Safety and standards
NEN 1010 and NEN 3140 in plain language, which RCD you need, smoke alarms and exactly what an insurer wants to see.
9 articlesWritten by Kevin Hermans
Articles
Electrical inspection when selling or buying a home
An inspection is not compulsory when selling, but the report prevents discussion and surprises after the keys are handed over.
Surge protection: necessary or nonsense
A surge protector catches the spike that would otherwise wreck your equipment. With solar panels, an EV charger or a detached house it is worth it.
Earthing: why it is there and how you know whether it is sound
Earthing is the path a fault runs away along so the protection can work. Without a sound earth, the rest does not work.
How old is my installation really: these are the signs
Cloth-covered wiring, no RCD, screw-in fuses and unearthed two-pin sockets: each feature tells you something about the year it was built and the risk.
Smoke alarms: where they must go and how to interlink them
A smoke alarm on every floor, and interlinked. Without interlinking, you will not hear in the loft that the kitchen is on fire.
Type A, type B or type F RCD: which do you need
Type A is the standard. Type B only where DC leakage can occur, and that is less often than sellers say. Saves hundreds of euros.
Is my meter cupboard still safe? 10 things you can see yourself
Ten things you can see yourself without unscrewing anything. If you recognise three or more, it is time for a chat.
Arc fault detection device (AFDD): what it is and when you want one
The gap that your breaker and your RCD both miss: an arcing connection that smoulders. Where it makes sense and where it does not.
Testing your RCD: do this twice a year
Thirty seconds' work, twice a year. And the honest story about what that test button does and above all does not prove.
Other topics
Choose a topic. Every article starts with a short answer.
Consumer unit and meter cupboard
How many circuits you need, when your consumer unit really has to be replaced and what is actually printed on all those…
12 itemsEV chargers
Charging at home: single-phase or three-phase, which protection goes with it, load balancing and what makes an EV charger in an owners' association (VvE) diffe…
9 itemsSolar panels and home batteries
What panels and a battery do to your meter cupboard, why your inverter cuts out when the grid voltage is too high, and what…
11 itemsFixing faults
RCD tripped, a room without power, flickering lights. Explained step by step, including what you are allowed to do yourse…
10 itemsIntercom and access
Choosing a video intercom for a house or flat, and whether it can run over your existing doorbell wiring.
8 itemsElectrics when renovating
When the electrician needs to come, how many sockets per room, what is allowed in the bathroom and who does what…
10 itemsLighting and switching
Dimming, LED, outdoor lighting and smart switching, with the pitfalls I come across in practice.
8 itemsNetwork and wifi at home
Cabling, wifi that does not reach everywhere, and what you can put in for next to nothing during a renovation.
8 items