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What electrical work may a homeowner do in South Africa?

Very little, and for good reason. Electricity in a home is 230 volts, which is enough to kill. A homeowner's part is small but vital: know the distribution board, switch off before changing a bulb, test the earth leakage, never overload, and notice the warning signs. Everything else is a registered electrician's work, by law.

Know your distribution board

• The main switch turns off everything after it.
• The earth leakage cuts the power if current leaks to earth, for example through a faulty appliance or a person. It can save your life.
• Each circuit breaker protects one circuit: lights, plugs, the stove or the geyser.

Label every breaker. Never remove the inner cover of the board, because live parts are behind it.

Test the earth leakage every month

Press the test button once a month. The earth leakage should trip at once. Reset it. If it does not trip, it is not protecting you, so call a registered electrician.

When a breaker trips

A breaker trips when a circuit is overloaded or an appliance or the wiring has a fault.

1. Unplug the appliances on that circuit.
2. Reset the breaker.
3. Plug the appliances back one at a time. If it trips when one goes in, that appliance is faulty.
4. If it trips with nothing plugged in, the fault is in the wiring. Call a registered electrician.

When the earth leakage trips

1. Unplug the appliances and switch off all the circuit breakers.
2. Reset the earth leakage.
3. Switch the breakers on one at a time. When it trips again, you have found the circuit.
4. On that circuit, plug the appliances back one at a time to find the faulty one.

Kettles, irons, washing machines and heaters are common culprits, and so is rainwater in an outside socket. Never tape down or bypass an earth leakage that keeps tripping. It is doing its job.

What you may do yourself

• Change a light bulb. Switch off first and let the old bulb cool.
• Fit a plug to an appliance cord. Brown is live, blue is neutral, and green and yellow is earth. Clamp the outer sheath in the cord grip. If the cord itself is damaged, replace the cord or the appliance.
• Use plugs and leads safely. Do not stack adaptors or chain multiplugs. Heaters, kettles, irons and microwaves need a plug point each. Unroll extension leads fully, and never run them under carpets.

Warning signs

Switch off and call a registered electrician if you notice:

• scorch marks, melted plastic or a burning smell at a plug, switch or the board;
• plugs or switches that are warm to the touch;
• buzzing, or sparks when you plug in;
• breakers or the earth leakage tripping repeatedly;
• a tingle or shock from an appliance, a tap or a metal fitting.

What only a registered electrician may do

• new or moved plug points, light points and switches;
• fixed appliances such as stoves, geysers and air-conditioners;
• any work on the distribution board;
• outside lights, and the supply to gate motors and pool pumps;
• inverters, batteries, solar systems and generator changeover switches;
• repairs to faulty wiring.

After the work, the electrician issues a certificate of compliance. Keep it. When you sell the home, the certificate may not be older than two years.

Generators

Run a generator outdoors only. Never plug one into a wall socket: it can feed power back into the street and kill people working on the lines.

This guide is based on Chapter 7 of DIY for the New Homeowner.