New Post: Electrical jargon buster -
Electrical jargonbuster
Our plain English guide explains some of the terms and acronyms you might hear your registered electrician use.
If you don't understand what they are talking about, don't be afraid to ask. The technical language is second nature to a professional electrician and it's easy to forget that we do not all understand it!
BS7671
The UK national safety standard for electrical installation work.
Capping
The thin metal or plastic channel sometimes used to contain cables when fixed to a wall before plastering. Capping is used to make it easy to run several cables following the same route with the minimum use of fixings. It does not provide protection against damage from nails or screws.
Chasing/Chases
To make a slot or a groove to install cables or wiring systems into solid walls. Chasing causes a lot of disruption, noise and dust and once completed will require making good. In Scotland, chases are known as raggles.
Consumer unit
A consumer unit is the same as a fusebox and is used to control and distribute electricity around the home. It usually contains a main switch, fuses or circuit breakers and one or more residual current devices (RCDs).
Earthing
Earthing minimises the risk of receiving an electric shock if you should touch metal parts when a fault has occurred. It provides a path for the faulty current to flow safely to earth, which causes the protective device (MCB, fuses) to disconnect the circuit and
