in your company buildings. Monitoring the power consumption over a week or longer will identify peak usage periods, highlight wastage, such as consumption in the evenings and weekends as well as inefficiency through load balance.
Have a look at some of our most common findings, our easy solutions and some more complexed ones.
Are you sure that your timers and sensors are working correctly? Did you know that due to power outages or human intervention they might not be working at all??
It’s time to check it.
On many occasions we have found hot water urns left on boil 24 hours a day, 7 days a week…wasting a huge amount of energy. Newer models are already programmed to turn off during out of hours or retrograde a timer onto older units.
Implementing energy saving company policies is an easy solution that saves a lot of money. Also, timers and sensors on lighting to ensure only security lighting system is left on when the building is not in use or upgrading older equipment to newer, more energy efficient products.
For a free assessment of your circumstances contact Caslec Industrial Electricians in Sydney.
Have a look at our services and find out what we can do for you.
Call us on (02) 9604 4488 for a free consultation.
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