Urgent electrical faults
Need an electrician near you today? Here is what we can honestly do
Plenty of sites promise round the clock call out. We do not run one. Insight Electrical works Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 17:00, from High Wycombe, and urgent domestic faults get priority within those hours.
What we are and are not
We only take on work we are confident we can carry out safely and competently, and the same honesty applies to availability. Our hours are Monday – Friday, 08:00 – 17:00. If your problem cannot wait until the next working morning, call a provider that genuinely operates a night and weekend rota. Everything on this page is about what happens inside our hours, and what you can safely do in the meantime.
While you wait
Make it safe, then leave it alone
The advice below is the same guidance we give on the phone and in our fault guides. Nothing here involves opening an accessory or working inside the consumer unit.
- Switch the affected circuit off at the consumer unit
- Unplug the appliance involved, if you can do it without touching a hot plug
- Leave that appliance unplugged and out of use
- Do not remove faceplates or covers yourself
- Stop resetting a device that keeps tripping back out
- Photograph any scorching or discolouration for the electrician
Faults we prioritise
The problems worth a call the same morning
Each of these has a full guide on this site explaining the likely causes and what diagnosis involves, so you can read while you wait for a reply.
A burning or fishy smell at an outlet
The one symptom where our advice is to stop using the circuit today. Isolate it at the board and leave it isolated.
Read the guideThe board keeps tripping
Repeated tripping is a protective device working. Finding what pulls it out takes testing, not repeated resets.
Read the guideAn RCD that will not reset
A device that refuses to stay in usually means the fault is still present on one of the circuits behind it.
Read the guideHalf the house is dead
Which rooms went and which stayed usually identifies the affected circuit before anyone lifts a cover.
Read the guideSockets dead on one wall
A localised group of dead outlets points at one connection rather than a whole-house problem.
Read the guideThe shower trips the board
High-load circuits fail in their own particular ways, and the element is only one of the candidates.
Read the guideInside our hours
How an urgent fault is handled
1
Tell us the symptom
Call 07848 007564 between 08:00 and 17:00, Monday to Friday. Website enquiries are normally answered the same working day.
2
We tell you honestly how urgent it is
Some faults need today, some can wait for a booked slot this week. We will say which yours looks like rather than inflate it.
3
Methodical diagnosis
Fault finding is done by testing rather than guesswork, so the cause is identified before parts are changed.
4
Repair, test, explain
The circuit is tested end to end on completion, not just the one accessory, and we explain what was wrong and why.
Urgent? Calling beats writing
07848 007564Not urgent after all? Use the free quote form or read about our fault finding service.
Straight answers
Do you offer a 24 hour emergency call out?+
No. We work Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 17:00, and we would rather say that plainly than advertise a service we do not run. For anything outside those hours you need a 24 hour call out provider.
What should I do if I smell burning at a socket?+
Unplug whatever is connected if you can do so without touching a hot plug, switch that circuit off at the consumer unit, leave the appliance out of use and do not remove the faceplate yourself. Photograph any discolouration for the electrician.
Half the house has lost power. Is that urgent?+
It is usually a single tripped protective device rather than a whole-house failure. Our guides walk through what the pattern of dead circuits tells you before anyone opens anything up.
Can I keep using a circuit that still works but keeps tripping?+
A device that keeps tripping is doing its job and telling you something. Stop reaching for the reset and get the circuit tested instead.
How quickly will you reply to an urgent enquiry?+
Enquiries sent through the website are normally answered the same working day. If it is urgent, calling is always faster than writing.
What if it is a power cut rather than a fault?+
If neighbouring properties are dark too, it is the supply rather than your installation, and that is your network operator's responsibility rather than an electrician's.
Planning work rather than chasing a fault? See what a local electrical contractor can take on across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Surrey.
Free quote
Fault sorted? Worth checking the rest
Inspection and testing gives you a clear, coded written report on the whole installation.