Fault Finding & Repairsin Great Houghton
A tripping circuit or dead socket found and fixed properly, not just reset and hoped for, so the problem actually stops instead of coming back next week.
100% recommend on Facebook (15 reviews) · 15 years' experience · We guarantee our work
- Fully qualified Gold Card electricians
- £10m public liability insurance
- 15 years' experience
- We guarantee our work
The service
Tracking downthe real cause
Electrical fault finding is the process of diagnosing exactly why something's gone wrong, a circuit that keeps tripping, a socket that's dead, lights that flicker, a burning smell, or a consumer unit that won't reset, and then fixing the actual cause rather than a symptom. It's detective work as much as it's wiring work, tracing a fault back through a circuit to find where it actually sits.
This suits homeowners dealing with recurring trips or dead sockets, landlords responding to tenant reports of electrical problems, businesses with equipment affected by unreliable power, and anyone who's noticed warning signs like warm sockets, scorch marks, or a persistent burning smell that needs investigating urgently.
You'll need fault finding when a circuit breaker trips repeatedly and won't stay reset, when specific sockets or lights stop working while others on the same circuit are fine, when you notice flickering, buzzing, or a burning smell, or when an appliance keeps tripping the supply even though it works fine on other circuits. These are all symptoms of an underlying fault that won't resolve itself.
Faults can hide anywhere in a circuit, behind a socket faceplate, inside a wall, in a loft, or at a connection buried years ago. Without proper diagnostic equipment and a methodical approach, it's easy to waste time and money replacing the wrong component. A qualified electrician traces the fault systematically, so you only pay to fix what's actually broken.
Who it's for
- Homeowners with a circuit that keeps tripping or a socket that's gone dead
- Landlords responding to reported electrical problems in a rental
- Businesses with unreliable power affecting equipment or operations
- Anyone noticing warning signs like burning smells, warm sockets or buzzing
When you need it
- A circuit breaker trips repeatedly and won't reliably stay reset
- A socket or light has stopped working while others nearby are fine
- You notice flickering, buzzing, or a burning smell from a socket or switch
- An appliance trips the power even though it works fine elsewhere
- Intermittent faults that come and go, making the problem hard to pin down
If it's left
Why guessingmakes things worse
Faults rarely fix themselves, and resetting a trip switch repeatedly without finding the cause just delays a problem that's often getting worse in the background.
Fire risk from unresolved faults
A loose connection or damaged cable that keeps tripping a circuit is often generating heat each time it does. Left unaddressed, that heat build-up is a genuine fire risk, not just an inconvenience.
Shock risk from earth faults
Faults to earth, often the reason a circuit trips, mean a fault current is finding an unintended path. Until it's traced and fixed, there's a real risk of shock from a socket, switch or appliance casing that shouldn't be live.
Damage to appliances and equipment
Voltage fluctuations caused by a loose neutral or poor connection can damage sensitive electronics and appliances over time, turning an electrical fault into an expensive appliance replacement bill as well.
Common mistakes we see
- ×Repeatedly resetting a tripped breaker instead of investigating why it trips
- ×Replacing an appliance or fitting without confirming it's actually the cause
- ×Ignoring intermittent faults because they're inconvenient to catch
- ×Assuming a buzzing sound or warm socket is normal and leaving it
- ×DIY testing without proper equipment, which can mask or worsen the fault
- ×Not checking whether a fault affects other circuits sharing the same consumer unit
How it works
Our process
01
Inspection
We start by talking through exactly what you've noticed, when it happens, and which circuits or appliances are involved, then visually inspect the consumer unit, sockets and accessible wiring.
02
Diagnosis
Using proper test equipment, we trace the fault systematically, checking insulation resistance, continuity and polarity to isolate exactly where and why the problem is occurring.
03
Service Execution
Once the fault is located, we carry out the repair, whether that's replacing damaged cable, correcting a faulty connection, swapping a failed accessory, or addressing an overloaded circuit.
04
Testing & Verification
After the repair, we retest the circuit fully to confirm the fault is gone and the circuit is operating safely and correctly under normal load.
05
Completion & Guarantee
We explain what caused the fault and what we did to fix it, in plain terms, and back the repair with our guarantee, scoped to the work carried out.
What you get
The benefits
Fast, focused diagnosis
Our £120 local call-out covers the first hour, including diagnosis, so most faults are identified quickly rather than dragging across multiple visits.
Fixes the cause, not the symptom
We trace faults back to their actual source using proper test equipment, so you're not paying to replace parts that were never the problem.
Repairs that hold
A properly diagnosed and correctly repaired fault stays fixed, rather than reappearing in a few weeks because the underlying cause was never addressed.
Avoids unnecessary replacement costs
Accurate diagnosis means you only replace what's actually faulty, whether that's a single accessory or a section of damaged cable, not the whole circuit unnecessarily.
Qualified, methodical electricians
Every electrician on our team is fully qualified, including Gold Card tradesmen, and fault finding is approached methodically rather than by guesswork.
Reassurance it's genuinely sorted
You're kept updated throughout, told plainly what was wrong and what's been done, so you leave knowing the fault's actually resolved, not just masked.
In detail
How we traceand fix electrical faults
Fault finding covers a wide range of problems, and the right approach depends on the symptoms and the age and type of the installation.
Common causes of tripping circuits
Circuits trip most often due to an earth fault, an overloaded circuit, a faulty appliance, or a failing RCD or RCBO itself. Each needs a different test to isolate, which is why a methodical, process-based approach matters rather than swapping parts at random.
Sometimes the fault only shows up under certain conditions, when an appliance is running, when it's damp, or when a particular combination of loads is drawn, which is why we ask detailed questions about when and how the fault occurs before testing.
Dead sockets and lighting circuits
A dead socket or light, while others on the same circuit still work, usually points to a loose or failed connection somewhere between the consumer unit and that point, rather than a fault with the whole circuit.
Tracing this involves checking continuity along the circuit run, often working back from the affected point toward the consumer unit, to identify exactly where the break sits.
Intermittent and hard-to-catch faults
Intermittent faults, ones that come and go, are some of the hardest to diagnose because they may not be present during the visit itself. We use the pattern of when the fault occurs, combined with thorough testing of connections and insulation, to narrow down the likely cause.
In some cases, monitoring equipment or repeat testing under different conditions is needed to catch a fault that isn't constantly present.
Testing equipment and methods
We use proper test instruments to check insulation resistance, earth loop impedance, continuity and RCD trip times, measurements that go well beyond what a visual check or a multimeter from a toolbox can tell you.
These tests are carried out in line with BS 7671 wiring regulations, giving an objective, repeatable basis for diagnosing the fault rather than relying on guesswork.
Residential vs commercial fault finding
Domestic faults are usually isolated to a single circuit or area and can often be diagnosed and fixed in one visit. Commercial fault finding can be more complex, with three-phase supplies, multiple distribution boards, and equipment that's sensitive to even brief interruptions.
For businesses, we prioritise identifying the fault with minimal downtime, working around operating hours where possible so the impact on the business is kept to a minimum.
Fault Finding & Repairs: your questions
How much does electrical fault finding cost in Northampton?
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Our local call-out is £120, which includes the first hour of work or diagnosis, then £45 an hour after that, for properties within 10 miles of Great Houghton (NN4). Work further out is quoted separately.
How quickly can you come out for a tripping circuit?
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We work Monday to Sunday, 6am to 10pm, and will always try to get to you as quickly as possible. Call 07904 890325 and we'll talk through timing based on what you're experiencing.
Can you find a fault without ripping up my walls or floors?
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In most cases, yes. Proper testing lets us isolate where a fault sits along a circuit without needing to open up large areas. If access is needed, we'll always explain why and keep any disturbance to a minimum.
Is there a guarantee on fault finding and repair work?
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Yes, we guarantee our work, with the scope and length depending on the specific repair carried out, which we'll confirm once the job's done.
What's usually the cause of a circuit that keeps tripping?
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Most commonly an earth fault, an overloaded circuit, a faulty appliance, or occasionally a failing RCD or RCBO. Proper testing identifies which it is rather than guessing.
Do you offer emergency fault finding?
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We're available Monday to Sunday, 6am to 10pm, and treat urgent safety issues, like burning smells or exposed wiring, as a priority. Call 07904 890325 straight away if that's what you're dealing with.
Do you cover fault finding in Daventry and Rushden?
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Yes, alongside Northampton we regularly carry out fault finding across Daventry, Rushden, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Milton Keynes, Cambridgeshire and Oxfordshire.
Will I get told what actually caused the fault?
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Yes, we explain plainly what we found, what caused it and what we did to fix it, so you're not left guessing or wondering if it'll happen again.
Related services
Where we work
Based in Great Houghton, we cover Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Milton Keynes, Cambridgeshire and Oxfordshire, and we're best known in Northampton, Daventry and Rushden.
Got a faultthat won't go away?
Call 07904 890325, Monday to Sunday 6am-10pm, and we'll get it diagnosed properly.
Local call-out £120 including your first hour · £45/hour after · Open 7 days, 6am–10pm