No sockets working but lights are?

1) What are my sockets working but my lights are NOT?🤔

If you find that you have “NO SOCKETS WORKING BUT LIGHTS ARE” then you have an electrical problem in your house. The photograph above shows a consumer unit / fuse box with its cover off. Ignoring all the wires, we can see that there are lots of trip switches in here. If you look carefully, you can see some trip switches on the left-hand side that are in the “down” position. 

When a switch is in the down position it means that there is an electrical problem, or has been an electrical problem. See if the switch will reset and stay up, if not then read on. 

2) What can I do to fix the problem?🤷

The first thing to do if you have no sockets working is to see if something has tripped in the consumer unit. Some consumer units have a protective device (or two) called an RCD, RCB or RCCB. It usually has a button on the switch marked ‘test’ as well. This is a common device that trips when there is an electrical problem. 
We have written a help sheet specifically for this problem which can be found here:
https://www.electricalfaultsfixed.co.uk/helpsheet/help-my-house-electrics-are-tripping 

3) Who do I call to help?📲

If you have tried the help sheet and it has not worked or just need an electrician to come out quickly then give us a call and we will get you booked in for your emergency visit. 

4) What could be the problem with my sockets?💭

There could be several reasons for the sockets failing in your home, common causes we find are:

• Old or faulty wiring: When wiring ages, it becomes brittle and microscopic cracks can cause the insulation around the copper to break down leading to electrical problems like trip switches being activated. 
• Damaged cables: When cables become trapped, pinched, damaged or otherwise suffer trauma, the consumer unit can pick up on these problems and keep disconnecting the circuit as a safety measure. Damaged cable should be repaired or replaced by a professional to ensure the circuit can operate safely. 
• Burnt out connections: Cables can loosen over time, hidden junction boxes can harbour loose connections, wiring can become overloaded and we can see burnt out connections as a result. When connections suffer heat damage like this, they become a bottle neck for electrical current as they no longer allow much current to flow due to the increase in electrical resistance of the burnt wiring. 
• Faulty Circuit Breaker or Trip Switch: When a switch in your consumer unit begins to fail, it may start tripping without reason, it may not turn back on again, feel loose or spongy or there may be a funny smell coming from the switch. Whatever the reason for the switch failing, its best to call an electrician to investigate the issue and to replace the switch with a new one. Only a qualified electrician should carry out electrical works, especially where a consumer unit is involved. 
• Overloaded Cables: When cables are overloaded, they can overheat, catch fire, short out and fail in a few ways. Electrical installations that have been correctly designed by a specialist, should never have overloaded cables as the system simply will not allow it. There are occasions, however, when DIY work has taken place or that of unqualified persons, to modify an electrical installation causing dangerous situations. It is important that only a qualified, trustworthy electrician carries out work on your home electrical system to ensure that the work is done safely, according to the wiring regulations and the correct electrical certification is issued to you once the job is completed.

5) How quick can you get here?⏱️

From your phone call and payment, we can be with you within 2 hours. We will clarify this at the time of booking of course and an ETA will be provided. Where possible, a live map of our location will be shared with you so you can see exactly how far away we are and how much time you have to clear out the fuse box cupboard for us 😊. For occasions where our emergency works have taken us further afield, there may be a lightly longer wait before we can get to you as we cover a wide area across the northwest. 

6) How much will it cost me?💷

We like to be completely open and transparent regarding costs. Please see our emergency page for emergency attendance costs and other job costs. 
https://www.electricalfaultsfixed.co.uk/emergency-electrician

6.1) Our contact info:

📞 0151 351 4011

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