At Dalec we’re specialists in all aspects of electrical installations and our services are available to commercial, business and residential customers.

If you are planning an office or commercial refurbishment, new build or renovation, we can help you keep your business running at maximum efficiency.  We understand that if you run your own business then time means money, and our electrical services are designed to offer efficiency and reliability.

We can help with all aspects of electrical installations for businesses, including security and fire protection systems, lighting, rewiring, general repairs and maintenance.

If you’d like advice on any aspect of our electrical services for business and commercial customers, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Whether you’re having a brand-new kitchen installed or are considering updating a kitchen appliance, electrical safety is incredibly important.

Many kitchens now feature ‘integrated’ appliances and these can include fridges, freezers, ovens, dishwashers and microwaves.  Integrated appliances must be installed correctly if they are to work efficiently and safely and we’re always amazed at the number of appliances that we come across which have been badly installed.

Integrated or built-in freezers and fridges are often the worst culprits.  Sufficient airflow is vital for a fridge of freezer to work properly and if a refrigeration appliance has been installed incorrectly, it can take months for problems to come to light, leaving the fridge or freezer beyond repair.

Fridges, freezers and fridge freezers all work on the same principle: cool air needs to be drawn in to cool the interior cavity of the appliance.  Airflow and a constant supply of cool air is essential and once cool air has been heated, it then needs to be expelled.

Built-in refrigeration appliances must be mounted in a purpose built kitchen unit which has been designed to allow air to be safely expelled.  If the vent has been blocked, heat can build-up in the appliance which leads to increased running times (leading to higher electricity bills) and a danger of the appliance over-heating.

As experts in all electrical installations, we’re happy to offer further advice and information on installing and using kitchen appliances safely – please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you require further information.

The long summer evenings are perfect for sitting out in the garden and if you’re thinking of installing some garden lighting, you need to spend a little time thinking about how to install it safely.

Before installing garden lighting you’ll need to make sure you have a transformer – a device which is used to transfer voltage from one level to another.  A transformer is an essential requirement for the majority of garden lighting because garden lighting usually operates at 12 volts whilst the power outlets in your home usually operate at 240 volts.

The number of garden lights which can be operated from a single transformer is limited: you’ll need to look at the wattage of each individual light and multiple that by the total number of lights you intend to use.  For example, if each single light works at 20 watts and you want to use eight of these lights in your garden, you will need a transformer of at least 160 watts.

The cables you use to power your garden lighting can, in theory, be as long as you want, however power will be lost as the number of lights and the length of the cable increases.  Ideally the cable should be kept as short as possible and depending on the size of your garden; a number of transformers may be required.

It is also important to consider other issues when installing garden lighting such as using the correct cables and our services are available to cover this.

Electrical safety is vital but becomes especially important if you have children.  There are a number of things you can do to keep your kids and your whole family safe.

Many parents assume that the blank plastic covers that can be used to cover electrical sockets are the best way to prevent electrical shocks.  However, regular sockets are generally safe and using covers will not prevent an electric shock if the socket itself is badly installed and unsafe.

The very best way to reduce the risk of electrical fires and to be safe from electric shocks is to have a fusebox with RCD protection, or to use a plug-in RCD protector.

Appliance cords must be kept out of reach of children, especially cords which are attached to hot items such as electric kettles, irons or hairdryers.  Appliance cords must never be left unconnected and plugged in – mobile phone chargers for example – as your child may be tempted to put the end of the cable in their mouth.

Finally, don’t forget to unplug appliances when they’re not in use!

If you’re considering having an intruder alarm installed in your home or business, it’s important to remember that by choosing an alarm installation company that is registered by the Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board is the best way to ensure that your alarm is installed correctly.

The effects of a burglary can potentially be devastating and it’s not worth taking the risk of using a second-rate alarm installer.  Here at Dalec we are SSAIB registered installers and by choosing a registered installation company such as ourselves, you’ll not only have the peace of mind that your alarm has been installed correctly, your alarm system will be installed and maintained to meet or exceed the requirements of your insurance.

The SSAIB will only certificate alarm installation companies that can demonstrate through their procedures and an inspection process that they have the required managerial and technical competence.

If you would like further information on the SSIAB registration scheme, please visit the SSAIB website or for details of our alarm installation services in Leeds, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.