Fault Finding & Repairs
Electrical fault finding and repairsacross Stevenage and Hertfordshire
A tripping circuit or dead socket gets traced to its root cause and fixed properly, not just patched over, so call-outs don't turn into repeat visits.
Rated 4.95 out of 5 on TrustATrader · 20 years in the trade
20 yrs
experience
4.95/5
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100%
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£10m
public liability cover
24 hrs
phone line answered
The service
Electrical faults, found and fixed
A tripping fuseboard, a socket that's gone dead, lights that flicker for no obvious reason; these are the jobs we get called to most often. Linehan Electrical is a NICEIC Approved Contractor based in Stevenage, carrying £10m public and £10m employers' liability insurance, and we've been fault-finding on domestic and commercial properties for 20 years.
Fault finding is a skill in itself. It's not guesswork; it's a logical process of isolating circuits, testing with calibrated equipment, and narrowing down the cause until it's confirmed. A loose connection in a socket, a damaged cable behind a wall, a faulty appliance overloading a circuit, a failing RCD: each needs a different fix, and guessing wrong wastes your time and money.
We work on everything from a single dead light switch in a one-bed flat through to recurring faults on larger commercial installations. Every job is quoted first: small jobs are usually quoted from photos, larger or less obvious faults need a site visit to diagnose properly.
Once the fault is found, we explain what's wrong in plain terms before any repair work starts, so you know exactly what you're paying for and why.
If it's left
Why electrical faults need proper diagnosis
Electrical faults are rarely where they first appear to be. The socket that's stopped working might be the symptom, not the cause: the real fault could be metres away in a cable run or at the fuseboard itself.
Repeated tripping
A circuit or RCD that keeps tripping is protecting you from something | ignoring it or resetting it repeatedly doesn't fix the underlying fault.
Overheating connections
Loose or corroded connections generate heat. Left alone, this is a recognised cause of electrical fires.
Intermittent faults
Faults that come and go are often loose connections or damaged insulation | they tend to get worse, not better, over time.
Shocks and tingles
Feeling a tingle from an appliance or switch means current is going somewhere it shouldn't. This needs investigating straight away.
Buzzing or humming
Noise from a socket, switch or consumer unit is rarely normal and usually indicates a loose connection or failing component.
Burning smells
Any smell of burning or hot plastic near an electrical fitting is a sign to stop using that circuit and get it checked.
Common mistakes we see
- ×Resetting a tripped breaker repeatedly instead of finding out why it tripped
- ×Ignoring an intermittent fault because it 'sorts itself out'
- ×Using an unqualified handyman for anything beyond changing a bulb
- ×Covering a warm socket or switch with a cosmetic fix rather than investigating
- ×Assuming a new appliance is the fault without testing the circuit itself
- ×Leaving DIY wiring changes untested after the fact
How we work
How we find and fix electrical faults
- 01
Initial information
We ask what's happening, when it started, and what (if anything) changed beforehand. Small jobs can often be quoted from photos or a phone description.
- 02
Diagnosis
Using test equipment, we isolate circuits and trace the fault systematically | checking connections, insulation resistance, RCDs and earthing until the cause is confirmed.
- 03
Explain and agree
We tell you what we've found and what's needed to fix it, in plain language, before carrying out repair work.
- 04
Repair and test
The repair is carried out and the circuit is tested again to confirm the fault is resolved and the installation is safe to use.
- 05
Completion
The site is left clean and tidy. All workmanship carries a 12-month guarantee, and payment is due 14 days from completion.
What you get
Why get faults diagnosed properly
Faster resolution
Systematic diagnosis finds the actual cause first time rather than guessing and replacing parts until something works.
Safer property
Faults that cause tripping or heat can be early warning signs | proper diagnosis catches issues before they escalate.
No repeat call-outs
Fixing the root cause means you're not calling us back out for the same symptom next month.
Cost clarity
Call-outs are £120 including the first hour, then £50 per hour | no surprises once work is agreed.
Insured work
Every repair is carried out under £10m public and £10m employers' liability insurance.
Guaranteed workmanship
Repairs come with a 12-month workmanship guarantee.
In detail
Fault finding and repairs in detail
Fault finding covers a huge range of issues, from a single faulty switch to recurring problems across a whole installation. Here's how we approach the common scenarios.
Common causes of electrical faults
Loose or corroded terminal connections are one of the most common causes of tripping, buzzing and intermittent faults; they're also one of the easiest to miss without proper testing.
Damaged cable insulation, often from drilling, nailing or rodent activity, can cause earth faults that trip an RCD. Overloaded circuits, particularly in older properties with modern appliance loads, are another frequent cause.
Failing components, a worn switch mechanism, a degraded socket, an ageing RCD, simply reach the end of their service life and need replacing rather than repairing.
Diagnostic methods and equipment
We use calibrated test instruments to check insulation resistance, earth continuity, polarity and RCD operation in line with BS 7671, the UK wiring regulations. This confirms exactly where a fault sits rather than relying on visual inspection alone.
For intermittent faults, this can mean testing a circuit under load, checking connections at every accessible point, and sometimes monitoring over a short period to catch the fault occurring.
Typical repairs we carry out
Replacing faulty sockets, switches and light fittings. Re-terminating loose connections at sockets, junction boxes or the consumer unit. Repairing or replacing damaged cable sections. Replacing failed RCDs or circuit breakers. Sorting out faults left behind by previous DIY work or other trades.
Domestic vs commercial fault finding
In homes, faults are usually isolated to one circuit or room and can often be diagnosed and fixed in a single visit. In commercial and industrial settings, fault finding can involve larger distribution boards, three-phase supplies and multiple interconnected circuits, where a fault on one piece of equipment can affect others downstream.
On larger commercial sites we've worked on everything up to LV panel boards in warehouse environments, so we're used to diagnosing faults across complex installations, not just single-circuit domestic jobs.
When a repair points to something bigger
Sometimes a fault is a symptom of an ageing installation overall: an old fuseboard without RCD protection, for example, or wiring that's reaching the end of its practical life. If that's the case, we'll tell you honestly, and you can decide whether a repair, a consumer unit upgrade, or a wider rewire makes more sense. An EICR is a useful way to get the full picture of an installation's condition if faults keep recurring in different places.
Related services
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does a fault-finding call-out cost?
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The call-out is £120, which includes the first hour on site. After that it's £50 per hour. Small jobs are often quoted from photos before we even visit.
How long does fault finding take?
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It depends on the fault. Many straightforward faults are found and fixed in a single visit, while more complex or intermittent faults can take longer to isolate; we'll keep you updated as we go.
Can you quote without visiting?
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For straightforward issues, yes: send photos and a description and we can often give an estimate. Less obvious faults, or anything on a larger commercial site, usually need a site visit.
Do repairs come with a guarantee?
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Yes, all workmanship is guaranteed for 12 months. Where new parts are installed, manufacturer warranties apply on top of that and vary by product.
Can you call out of hours?
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Our phone line is answered 24 hours a day, so you can always get in touch; we don't promise a fixed attendance time, but we'll talk through the situation with you.
Do you work on commercial electrical faults too?
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Yes. We cover domestic and commercial fault finding, from a single socket in a flat to faults on larger industrial installations.
What if the fault keeps coming back?
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That usually means the underlying cause wasn't addressed. We diagnose systematically to find the actual root cause, not just treat the symptom.
Do I need to be present during diagnosis?
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It helps if you can describe when the fault happens and show us the circuits affected, but it's not essential for the whole visit.
How is payment handled?
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Payment is due 14 days from completion, by whatever method suits you. Larger jobs require a 10% deposit.
Do you cover fault finding in Hertfordshire and beyond Stevenage?
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Yes, we cover Stevenage and the wider Hertfordshire area, as well as Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and London.
Get your electrical fault diagnosed properly
Tell us what's happening and we'll give you a free quote, often from a photo or description alone. Call anytime, our line is open 24 hours.
- NICEIC Approved Contractor
- 12-month workmanship guarantee
- 4.95 on TrustATrader