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Urgent faults

Emergency electrical repairs

When something electrical fails suddenly or looks dangerous, the first job is to make it safe and the second is to find out why it happened. Call us and describe what you can see, hear or smell. We will tell you what to leave alone in the meantime, and whether we can help.

Call 020 3883 1321 Request a quote
Emergency call-outs
24 hours a day, 7 days a week
First priority
Making the fault safe, then finding the cause
The repair
Explained and agreed with you before it goes ahead

Triage

Who to call

Some emergencies are not for an electrician. Call the right number first.

Sound familiar?

Problems that need urgent attention

The four signs in the drawing point to different problems: water reaching parts that carry current, a protective device reacting to a possible fault, a connection overheating, or damaged insulation. Apart from a single trip with no sign of burning, water or damage, the affected part should stay out of use until the cause has been found and put right.

  • A burning smell, scorch marks, crackling or buzzing from a socket, switch, light or the consumer unit
  • A plug, socket or switch that has become hot, melted or discoloured
  • Water dripping through a light fitting, or leaking near sockets, switches or the consumer unit
  • A trip switch that goes off again after one reset, or will not reset at all
  • Sparks, flashes or arcing from a socket, switch or plug
  • Cracked or broken sockets and switches, or wires showing at a fitting
  • A cable cut or pierced while drilling, nailing or screwing into a wall or floor
  • Electrics affected by a flood, a serious leak or a fire, even if they still appear to work

Who this helps

  • Homeowners

    A sudden loss of power, a scorched or damaged fitting, or water near the electrics in your own home.

  • Tenants

    Report the fault to your landlord or letting agent straight away: repairs to the electrical installation are normally theirs to arrange. If there is danger in the meantime, keep clear and call 999 or 105 where either applies.

  • Landlords and managing agents

    A fault a tenant has reported. Give us the tenant’s contact details for access, and tell us who approves the repair.

  • Shops, offices and other businesses

    A fault that has stopped work or affects an area staff or customers use. Tell us what must stay powered, such as refrigeration or IT equipment.

Four warning signs, and what each one means

  1. Water from a leak above can run along cables into the fitting. Keep clear of the wet area and do not use the light. The circuit should stay off until it has dried out and been tested.

  2. An RCD switches off a group of circuits when it detects current leaking where it should not, often to earth through damp, damage or a faulty appliance. With no sign of burning, water or damage, one reset is reasonable; if it trips again, leave it off and call us.

  3. Scorch marks, a melted plug or a hot faceplate usually mean a connection has been overheating. Stop using the socket, and do not touch it if it is hot, cracked or still smells of burning.

  4. A split outer sheath leaves only the thin insulation of the inner cores. If the plug and socket are undamaged, switch the appliance off at the socket, unplug it and do not use it until it has been repaired or replaced.

Fig. 1 — A room wall with four problems marked in red: water through a ceiling light, a tripped RCD, a scorched socket and a damaged flex (Illustration)

When you call

What happens when you call

A few questions on the phone decide what happens next, and whether the problem is one for us at all.

  1. Is anyone in danger?

    We check first that nobody is hurt and that there is no fire, smoke or smell of gas. Those need 999 or the gas emergency line before anything else.

  2. Your property or the supply?

    We ask whether your neighbours have lost power too, and whether the supply equipment by the meter, such as the main fuse (cut-out), looks damaged. Either is for your network operator: call 105. A fault with the meter itself is for your energy supplier.

  3. What you can see

    We ask which device has switched off, what you can see, hear or smell, and what was happening when it started.

  4. Keeping safe until then

    We tell you what to leave switched off and what to keep away from. We will not ask you to remove covers or work on anything.

  5. Whether we can come

    We say whether we can attend and roughly when, so that you can decide straight away whether to wait for us or call another electrician.

Step by step

How the work is done

Before we quote

An urgent repair cannot be priced from a description alone, because one symptom can have several causes. A trip switch that keeps going off might be reacting to a faulty appliance, water in an outdoor fitting or a cable damaged during building work, and each needs a different repair.

Photos taken from a safe distance, with no covers removed, still help. They show us what we are coming to and how much of the property is affected.

  1. Call and describe the problem

    Phone rather than using the form, so that we can talk through what has happened and say whether we can attend.

  2. Look at the damage

    We look at the damaged part and the consumer unit, and ask what was happening just before the problem started.

  3. Make it safe

    The faulty circuit or fitting is normally switched off and isolated first. That can leave part of the property without power until the repair is done.

  4. Find the cause

    Testing shows why it happened: a loose connection, water, a damaged cable, a failed protective device or an appliance. Resetting a device is not a repair.

  5. Agree the repair

    We explain what we found, what the repair involves and how it will be charged. Nothing goes ahead until you have agreed it.

  6. Repair and test

    Damaged parts are repaired or replaced, and the circuit is tested before it is put back into use.

  7. Certificate and next steps

    Where the work needs a certificate, you receive one. If we noticed anything else that needs attention, we tell you.

Scope

What is included

Included

  • Advice on the phone about keeping safe and who to call
  • Making the faulty circuit or fitting safe
  • Testing to find the cause, not just resetting a device
  • An explanation of what failed and why
  • Testing the repaired circuit before it is used again
  • A certificate, where the repair needs one

Depends on what we find

  • Whether the repair can be finished on the first visit, or needs parts or a return visit
  • Whether a circuit has to stay off until it is repaired
  • How far the damage goes: one accessory, a length of cable or more than one circuit
  • Whether wet fittings and cables need time to dry out before they can be tested
  • Whether the cause is an appliance rather than the installation

Afterwards

  • Keep any certificate with your property documents
  • If other problems were found, you get a separate written quote and decide what happens next
  • If the same device trips again, leave it off and tell us rather than resetting it
  • After a flood or a fire, ask us about an inspection of the whole installation

Not covered by this service: Power cuts, and damage to the supply equipment such as the main fuse (cut-out) or the incoming cable, which your network operator deals with (call 105); Repairs inside appliances: if an appliance turns out to be the cause, we tell you, and it should then be repaired or replaced; A rewire or other large remedial work, which is quoted separately once the property is safe.

The paperwork you may receive

  • Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate

    Small additions and alterations that do not add a new circuit, such as an extra socket on an existing circuit.

    • A description of the work
    • Test results for the circuit that was altered
    • The signature of the person responsible

  • Electrical Installation Certificate

    New installations, rewires and new circuits.

    • What was installed and the design details
    • A schedule of test results for each circuit
    • Signatures for design, installation and inspection

Simplified outline, not a real certificate (Illustration)

Standards and regulations

We are a NICEIC Approved Contractor, registration number 619998000, and fully insured. How to check our registration and insurance.

  • REFRepairs and testing to the current edition of BS 7671, the IET Wiring Regulations
  • REFThe Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, which require work to be carried out so as not to give rise to danger, so far as is reasonably practicable, and the HSE’s guidance on safe working practices (HSG85), including safe isolation
  • REFA Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate or an Electrical Installation Certificate where BS 7671 requires one for the work done
  • REFIn homes in England, some work that can follow an emergency, such as a new circuit or a replacement consumer unit, is notifiable building work under Part P of the Building Regulations; repairs and like-for-like replacements generally are not

Questions

Questions about emergency repairs

My trip switch keeps going off. Can I keep resetting it?

No. An RCD or circuit breaker that switches off is reacting to something: an overload, a faulty appliance or a fault in the wiring. If there is no burning smell, water or visible damage, you can reset it once. If it goes off again, leave it off and call us. If it tripped the moment you switched on one appliance, switch that appliance off at the socket and unplug it before the reset, and do not use it again until it has been checked.

The whole property has no power. Should I call you or 105?

If you have a prepayment meter, check there is credit first. Then check whether your neighbours have power. If they do not, it is probably a power cut: call 105. If they do, look at the switches in your consumer unit without unscrewing or removing anything. A switch that has gone off points to a problem within your property, which we can help with. If every switch is on and there is still no power, the problem may be in the supply equipment, such as the main fuse (cut-out), which belongs to your network operator: call 105.

Water is coming through a light fitting. What should I do?

Keep everyone away from the wet area and do not use that light or the switches near the leak. If the consumer unit is dry and safe to reach, switch off at the main switch. If you can stop the water at the stopcock without going near wet electrics, do so. Then call us. The affected circuits should stay off until the fittings and cables have dried out and been tested, which can mean a second visit.

I have drilled or nailed into a cable. What should I do?

Let go of the tool, and do not touch the drill bit, nail or screw or try to pull it out: it may be live. If the consumer unit is safe to reach, switch off at the main switch, and keep everyone away from that part of the wall or floor. Then call us. Even if nothing tripped, the cable is damaged, and the circuit should stay off until it has been repaired and tested.

Is a hot or scorched socket really an emergency?

Treat it as one. Discolouration, a burning smell, crackling or a plug or faceplate that has become hot usually mean a connection is overheating, and that can start a fire. Stop using the socket and do not touch it while it is hot. Keep anything that could burn away from it and call us. If there is smoke or flame, call 999.

Can you come out straight away?

We take emergency call-outs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. How soon we can reach you depends on where you are and the work we are already committed to: when you call, we tell you honestly when we can attend. If we cannot get to you in time, we say so, so that you can find someone who can.

Will the fault be fixed on the first visit?

It depends on what we find. A single damaged socket or switch, or a failed protective device, may be replaced on that visit if the part is to hand and you agree the repair. If the damage goes further, parts need ordering or wet circuits need to dry out, the affected part is normally made safe and left off, and you get a written quote for the rest.

How much does an emergency visit cost?

Ask how the visit will be charged when you call, before you agree to it. The repair itself cannot be priced until the cause is known. Once it is, we explain the repair and what it will cost, and nothing goes ahead until you agree.

Often needed alongside

Next step

Call us about an urgent fault

Have the postcode and a short description of what has happened ready when you call. If nothing is hot, smoking or wet and the damaged part is out of use, a quote request with photos lets us plan the repair.

What to send us

  • What you can see, hear or smell, and where
  • Which device in the consumer unit has switched off, if any
  • What was happening when it started: rain, a leak, drilling or a new appliance
  • Photos taken from a safe distance, with no covers removed
  • The postcode, and who can give us access
  • For rented or managed property, who approves the repair

An enquiry is not a booking: we contact you first, and you see a written quote before anything goes ahead.

For anything urgent, please call 020 3883 1321.

We list towns in London and surrounding areas, Kent, Essex, East Sussex and West Sussex. Check your postcode.

Call or email us for a free quote

Tell us the postcode and a little about the job. We will contact you to discuss it, and you get a written quote before any work starts. Quotes are free. Some survey or diagnostic visits may be charged: ask when you book.

Call 020 3883 1321 Email us

Our email address: support@dualcurrent.co.uk

Helpful to include

  • The postcode of the property
  • What the job is, or what is going wrong
  • Photos, if you have them, taken without removing any covers
Call 020 3883 1321