Urgent help
Emergency electrical help
A burning smell, water in a light fitting, a board that will not reset. Ring me, make it safe, and I will tell you honestly whether and when I can get there.
- An honest answer about when I can come
- Safety steps you can take now
- Power cut? Call 105
- 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
Ring rather than use the form
If something electrical has gone wrong and it cannot wait, ring me on 07809 703734 rather than filling in the quote form. I work on my own, so if I am on a job I may not pick up straight away; leave a message saying what is happening and where the property is.
You will get an honest answer about whether I can come, and when. If I cannot get to you soon enough for what you are dealing with, I will say so, so that you can call someone else instead of waiting.
Making it safe while you wait
- A burning smell, scorching or sparking at a socket, switch or the consumer unit: switch off at the main switch if you can do so safely, and do not use that outlet again.
- Water coming through a light fitting or into a socket: switch off at the consumer unit and keep away from anything wet.
- A breaker or RCD that trips again as soon as it is reset: leave it off. That circuit has a fault, and forcing it back on will not clear it.
- Damage with bare wires or metal parts showing: switch that circuit off and keep people away from it.
- Someone has had an electric shock: call 999. Do not touch them while they may still be in contact with the source; switch off the supply first if you can.
Is it the house or the supply?
If the neighbours have lost power too, or the whole street has gone dark, it is a power cut rather than a fault in your installation. Call 105, the national power cut number, which puts you through to the local network operator. An electrician cannot restore a supply that is off before it reaches your meter.
What can usually wait
A single socket that has stopped, one light out, or an RCD that tripped once and stayed on when it was reset are rarely emergencies. They still need looking at, and a normal booked visit is usually the sensible route.
How it works
When you ring about something urgent
Tell me what is happening
What you can see, hear or smell, and what you have already switched off.
You get a straight answer
Whether I can come and when, before anything else is discussed.
Made safe first
The first job on arrival is making the installation safe.
Then the repair
Fixed there and then, or made safe with a plan and a price for the rest.
Questions
Questions about urgent problems
Can you come out this evening or at the weekend?
Ring and ask. It depends on what I am already committed to, and I would rather give you a straight answer than a time that turns out to be wrong.
The whole house has gone off. Is that an emergency?
Check whether the neighbours have power first. If they do not, call 105. If it is only your house, look at the consumer unit: a main switch or RCD that will not stay on points to a fault that needs finding.
Should I use the quote form for something urgent?
No, ring. The form is fine for work that can be planned, but for something happening now a phone call is the quicker way to reach me.
Something electrical gone wrong?
Ring 07809 703734, or tell me what has happened and I will come back to you.