Maintaining a building is no easy task. And the bigger the building, the bigger the list of things to maintain and the bigger the list of things that can go wrong inside it.
To make sure your building is in great shape, give this list of checks to your commercial electrician to make sure everything is ship shape.
Number 1
The first thing to check is the power requirements for the building and occupants as you don't want to be left with a building that has no power at all. Once you know your requirements, go to the fuse box/consumer unit and check that the incoming supply is of large enough capacity to carry the load required to run the building. If you skip this check, you may start to blow fuses/trips if the supply is not enough to match the load required.
Number 2
Make sure nobody gets a nasty shock! Earthing the property is usually done by the company supplying the power, but the company only grounds the power to an earth terminal. It is then the occupant who is responsible for the earthing of all extraneous metalwork around the building to make sure they are at the same potential as the supplied earth. This is done by connecting a wire of adequate size between the earth terminal and any metalwork or conductive surface.
On commercial buildings there is usually a lightning conductor on the roof with an earth strap (conductor) between that and the buried earth plate beneath the building. Another way to make sure nobody gets a nasty shock!
Number 3
After the above checks, have a look at the trips and what they supply. Usually a 6 amp trip is used for lighting loop circuits and 16 amp trips are used for water heater circuits, while 32 amp trips are for power sockets used for appliances, toasters and vacuums. Ensure you have the right ones for the right jobs.
Number 4
Regular testing will ensure that everything is safe and working properly. The tools required to test circuits are costly and do require regular testing to ensure electrical safety. To test a lighting circuit, check that the lamps in the circuit will not be damaged by the test. The insulation on lighting circuits using electronic ballasts and LED fittings will be susceptible to damage, so they will need to be removed before testing.
Number 5
You should carry out a visual check for any damage to light switches and power outlets and replace them as required. The plugs used on appliances should be checked to make sure they are sound, as any loose wires will get hot and damage the socket and can cause a fire.
Make use of a skilled commercial electrician to ensure your building's safety.
When we purchased our first home, we realized that there was a problem with some of the electrical work. Some of the lights flickered when we turned them on, and others really seemed to have issues if they were left on long term. I thought the issues was the light bulbs themselves at first, so I replaced several of them. However, after making those changes, it seemed like things were still having trouble. I began going through and thinking carefully about how to identify and resolve the challenges, and it occurred to me that working with an electrician could be helpful. I turned to the professional for help, and it was a good thing I did. Read more about electricians on this blog.