No plug sockets working but lights are?💡

1) So, you have NO PLUG SOCKETS WORKING BUT LIGHTS ARE in your Liverpool house & you need to know why...

2) Something tripped in the consumer unit⚠️

If you have no sockets working but the lights are then go and check your fuse box / consumer unit / electrical trip switch box in your house and see if something has tripped in there. Occasionally an electrical fault can cause a switch in this box to trip and disconnect the power to the sockets and other circuits but leave the lights untouched. If you find that you have a switch that has tripped, see if it will reset. If the switch turns back on and stays on then this is good. If it doesn’t turn back on or stay on then please do not keep trying as it will damage the switch, cables, or consumer unit eventually. 

3) There is a problem on the cable

Sockets failure can be as a result of cable failure. There can be numerous reasons for cable failure and this is often best investigated by an electrician. Cable failure can occur if damage occurs to the cable. 

• Rodent damage can cause cable failure. Rodents absolutely love to chew on electrical cables and this can cause damage to the wiring resulting in the need for extensive repairs or rewire.
• Mechanical damage to cables can mean that they are no longer going to carry the electrical current effectively. Sometimes cable damage can occur inside the cable without any visual signs on the outside. Insulation breakdown can happen internally and leave short circuits or other damage happening inside. 
• Wet wiring can be an issue. When water gets into cabling this can trick the electrical installation into thinking that someone is having a shock and the consumer unit will trip a switch. If the consumer unit does not have trip switches, then often the damage can be more severe and cables can burn out causing fire, melting and expensive repairs. 
• Cabling can become too old. When cables age they deteriorate and insulation on the cable breaks down causing current leakage from one wire to another. No electrical current should leak to earth in a perfect world but when cable insulation breaks down it leaves gaps for electrical current to ‘escape’ and the consumer unit will often trip to stop this happening. 

4) There are loose connections...

In certain types of socket electrical circuit, loose connections can mean that NO PLUG SOCKETS ARE WORKING BUT LIGHTS ARE. Be careful not to try and investigate this problem though. It can appear that electricity is not present when, in fact, it is. An electrician should be called for most electrical faults to safely investigate. When connections become loose, they can burn out causing sockets to fail and appliances not to work any longer.
Loose connections can occur at almost any point on the electrical circuit including in the consumer unit itself. Whilst the electrician is there investigating, ask them to check the other connections inside the consumer unit to make sure they are suitably torqued / tightened and to check for signs of damage to other areas.

5) An appliance has gone faulty

When appliances go bad, sockets can stop working. This is occasionally the case for some homes. A faulty appliance can cause power failure to most of the electrical installation depending upon the design and set up of your home electrical system. It may be worth unplugging all electrical appliances and resetting any tripped switches to see if the issue has been caused by a fault appliance in the home. 

6) Consumer unit problems

There are many different components inside a consumer unit. These components have moving parts and internal connections meaning that they are sometimes susceptible to damage or failure. It may come as a shock but just like your Gas boiler and other appliances, electrical systems and components are not designed to last forever and will eventually need replacing.😊When electrical circuits fail, the cause can be one of the many internal components inside the consumer unit failing or connections becoming overheated or burnt. Electrical burning is a fishy, chemical type smell and can be quite worrying. If you can smell anything like this then its best to call an electrician immediately and ask them to come and investigate for you. These types of issue will not go away on their own and failure to promptly investigate almost always leads to a more expensive repair. 

7) Circuits are broken

When an electrical circuit becomes broken, often this will result in electrical current not being able to flow correctly or at all. This will result in sockets not working as they should or at all. If you have a broken circuit that is discovered by an electrician then it is not only necessary to have that particular circuit fixed but you should also have an electrical inspection carried out on the rest of the electrical installation. Circuits do not simply fall apart themselves. Circuit failure is an indication that the electrical system has issues. Age, DIY, Poor installation, and lack of maintenance can cause broken circuits and if this happens on one circuit then it is likely that there are issues on the other electrical circuits in your home. 

The relatively low cost of a thorough home electrical inspection is outweighed by the relief that can come from knowing the condition of the electrical installation and what works may be needed to bring it up to modern safety standards. 

If you have NO SOCKETS WORKING BUT LIGHTS ARE then contact your local emergency electrician to have them investigate for you and give you some peace of mind. 

📞 01925 595 980 (Warrington)

📞 0151 351 4011 (Liverpool)

📧 Enquire online

💻 Visit our website