Emergency Electrician in Liverpool May 20th

We take hundreds of emergency electrician callouts every year and most issues that we find can be fixed quickly and for minimal costs. There are a variety of electrical issues that can cause an electrical emergency to occur and some things that you should keep on top of to prevent electrical emergencies from occurring. 

1) Emergency Callout for Socket Problems in Aigburth

This week, we received a call to attend a property in Aigburth as the customer had complained of tripping sockets in their property. Thanks to our helpful advice over the phone, they were able to restore the electrical supply to the rest of their circuits but the socket outlets / plug sockets were still tripping.

One of the most common causes of tripping plug sockets is connected appliances that have gone faulty. 

2) Steps to take to get plug sockets working again

The first thing to check when sockets have tripped the power off is the appliances. 

This can be done by removing the plugs from the sockets at each point around your home. 

Once all equipment has been removed from the socket outlets, go and try the trip switch at your Fusebox or consumer unit to see if it will turn back on. 

3) What NOT to do if you have tripping sockets

Our electrical emergency customer in Aigburth had unfortunately reset their switch several times despite an electrical fault still being present. This resulted in the trip switch failing. 

DO NOT reset your trip switches over and over again. If you have removed all your appliances from the sockets and the switch will still not reset then its time to call your Local Emergency Electrician in Liverpool on:

01513514011

4) Why does Trip Switch keep going off?

The switches in your Fusebox or consumer unit are designed to prevent damage to the electrical system, your wiring, and appliances throughout your home. They do this by detecting and disposing of electrical faults when they occur. 

This fault disposal is quite arduous on your electrical trip switches and Fusebox. There can be several hundred or even a few thousand amps of electrical current to get rid off and that energy has to go somewhere!! 

The trip switches are like a car suspension in some ways, when you hit a bump in the road your vehicle does not shatter to pieces and fall apart immediately. That is because the shock absorbers take the brunt of the impact and prevent the car from breaking apart. 

Trip switches take the electrical force and safely dissipate it when there is an electrical fault. They are only able to do this a certain number of times before they will fail. The older the trip switches and the closer they are to then end of their usable, safe life, the quicker they will fail when asked to deal with high current electrical faults. 

5) What types of problems can cause electrical faults?

There are an almost infinite number of electrical problems that can cause a trip switch to blow, turn off or activate such as:

• Nail through a cable
• Damage to wiring from rodents chewing
• Water in electrical cabling
• Failing appliances
• Cable insulation breakdown through age or wear / tear
• Faulty trip switches
• Overloading electrical wiring
• Too many appliances on at the same time
• Poor wiring installation
• Poor quality installation
• Damage to outdoor wiring from gardening
• DIY mishaps /  Light Installation

The list is almost endless and over the years as your Emergency Electrician in Liverpool, we have seen all sorts of strange and wonderful things. Each day often brings something slightly new that we witness. 

6) How often should circuit breakers and other trip switches be replaced?

Your Fusebox and consumer unit components have a typical lifespan of around 20-40 years at most. There are a number of factors that can affect the lifespan of your equipment and prolong or shorten this. 

7) Installation Conditions

Equipment that is installed poorly to begin with is never going to give you the longest equipment lifespan. This is why it’s important to use an electrician that is not only NAPIT or NICEIC registered but that also is able to TEACH other electricians. I am such an electrician. 

Installing electrical equipment in damp basements, dusty environments, overly warm or cold atmospheres and so forth can shorten its lifespan considerably. 

8) Demands of your Electrical System

A Fusebox that is under constant heavy demand will see component failure much more quickly than that of a Fusebox with a laid-back easy life. Picture a family of 6 living in a property who are always taking long showers (electric shower), cooking constantly (heavy electrical load), washing machine and dryers on the go (heavy electrical loads), lights in constant use (wear and tear) and so on. 

Now picture the same property with a young working couple living there and using the same electrical installation. The electrics are not hammered during the day, have minimal electrical loading during the evenings and weekends and a wash goes on a couple of times a week. 

Which of these electrical systems will fail sooner? Which Fusebox / consumer unit is likely to last longer? 

9) The number of unchecked electrical issues

When your trip switches keep going off and you keep putting off the call to an electrician, your wiring is being subject to hundreds or thousands of amps of electrical current that it was never designed to handle. Your trip switches are disposing of large electrical demands over and over again and the whole system is in a poor state. All of this can lead to premature failure of switches, cabling and your consumer unit. 

10) What is the best way to maintain an electrical system?

Have your electrical system checked at least every ten years by a trustworthy, honest and highly qualified electrician (ahem 😊). A thorough electrical check will take a few hours, cost a few hundred and will highlight any hidden dangers that you didn’t know where lurking in your system. 

The result of a thorough electrical check is a 6–8-page report that will show you the condition of your system and let you know if any work is required to bring it up to modern safety standards (BS7671 wiring standards). 

Having repairs carried out promptly will prolong the life of your wiring and consumer unit and should massively reduce the probability of an emergency callout late at night, on a bank holiday or other highly inconvenient time. 

11) What type of electrical emergencies needs IMMEDIATE ATTENTION?

If you find that you have electrical problems in Aigburth, Allerton, Childwall, Woolton or other Liverpool areas and you are concerned that the problem needs immediate attention then look at our checklist below. 

🔴 Call Immediately

Dangerous — Do Not Wait

• Burning smell from electrics
• Complete power failure
• Visible sparks or arcing
• Electric shock
• Exposed or damaged wiring
• Water near electrical equipment
• Smoke from consumer unit

These issues are the most serious and require immediate attendance!!!

🟡 Call Today

Urgent — Needs Attention

• RCD or trip switch keeps tripping
• One circuit not working
• Flickering lights throughout house
• Hot or discoloured sockets
• Buzzing sounds from consumer unit
• House alarm won't stop

These issues are serious and require attendance without delay. Same day or ASAP attendance is recommended.

🟢 Can Wait

Book an Appointment

• Adding new sockets or switches
• Upgrading your fuse box
• Light fitting changes
• General electrical improvements
• Electrical safety inspections
• General enquiries can be dealt with by phone, WhatsApp or a friendly visit to quote for works.

12) Need an Emergency Electrician in Liverpool?

We are the Number 1 Emergency Electrician in Liverpool. We can attend your electrical fault incredibly quickly with our record for emergency attendance being around 3 minutes!!! We aim to be with you within 30 minutes for night time and weekend emergencies and within 2 hours for day time emergencies.