We are surrounded by electricity — it powers our lights, appliances, and just about everything we rely on daily. When something goes wrong, you want it fixed immediately. Discover in this post How to Handle Common Electrical Problems in Your Home
When working with any kind of wiring or electrical components, it’s always safest to contact a fully qualified, Part P registered electrician. However, there are a few simple things you can safely check yourself before calling a professional.
At Belectrix Ltd, we serve customers across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and North, North East, North West London, offering reliable electrical fault-finding, fuse board upgrades, and general electrical services to keep your home safe.
Here are some useful tips
1. If you see sparks or smell burning – act fast
If you ever notice sparks, signs of a short circuit, or smell something burning, disconnect the device immediately and switch off the electricity at the main consumer unit. Then, call an electrician as soon as possible.
Situations like this can be extremely dangerous — do not attempt to fix them yourself.
2. Appliance not working
If a device won’t turn on, start with the basics:
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Make sure it’s plugged in and switched on.
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Try it in another outlet to rule out a faulty socket.
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Check your circuit breakers or fuses for any that may have tripped.
It sounds simple, but many call-outs result in discovering something wasn’t plugged in properly!
3. Power outage after plugging in a device
If you plug in an appliance and suddenly lose power, you’ve probably overloaded a circuit. Unplug the device and check your circuit breaker or fuse box.
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If a breaker has tripped, simply reset it.
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If a fuse has blown, replace it with one of the same rating.
If the problem keeps happening, or the breaker hasn’t tripped at all, turn off power to that circuit and call a qualified electrician. Repeated trips could point to a faulty circuit or appliance.
4. Power loss in one part of your home
If some rooms have power and others don’t, you likely have a tripped breaker or blown fuse.
Reset or replace it if needed — but if it keeps happening, it’s time to bring in a professional. Persistent tripping could mean a wiring fault or overloaded circuit.
If all breakers and fuses look fine but there’s still no power, call an electrician for further investigation.
5. No power in the entire house
If the whole property is without power, check with your neighbours first to see if they’re affected. If they are, it’s likely a power cut — contact your electricity supplier to check the status.
If not, verify your main switch is on and that your electric meter is working properly. In rare cases, it could even be due to a missed bill payment!
Stay safe and call a professional
Now that you know How to Handle Common Electrical Problems in Your Home it is up to you to decide if you can handle it yourself or need to call a professional.
Electricity is essential to modern life — but it can be extremely dangerous when handled incorrectly. Always try the simple checks first, but avoid working on live wiring or open distribution board yourself.
When in doubt, call a licensed, local electrician.
At Belectrix Ltd, we serve customers across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and North, North East, North West London, offering reliable electrical fault-finding, fuse board upgrades, and general electrical services to keep your home safe.
