Emergency Electrician Service, when to call Electricians

As an EMERGENCY ELECTRICIAN SERVICE in the North West, we see many electrical installations that have reached the point of complete failure. Sometimes it is one electrical circuit, such as plug sockets, that has failed and occasionally the whole electrical installation is in dire need of replacing. 

Often, an emergency call out from ourselves leads to discovery of other problems in the electrical system. You see, electrical systems do not fail for no reason. They fail through age, wear and tear, damage, and general neglect. 

One of the most taken-for-granted services in the home is the electrical system. As long as it is working, we simply DO NOT question the safety or condition of the wiring because, why would we? 

This is where problems begin. You see, electrical systems will quietly work away without a complaint day after day until eventually the system reaches a state where the consumer unit or fuse box will trip. It is at THIS point that we are called and often report bad news to the customer. 

1) How can you check the condition of the electrical system before this point?

The best way to check on the condition of the electrical system is to allow your electrician to perform an electrical safety check every ten years. That’s right, we can actually do this. It’s a long process involving several hours in the property when done correctly. The electrician spends time doing many electrical tests, checking the earthing and more during their visit. Once finished they produce a lengthy report on the condition of the wiring system.

The report not only tells us the condition of the system but what is required in order to bring the installation up to the standard of modern wiring regulations. More information on Electrical Safety Checks is available here. 

2) You can perform some safety electrical checks yourself…

These self-checks are not as thorough as an electrician will carry out but is a good start. Checking appliances, plugs and the condition of your electrical accessories is a great way to keep on top of any maintenance issues in your homes electrical system. 
You may find that doing these types of checks highlights problems before they become severe and require an EMERGENCY ELECTRICIAN SERVICE. For more information on electrical checks that you can carry out yourself, we have written you a handy self-check list.

3) What situations would require an Emergency Electrician to attend?

3.1) Power Loss: 

Where a complete loss of power, not caused by any issues in the street, has affected your home. This can be as a result of a failed consumer unit, fuse box problem or other serious electrical issue. 

3.2) Intermittent Power Failure:

Power Outages where the power appears to turn on and off without any switches being used. This can happen as a result of failing connections on the incoming supply, issues in the street, fuse box problems or other fairly serious issues. Most noticeable would be the intermittent dimming of any lighting in the property and appliances that seem to run slow then speed up. 

3.3) Trip Switch Problems: 

One of the most common issues that affects consumer unit and electrical panels is the issue of tripping switches. When switches trip, there is a common misconception that the switch must be faulty. In reality, the opposite is normally true, the switch is likely to be working as it should but there is most likely an issue on the electrical circuit itself such as cables, appliances or accessories that are attached. Try our helpful article for advice.

3.4) Sparks:  

When electrical systems begin to spark, I would hope that everyone would realise that this is not normal. Sparks can be as a result of failing electrical components, electrical current trying to jump a gap between two points on a circuit and damaged equipment. 
4 Burning Smell: Any burning smell is never normal in an electrical system. Electrical burning can smell very pungent and is typically a fishy, plastic, chemical smell that once experienced is unmistakeable. The smell is due to melting PVC, plasticisers and plastics used in cables and electrical accessories and means that excessive heat or fire is occurring in the system. 

The photograph below shows a burnt-out socket causing problems with the trip switch in the fuse box. We removed this and could not reinstate the socket as the cables were too badly damaged.

3.5) Fuse Box Damaged: 

The fuse box, consumer unit, electrical panel must be in good condition and not damaged or in any way deviated from the original construction. Where the fuse box is showing signs of melting, excessive heat, cracks, or holes then this is a cause for serious concern. If you are worried about the condition of your fuse box then feel free to contact us and we will advise over email or WhatsApp if further action should be taken. This is a FREE ELECTRICIAN service that we provide to all.

There are many more situations that would require the attendance of a 24-hour electrician or emergency electrician. The important thing to remember is that, if you are worried or afraid then call your local emergency electrician and get them to come out ASAP to check your electrical problems. 

3.6) Electric Shocks: 

An electric shock is an unwanted electrical current flowing through our bodies. We generally survive electric shocks that are minor and there are many protective devices in modern electrical systems that protect us from these shocks. 

Electrical shock will occur when there are electrical issues in the wiring system with poor grounding or earthing, faulty wiring, incorrect DIY work, electrical problems in the street supply and appliances that are damaged or faulty. 

The severity of the electrical shock depends upon the equipment that is installed in the electrical system and the electrical resistance of your body to ground. If the system is old and you are stood in water on the ground in bare feet then it is likely you will receive a very bad electric shock. ☹

3.7) Electrical Fire: 

If there is fire then call the fire department and not an electrician. If the fire has been extinguished and all is safe then emergency repairs to the electrical system are going to be necessary along with potential other electrical repairs. 

4) What does an emergency electrician service do?

They specialise in attending at ‘short notice’ to investigate your electrical emergency or electrical problems, carry out repairs or maintenance and generally fix stuff that’s gone wrong. 😊 

Short notice could be same-day, within a few hours or as soon as physically possible depending upon the nature of the emergency. Our response times tend to be quicker in the evenings and at weekends as there is less chance that normally scheduled works have been booked in for these times. 

5) How long does it take to find an electrical fault?

Generally anything from 1 hour to 2 or 3 depending on the nature of the issue and its accessibility. Helpful, eh? 

The truth is, most electrical emergency issues are found within the first hour but the actual repair can be more involved and sometimes will necessitate a return visit in order to fix the problem safely and permanently. We are often able to restore power to most of the electrical circuits in your home and then return to finish off where necessary and once parts are available. 

6) What is the difference between a 24-Hour Electrician and an Emergency Electrician?

Generally speaking, an EMERGENCY ELECTRICIAN SERVICE will operate during normal working hours and perhaps even weekends but will have a cut off time that they no longer operate past. A 24 – hour electrician will operate 24 hours a day and 7 days a week for general emergencies. 

If you need an emergency electrician and it is also out of hours, then you are probably best searching for a 24-hour electrician. Most 24-hour electricians will answer the phone at any time of day with a view to coming to your property immediately in order to make safe, fault find and attempt to resolve your problems for you. It is often not practical or possible to completely repair issues on the spot as there may be access problems that need to be overcome before repairs can go ahead. 

7) Do Emergency Electricians perform other electrical services?

Generally speaking, most emergency electricians will also carry out other electrical works not just attend to electrical emergencies. 
It is a benefit to be proficient at fault finding, testing and problem solving but it is also necessary to be able to carry out other repairs for clients. As such, most emergency electricians will not only FIND the electrical problem for you but will REPAIR the electrical problem as well. 

These electricians will often also carry out a variety of electrical services such as:

• Rewires,
• Consumer unit swaps,
• New sockets and lights, 
• Replacing circuit breakers
• Swapping electrical outlets
• Installing light fixtures

8) Do emergency electricians sleep?

Despite working normal business hours and in the middle of the night, electricians will need to sleep at some point. 

Depending upon the company, they may employ electricians on a call-out basis whereby the electricians work a normal 5-day week and also stand by ‘on-call’ for any electrical needs that arise for clients out of hours.

Smaller companies or 1-man bands may be continually on call as well as working a 5,6 or 7 day week. Not every licensed electrician will be willing to attend a sudden power outage in the middle of the night and instead may just offer a same-day service as part of their emergency service. 

9) What are the most common electrical emergencies?

The most common types of electrical work that are performed out of business hours are:

• Tripping Breaker Panel
• GFCI or RCD tripping
• Total Power Loss Partial power loss
• Burning smells
• Faulty Circuit Breaker

Leaving any of these problems to stew is likely to create property damage and result in expensive repairs. These situations are considered to be electrical emergencies and should be your top priority for repairing quickly.

A dangerous situation that is left to get worse is only going to cost more when it comes to repairing it. That trip switch that won’t stay on is preventing cables from catching fire so it’s the best choice to get it fixed quickly. 

10) What should I look for when contacting an Emergency Electrician Service?

The best Emergency Electricians will be those that are NOT a national call centre or foreign call centre. When contacting the company follow our DO and DON’T list

The thing to remember is, trust your gut and don’t panic. Its an emergency situation but you don’t have to use the first company that you call. If it doesn’t feel right on the phone then ring someone else, talk it over with your partner, ring family and ask for a recommendation if needed. 

11) Summary

Finding the right EMERGENCY ELECTRICIAN SERVICE in a tight spot is not easy and it can be very stressful. Take your time and phone around a few different services. A more expensive up front service that is a small family company may offer much better service and lower overall cost than a national company that sends unknown subcontractors out. 

Take the time to follow our checklist above and then make an informed decision and oh yes, don’t panic, everything is fixable or rewireable.