Fault Finding

  • One area of electrical work that can bring even the most seasoned electrical contractors to their knees (especially on a Friday afternoon!) Our engineers have many years of experience with electrical installations and whatever the issue, we have probably seen it before. We are regularly called to find faults where others have failed and we have yet to leave a job without at least identifying the issue.

  • Have a look in our drop down menu below to see if your problem is listed….if it’s not then we definitely want to hear from you!

  • A nice simple one . Usually just a loose connection or a worn spring. Easy to identify and a simple fix.

  • Can be caused by a variety of things from a simple loose connection somewhere to an issue with the incoming electrical supply. Its always best to check with us. A quick symptoms check will give us a better idea where the issue is coming from.

  • A pretty common issue. If its not a wiring fault then its usually because a build up of, lets just call it “dust”, has accumulated on the blades putting too much strain on the motor. This would usually require teh fan to be replaced, but a quick inspection would identify the issue! I once went to inspect a faulty fan only to discover it didn’t have any electrical supply going to it…that was an easy diagnosis!

  • There’s a few reasons here. Possibly they are getting a bit dirty and need a clean (after the last saharan sand storm blew over our own array was literally covered in sand, you could see it from the street below!) PV panels also lose efficiency as they age, so some reduction in performance is to be expected. It could however be something a little more sinister. Shading, faulty optimisers, inverter issues and wiring problems could all be to blame.

  • MCBs have a job to do. They protect the cables from over-current. If you try to draw more current down and electrical cable than it hasbeen designed for, the MCB will notice and turn off (trip) to protect the cable from overheating or catching fire. If an MCB is tripping for this reason you’ll know as it wont be tripping all the time. If the MCB trips all the time and won’t go back on thats usually indicative of a short circuit either in the cabling or a faulty appliance. Further investigation would be required to diagnose and repair the issue.

  • These little fellows can be a bit more tricky to diagnose as there are a few things that can cause them to trip. An RCD offers an additional layer of protection to both the electrical installation and users. They help protect against fatal electric shock and cables fires and are invaluable in an electrical installation. But offering such a varied range of protection means that RCDs can trip for many reasons, and they are a lot more sensitive than MCBs . Anything from faulty appliances, to damp cables. Short circuits to excess earth leakage and more. All these things can drive an RCD to trip. As RCDs very often protect more than one circuit, a tripping RCD can play havoc in an electrical installation and often will leave half the house, or more, without power.. If your RCD is intermittently tripping or won’t reset give us a call and we will get to work on diagnosing what the issue might be.

  • Many things could cause your EV not to charge, or to charge at a greatly reduced rate. Its usually a configuration / software issue, but sometimes it can be a problem with the wiring or charge equipment.

  • Don’t get me started on buzzing dimmmer switches!! Lets just say are not the first person to have this issue and you certainly won’t be the last. Don’t worry, its a simple fix!

  • A very common cause of tripping MCBs and RCDs is water or damp getting into electrical connections. Prime culprits for this are badly installed external junction boxes and floodlights, however damp, from failed DPCs or old external brickwork pointing can also cause this and is a little more complicated (costly) to remedy.

  • We’ve all either had it happen or at least seen it happen to other people. A tap stays on , the silicone seal around the bath / shower fails ora pipe bursts..the result is a rainshower in the room below the flood! Apart from all the cosmetic mayhem that ensues, the water will invariably cause the lighting circuit for the area below it to trip! Just what you need, darkness as well as flood damage! Well the good news “electrically” is that when the cause of the flood is remedied and the area has dried out, there is usually no electrical work necessary. That may not be the case if the lighting contains electronic control gear, but a quick inspection will soon give us the answer.

  • An electrical arc is caused by a loose connection or a broken electrical component. This causes a gap to form in an electrical circuit, resulting in the electricity “jumping” across the void in the form of a spark or a flash. Exactly how a spark plug in a petrol car works. This spark creates a lot of heat which melts the cable protection an the housing of the electrical component. Electrical arcs can very easliy cause fires and must not be ignored. If you hear a crackling noise (like a bag of crisps being crumpled up) or a smell of electrical burning then you could very well have an arc. If you suspect you do, turn off all electricity using appliances and call us immediately.

  • Very often if you experience complete power failure throughout the property it is a suppy issue (known universally as a “power cut”) A quick check out the window (assuming its dark out) to see if your neighbours are also in darkness usually confirms this. Power outage can also be caused by an internal issue, perhaps at consumer unit (fuse box) or the incoming supply fuse or meter. If you are in any doubt or you know its not a street wide power cut, then give us a call and we ill be happy to help.