Advice & Help – Domestic Electrical Faults

Areas covered, and order, on this web page:

· Safety.

· General advice.

· RCD has tripped and won’t reset.

· Electric or gas boiler not working.

· Free standing lamps.

· Lights.

· Electrical socket not working.

· Tumble dryers.

Safety

The three most important points to remember are:

· Safety.

Domestic supplies can, and do, kill.

ALWAYS turn off (Isolate) the supplies to the circuit or appliance that you are working on.

If in any doubt get a qualified electrician to do the work.

General Advice

· Get as much information about the problem as you can.

· If an electrical socket is not working is it just the one socket not working or are no electrical sockets working? Are all ceiling lights not working or just one?

· If a boiler is not working, do the TV and tumble-dryer work? Have all supplies, to the house, been lost, or just to one circuit or one appliance?

· Is the problem something that is happening regularly? Is there a history of electrical problems in this room, on this circuit or in this house?

· Is it always the same bulb, fuse or RCD (Residual Current Device) that blows?

· Always check RCDs even if you think the RCD is not the problem.

· If in any doubt please contact Judge Electrical for free advice.

RCD (Residual Current Device) Has Tripped And Won’t Reset

· The problem in almost never the RCD; the problem will be an appliance causing the RCD to trip.

· Unplug all electrical appliances, for instance TVs and kettles – does the RCD reset now? If yes, one of the appliances is at fault; if no, call a qualified electrician.

· If the RCD resets after unplugging all the electrical appliances, plug each appliance back in, one at a time, to find out which appliance is causing the problem.

· Investigate tripping RCD page.

· What Causes An RCD To Trip.

· Why An RCD Trips.

Electric Or Gas Boiler Not Working

· Check the fuse, gas boilers sometimes have electrical supplies, the fuse will be near the boiler or on the main fuse board.

· If replacing the fuse does not solve the problem call an electrician or gas engineer.

· Central Heating Problems Page.

· Central Heating Links Page.

Free-Standing (Table Or Floor) Lamp Not Working

· Replace the bulb.

· If replacing the bulb does not work remove the supply to the lamp and clean the inside of the bulb holder – scrape with a knife or screwdriver. The lamp holder often becomes ‘oxidised’ (Black in colour); this prevents good electrical contact between the bulb and bulb holder.

· Is the power cable in good condition? Has it been damaged?

· Table and floor lamp troubleshooting tips.

Recessed Light (‘Down Light’) Problems

· Recessed lights (down lights) use many different voltages. Is the bulb voltage rating correct? Compare the problem bulb, or bulbs, with bulbs that work OK – are they the same?

· Recessed lights (down lights) have many different wattage ratings. Is the bulb wattage rating correct? Compare the problem bulb, or bulbs, with bulbs that work OK – are they the same?

· Is something covering the bulb housing, for instance loft insulation? Overheating causes many different problems.

· Home lighting troubleshooting tips.

Ceiling Light Not Working

· Replace the bulb.

· Many ceiling lights have transformers to change the input voltage to the bulb, this may be causing the problem. The transformer will be in the ceiling space or loft.

· The problem could also be the wiring to the bulb holder – wiring securely connected? Good state of repair?

· Home Lighting Troubleshooting Tips.

Lights Flickering

· Usually a poor electrical connection.

· If one light or bulb check the wiring to the light or bulb (bulb holder); wiring securely connected? Good state of repair?

· If one light or bulb check the wiring to the switch; securely connected? Good state of repair?

· If more than one light or bulb check the RCDs.

· If more than one light or bulb call a qualified electrician; the problem is likely to be at the RCD panel or in the earth or neutral line (poor wiring).

· Home lighting troubleshooting tips.

Recessed Light (‘Down Light’) Stops Working But Later Starts Working

· Probably the electrical safety ‘cut-out’ operating.

· Usually due to overheating. Is something covering bulb housing, for instance loft insulation? Incorrect bulb wattage – what wattage are the other bulbs, is the problem light the same wattage?

· Home lighting troubleshooting tips.

One Light Is Brighter Or Dimmer Than The Others

· The obvious – are the bulbs the same wattage?

· Poor wiring to the bulb holder – wiring securely connected? Good state of repair?

· Home lighting troubleshooting tips.

One Bulb Blows More Often Than Others

· Bulb wattage – is the bulb correct wattage, what wattage are the bulbs that don’t blow so often?

· Poor wiring to the bulb holder – wiring securely connected? Good state of repair?

· Home lighting troubleshooting tips.

Electrical Socket Not Working

· Are all electrical sockets not working or just the one?

· If no electrical sockets are working has an RCD tripped of a fuse blown? Check fuses. Check the RCDs.

· The problem could also be the wiring to the electrical socket – wiring securely connected? Good state of repair?

· Is the switch in a good state of repair? Does the socket look damaged? Does the socket look discoloured? Replace the electrical socket if the socket is in a poor state of repair.

Tumble Dryers

· Not working at all. Is the supply to the tumble-dryer OK? Plug another appliance into the electrical outlet – does this appliance work? If the tumble-dryer does not have a plug but is ‘hard-wired’ (flex outlet) into a supply there will usually be a small light in the surround of the supply outlet at the wall – is the light on? Is there a fuse – has the fuse blown?

· No hot air (not hot). Has the tumble-dryer overheat switch tripped? This often happens if you stop the tumble-dryer before the ‘cool air’ part at the end of the cycle (Usually the last 10 minutes or so). There is usually a reset button on the back of the tumble-dryer.

Please contact Judge Electrical for free advice.

Links

Links – Domestic Electrics & Central Heating Advice

Resetting RCDs

Domestic Electrical Sockets

Home lighting Troubleshooting Tips

Judge Electrical Guideline Prices

Electrical RCDs

Electrical Surge Protection

Electrical Socket Not Working

Central Heating Problems

¨ Home lighting Troubleshooting Tips