What electrical issues are URGENT?
- Posted By Nikki Montaser
Is it after hours, the weekend or during a holiday period and you're having electrical issues? Read on to find out more about how to identify what constitutes an urgent electrical callout, along with some handy tips from the amazing team at Well Connected Electrical Services...
Urgent:
🆘 No power
🆘 Tripping power (lighting or power circuits)
🆘 No hot water
🆘 Crackling power points or switches
🆘 Or anything that smells like burning to name a few issues...
Handy Tips and Problem Solving...
Tripping power circuit:
Unplug all items on the circuit (fridges, dishwashers, hair dryers, toasters, the works) then retry the breaker. If the power holds, plug items one by one and see if the circuit trips again.
If the power does trip again, list all items that are plugged in and call the electrician to attend. This will help start fault finding and reduce the amount of time the electrician may require on the job. It will also help determine if one of your own appliances is causing the trip. If this was found to be the case and no other issues were found, you would be responsible for paying the electrician's call-out fee. So check your toaster isn't the culprit!
If power holds, it may have been an overloaded circuit (extremely common at this time of year).
If you cannot restore power by unplugging items, call the electrician. They will request a photo of the switchboard before they attend.
Tripping lighting circuit:
Note the weather... If it is raining, turn off any outdoor lights and see if you can turn the breaker back on.
If it's not wet, tripping light circuits are quite uncommon, so you'll likely need an electrician. They will request a photo of the switchboard before they attend.
Cooktops:
With gas cooktops, if you have any issues with clicking the ignition switch, you will likely need an appliance technician but you can use a lighter meanwhile. You can isolate the switchboard (turning cooktop breakers off) or unplug the appliance and it will still function without power by using the lighter to strike the ignition.
Electric cooktops: If it is not functioning well but there is still power to it, you'll need an appliance tech. If there is NO power getting to it, we suggest trying to plug into a different power point outside of the kitchen to see if it's an issue with the power point.
🆘 Call the electrician ASAP if you have any burning smells coming from power points, switches, or lights or if you are getting any sort of “tingle” when turning on taps or in any wet areas or shocks from light switches.