Electrical service
Electrical fault finding
Something tripping, sockets that have stopped, lights not working, or power gone in part of the property. Describe it however it makes sense to you.
- No diagnosis needed from you
- Priced on time, with a range up front
- Free, no-obligation quotes
- NAPIT registeredRegistered competent electrician
- Fully insuredInsured on every job
- 15+ years' experiencePeter has been doing this a while
- Free, no-obligation quotesA clear price before I start
You do not need to know what is wrong
That is the whole job. People ring me apologising because they cannot explain the problem, and it does not matter in the slightest — “the kitchen sockets have stopped” is plenty to start with. Working out what is actually causing it is what you are paying me for.
The usual suspects
Most faults I go out to are one of a handful of things: a failing appliance tripping the whole board, a light fitting where water has got in, a nail through a cable from someone putting up a shelf, a socket wired badly years ago that has finally given up, or an outside light or shed supply that has taken in damp.
Intermittent faults are the awkward ones — the trip that happens every few days, usually at an inconvenient hour. They take longer to pin down because the fault has to be present to be measured, and I will be straight with you about that rather than guessing and charging you for parts that did not fix it.
If something is hot, burnt or sparking
Switch it off at the consumer unit and leave it off. Do not keep resetting a breaker that will not stay in — it is tripping for a reason, and repeatedly forcing it back is how a small problem becomes a serious one. Then ring me.
How I charge for it
Fault finding is priced on time, because nobody can honestly quote a fixed price to find something they have not seen yet. I will give you an idea of the likely range before I start, and if it turns into something much bigger than expected I will stop and talk to you before carrying on.
How it works
What happens
You describe it
However it makes sense to you. “It keeps tripping” is a fine starting point.
I ask a couple of questions
Usually enough to narrow it down before I set off.
I test and trace it
Properly, with instruments, rather than swapping parts and hoping.
You get told what it was
What caused it, what I did, and whether anything else needs watching.
Areas
Electrical fault finding in your area
Questions
Questions about faults
Do I need to work out what is causing it first?
No. If you could, you would not need me. Tell me what it is doing and when it started and that is plenty — the diagnosis is the job, not the prerequisite.
The breaker keeps tripping. Can I just keep resetting it?
Please do not. It is tripping because it has detected something it does not like, and repeatedly forcing it back can turn a small fault into a damaged cable or worse. Leave it off and ring me.
It only happens sometimes. Is that harder?
Honestly, yes. An intermittent fault has to be happening to be measured, so it can take longer and occasionally needs a second visit. I will tell you that up front rather than after.
Can you fix it the same visit?
Very often, if it is something I carry. If it needs a part I do not have on the van, I will make it safe, tell you what it needs, and come back. I will not promise a same-visit fix before I have seen it.
Something not working?
Describe it however you like and I will take it from there.