Safety, , 2 min read
How much does it cost to fix a short circuit or electrical fault?
Most short circuits are caused by a damaged cable, a faulty appliance or a loose connection, and most are found and fixed within an hour or two. Here's what affects the cost and how to keep it down.
The cost of fixing a short circuit depends mostly on how long it takes to find. A faulty appliance or a damaged socket is usually found and fixed within the first hour. A cable damaged inside a wall or under a floor can take longer to trace. Our emergency call-out is £95 on weekday daytimes, including the first hour, and each extra half hour is £45. If it can wait, booking it in as planned work costs less again.
What is a short circuit?
A short circuit happens when the live conductor touches neutral or earth, so a large current flows and the breaker or RCD trips to protect the circuit. It's the breaker doing its job. Common causes are:
- A faulty appliance, such as a kettle, toaster, washing machine or outdoor light.
- A damaged cable, often from a nail or screw through a wall, or from rodents in a loft or under a floor.
- Water getting into a socket, light fitting or junction box.
- A loose or burnt connection in a socket, switch or light.
Check this before you call
- Unplug everything on the circuit that tripped.
- Reset the breaker or RCD.
- If it stays on, plug things back in one at a time. If it trips when one appliance goes in, that appliance is the likely culprit, and you may not need an electrician at all.
- If it trips straight away with everything unplugged, leave it off and call us.
Our guide to why your fuse board keeps tripping goes into more detail.
How an electrician finds the fault
We test the circuit with an insulation resistance tester to confirm where the fault is, then narrow it down by splitting the circuit at sockets and junction boxes. It's careful, methodical work, and the reason fault finding is usually charged by time rather than a fixed price.
What affects the cost
- Where the fault is. A burnt socket takes minutes to replace. A cable buried in plaster may need a short new run of cable instead.
- When you need us. Evenings, weekends and nights cost more. See our emergency prices.
- Making good. If a cable has to be replaced inside a wall, there may be some plaster to make good afterwards.
- The age of the wiring. If testing shows the whole circuit is deteriorating, we'll explain the options, from a single repair to a partial rewire.
Written by A Walsh ElectricalNAPIT-approved electricians based in Buckhurst Hill, looking after homes and businesses since 1999.
