How a fault actually gets found
Fault finding is the part of the job that separates experience from equipment. Anyone can own a multimeter. Knowing where to look first is what makes it a two-hour job instead of a two-day one.
The method is the same every time: split the installation down, test each part in isolation, and narrow it until the fault has nowhere left to hide. Insulation resistance testing on a dead circuit will find a breakdown that no amount of poking around live will reveal.
What we do not do is replace parts speculatively and charge you for each one. If a fault is going to be difficult we say so before starting, and we agree how long to spend on it.
What it usually turns out to be
Domestic faults are far less varied than people expect. In roughly the order we find them:
- Moisture in an outdoor circuit — an outside light, a garden socket or a shed supply. Trips more in wet weather, which is the giveaway.
- A damaged cable — nail or screw through it during building work, or a cable clipped and crushed. Often years after the event.
- A failing appliance — immersion heaters, showers, washing machines and fridges are the usual suspects. The board is doing its job.
- Accumulated leakage — no single fault, just a dozen appliances each contributing a little until an RCD reaches its threshold. Common on older split-load boards.
- A loose connection — in a socket, a junction box or the board itself. Sometimes with visible heat damage, which is the one worth finding early.
- A neutral fault — awkward, intermittent, and the reason a circuit can behave differently at different times of day.
What helps us find it faster
The pattern matters more than the symptom, and you know the pattern better than we do.
- When did it start, and did anything change around then — building work, a new appliance, a storm?
- Does it trip at a particular time of day, or in particular weather?
- Which breaker goes, and does it take the whole house or one circuit?
- Does it happen when a specific appliance is switched on?
- Has anyone worked on the electrics recently, and did they leave paperwork?
If it trips only when it rains, that is most of the diagnosis done before we arrive.
Common questions
How much does fault finding cost?
It's charged for time rather than as a fixed price, because nobody can honestly quote for finding something they haven't seen. Most domestic faults are found within one to three hours and we agree a limit before starting.
My RCD trips but only sometimes. Can you still find it?
Yes. Intermittent faults are harder but they're rarely random — there's almost always a pattern involving weather, time of day or a particular appliance. Note when it happens before we come.
Can you fix it the same visit?
Usually. We carry common parts and most faults are repaired once found. Anything needing a part ordered, we'll tell you and come back.
Is it worth me trying to find it first?
Unplugging appliances one at a time is genuinely useful and costs you nothing. Beyond that, opening things up live isn't worth the risk.
Why did the fault appear after I had a new fuse box fitted?
Because a modern board detects faults an old one couldn't. The fault was almost certainly there before — the new board is telling you about it.
Do you do emergency call-outs?
Where we can. Ring and we'll be straight about whether we can get to you, rather than leaving you waiting on a maybe.
