What is an electrical emergency call out?

1) An “electrical emergency call out” is when there is an electrical problem in your homes electrical system and you need an electrician to attend your property as a matter of urgency.  

1.0.1) Not all electricians offer this service and not all electricians are able to attend very quickly to diagnose and repair the problem for you. 

When an electrical emergency happens, it is usually without prior warning and at the most inconvenient of times.

Usually, evenings and weekends are common times for situations to occur when it is most difficult to get a trades-person to attend your home. 

You may find that the consumer unit / fuse box is tripping switches or blowing fuses and there is no obvious reason why. There may be a smell of electrical burning from somewhere and you need it investigating. There are many types of electrical situation that would warrant an electrical emergency call out. 

2) What does and emergency electrician do?

An emergency electrician is usually expecting calls on evenings and weekends and will normally be able to attend quickly. The priority for an emergency electrician is safety first and repair second. The most important thing is to ensure the safety of the persons in the property and that means disconnecting and making safe any electrical dangers. If power can be restored at the same time, then this is a bonus. Temporary repairs should only be carried out if absolutely safe to do so. Often, temporary repairs are not a safe long-term measure and therefore probably not a good idea in the first place. The first priority when an electrician turns up out of hours is to ensure that no one is going to get an electric shock so dangerous electrical items, burnt cables and damaged electrical wiring or accessories should be disconnected.

It is possible that the electrician may be able to also undertake electrical repairs at the same time and if that is possible then that’s great. Often, the electrician will have to quote for repairs to be completed on another day as there is usually the requirement to source parts or complete works during daylight / normal working hours. 

3) How long do parts take to source?

Most emergency electricians will carry spare parts for most situations. These will either be on the van / vehicle or in a lock up somewhere. There are occasions that parts will have to be purchased as it is impossible to carry a stock of all parts for all situations. In these cases, most wholesalers can source things within 48 hours if they are not readily available on the shelf. 

Issues can occur when trying to source parts for old fuse boards / consumer units. An “ELECTRICAL EMERGENCY CALL OUT” can often highlight an electrical system that has been neglected, is very old or no longer fit for purpose. Many domestic properties contain consumer units / fuse boxes that should have been swapped long ago but have been left as there has “never been a problem before”. This can prove nearly impossible to obtain parts. Trying to source parts for a 30- or 40-year-old consumer unit is difficult at best. In cases where the consumer unit has suffered damage it may be the only option to replace the entire unit. 

4) Can every electrical problem be fixed?

Yes and no. Helpful, eh? Let’s say that there is an old fuse box at the property that has failed and burnt out. It is sometimes possible to replace the fuse box and for everything to work again. Sometimes, however, the old fuse box can mask hidden electrical issue within the property. These issues can go undetected due to the age of the technology that was protecting the electrical installation. The minute a new consumer unit / fuse box is added to the old electrical installation there may be lots of problems as circuits begin tripping due to the new technology detecting the previously hidden electrical faults. ☹ 

Of course, this can be rectified assuming the wiring is not too old. Faults can be found and fixed, we do this day in day out. If the wiring is very old however, then it may be that a rewire is the only way forward. The fuse box was just the first thing to break down and then highlighted and aged electrical installation that required replacing. 

5) Can temporary power be installed?

Yes, temporary power can be installed and we carry pre-made temporary power boards for this very purpose. These are not suitable for powering entire electrical installations though. These temporary power supplies are only designed and intended to keep fridges and freezers alive along with a couple of floor or table lamps whilst repairs / replacements are carried out. Electric showers, cookers and even gas boilers may not be able to be powered up safely and as such the home can sometimes be uninhabitable sensibly whilst repairs are carried out.

6) What about other repairs?

There are many other electrical repairs that are not so drastic. For example, a failed circuit breaker that requires replacing. This is an easier fix and often we have replacements ready to go so we can organise this quickly / same day or visit. Trapped cables, damaged wires and broken electrical accessories can all normally be repaired or replaced on the same visit and as such there is no need to go replacing the consumer unit or rewiring the property assuming the cables are not ancient of course. 😊 

There will sometimes be a switch tripping in the consumer unit and in these cases, it is a question of the electrician carrying out some fault finding to ascertain why. There is normally a reason for a switch tripping beyond the assumption of a faulty switch. 

If you find yourself in need of an ELECTRICAL EMERGENCY CALL OUT then give us a call. We cover most areas between Liverpool and Leigh along the M62 and the East Lancs.