QuayvoltElectrical · Torbay Demo · made-up brand

Electricians across Torbay

What's tripping?

Tap what's happening at home. You'll see how worried to be, what's safe to do right now, and what the fix usually costs.

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What's happening?

Your consumer unitSample board
Sample consumer unit Illustration of a dual-RCD consumer unit: a main switch, RCD 1 protecting circuits 1 to 4, RCD 2 protecting circuits 5 to 8, with brown, blue and green-and-yellow cables. The part linked to the chosen symptom lights up. from meter QUAYVOLT 18TH EDITION MAIN100AI ONO OFF 63A30mARCD 1T B321 B322 B63 B324 63A30mARCD 2T B325 B66 B407 B68 RCD 1 · circuits 1–4 RCD 2 · circuits 5–8

Sample board: all eight circuits on and protected by two RCDs.

  1. 1Kitchen socketsB32
  2. 5Upstairs socketsB32
  3. 2Downstairs socketsB32
  4. 6Upstairs lightsB6
  5. 3Downstairs lightsB6
  6. 7ShowerB40
  7. 4CookerB32
  8. 8Smoke alarmsB6

What it probably is

Amber Book this week

The trip switch goes when the kettle's on

Likely cause
Your RCD is doing its job. It has spotted electricity leaking to earth, and the kettle is the usual suspect: an element starting to break down leaks a little every time it heats. Sometimes it's the last straw on a circuit already carrying small leaks from older appliances.
Safe to do now
Unplug the kettle and push the RCD switch back up. If it stays up, boil water another way for now. If it trips again with the kettle unplugged, leave it down and call us.
Please don't
Keep resetting it with the kettle plugged in, or hold or tape the switch up.
What it usually becomes
Fault finding, about an hour. If one fault keeps knocking off half the house, we may suggest an RCBO board so each circuit has its own protection.

Fault findingfrom £75First hour · sample price for this demo

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Lights flicker or dim

Likely cause
On one light, it's usually an LED bulb that doesn't suit the dimmer switch. If several lights flicker, or they dip when the oven or shower comes on, it points to a loose connection at a switch, a ceiling rose or in the board.
Safe to do now
Try a different bulb, or one marked dimmable. If a switch or fitting feels warm, buzzes or crackles, switch that circuit off at its breaker and leave it off.
Please don't
Take the switch plate or ceiling rose apart to have a look.
What it usually becomes
Fault finding and tightening up, or an LED-compatible dimmer. A loose connection is a quick fix once it's found.

Fault findingfrom £75First hour · sample price for this demo

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One socket has stopped working

Likely cause
If nothing has tripped, there's a loose or burnt connection at that socket or the one feeding it. On a ring circuit it can also mean the ring is broken, so the other sockets are working harder than they should.
Safe to do now
Check the board for a switch that's down. If the socket runs off a fused spur, try a new fuse of the same rating. Then leave it alone and don't run heaters from the sockets nearby.
Please don't
Unscrew the faceplate to see what's behind it.
What it usually becomes
Fault finding and an end-to-end test of the ring, usually under an hour, then a new socket front if the old one's scorched.

Fault findingfrom £75First hour · sample price for this demo

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Red Switch off at the main switch and call now

Burning smell, or scorch marks on a socket

Likely cause
Something is overheating, usually a loose connection at a socket, switch or plug, or an overloaded extension lead. A fishy or hot-plastic smell near a socket counts too.
Safe to do now
If you can reach it without touching anything hot, switch off at the main switch on your consumer unit. If there's smoke or flame, get everyone out and dial 999.
Please don't
Pull out a scorched plug, open the consumer unit, or switch back on to see if it happens again.
What it usually becomes
An urgent visit: we find the hot joint, replace the damaged fitting and test the whole circuit before you use it again.

Urgent visitfrom £75First hour · sample price for this demo

Call 01803 000 000Book this

Green Can wait. Plan it in.

You've still got the old fuse box

Likely cause
Nothing has gone wrong, it's just old. Boxes with fuse wire have no RCD, the device that cuts the power in a split second if someone touches something live. They weren't built for today's kettles, showers and chargers either.
Safe to do now
Carry on as normal. If a fuse blows, rewire it with fuse wire of the same rating that was there, never anything thicker.
Please don't
Swap in thicker wire, foil or a nail to stop a fuse blowing.
What it usually becomes
A quick EICR to check the cables are sound, then a new metal-clad consumer unit with RCBOs, usually fitted in a day.

Consumer unit upgradefrom £550Sample price for this demo

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Green Book when it suits you

You're buying, selling or letting

Likely cause
Not a fault. You need to know what you're getting. An EICR tests every circuit and tells you in writing whether the electrics are safe for continued use.
Safe to do now
Nothing to do. If you let a property in England, check the date on your last report: it must be no more than five years old.
Good to know
A buyer's survey doesn't test the electrics. Most surveyors will tell you to get an EICR.
What it usually becomes
An EICR, two to four hours for most houses, with the report emailed the same day.

EICRfrom £150Sample price for this demo

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Amber Call today if you can

The power's off and the switch won't go back up

Likely cause
If the street is dark too, it's a power cut: call 105. If it's just you, one circuit has a fault to earth, often a shower, an immersion heater or an outdoor socket after rain, and the RCD keeps cutting it off.
Safe to do now
Switch off every breaker under the tripped RCD, push the RCD back up, then turn the breakers on one at a time. When it trips again you've found the culprit. Leave that one off and the rest can stay on.
Please don't
Hold the RCD switch up, or keep resetting it with everything on.
What it usually becomes
Fault finding on the circuit you've found, usually an hour or two.

Fault findingfrom £75First hour · sample price for this demo

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Red Switch off at the main switch and call now

You got a tingle or a shock

Likely cause
Something metal has become live. It could be a faulty appliance, a damaged cable, or missing earthing and bonding on your pipes, which leaves a fault with nowhere safe to go.
Safe to do now
Don't touch it again. Switch off at the main switch. If anyone was hurt or feels unwell, call 111, or 999 for a serious shock.
Please don't
Touch it again to check you weren't imagining it.
What it usually becomes
An urgent visit to find the fault and check your earthing and bonding. Missing bonding to gas and water pipes is a common find in older houses.

Urgent visitfrom £75First hour · sample price for this demo

Call 01803 000 000Book this
  • Free quotes in writingA fixed price before we start. No surprises on the invoice.
  • Fully insuredPublic liability cover on every job, big or small.
  • Certificates same dayYour EIC, EICR or minor works certificate emailed the day we finish.
  • Tidy-up promiseDust sheets down, hoover out, old fittings taken away.
  • On a live site, your NICEIC/NAPIT badge goes here.

02Services

The jobs we do every week.

Homes, rentals and small shops across Torbay. Everything tested, certificated and wired to BS 7671, the 18th Edition wiring regulations.

Consumer unit upgrade

Out with the old fuse box or tired plastic board, in with a metal-clad unit with RCBOs, so one fault only knocks off one circuit.

1 day · EIC certificate · Part P notified · surge protection

From£550

EICR for homeowners and landlords

Every circuit inspected and tested, with a clear report and coded findings. For buyers, sellers and anyone letting a property.

2–4 hrs · Report emailed same day · tenant copy included

From£150

Full or partial rewire

New cables, back boxes and a new board, room by room or the whole house, planned around you still living there.

5–10 days · Power back most evenings · plastering quoted separately

From£3,800

EV charger installation

A 7 kW smart charger on your drive, load-managed so it won't overload your supply when the oven and shower are on.

½–1 day · Supply and earthing checked first · PEN fault protection

From£895

Extra sockets, lighting and outdoor power

Double sockets where you need them, LED downlights, garden sockets and lights on the outside wall.

2 hrs+ · Minor works certificate · outdoor points RCD-protected

From£95

Smoke and heat alarms

Mains-powered, interlinked alarms with sealed 10-year battery backup. When one goes off, they all do.

2–3 hrs · Heat alarm in the kitchen · smoke on every landing

From£85 per alarm

Fault finding

Tripping, flickering, dead sockets, the lot. We find the cause before we quote for anything else.

1 hr+ · Then £55 an hour · parts at cost, quoted first

From£75 first hour

Demo pricing: sample "from" prices for this demo. A live site shows the electrician's own rates.

03Landlords

Letting a property? You need an EICR.

Since 2020, private landlords in England have had to prove the electrics are safe. Here's the short version.

  • 5years

    Inspect and test at least every five years, by a qualified and competent person, or sooner if the last report says so.

  • 28days

    Give tenants a copy within 28 days of the inspection. New tenants get one before they move in. The council can ask for it, and gets it within 7 days.

  • 28days

    Fix what it finds. Remedial work or further investigation must be done within 28 days, or sooner if the report says, and confirmed in writing to tenants and the council.

  • £30kmax fine

    Councils can fine landlords up to £30,000 for breaching the regulations.

Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020. A summary, not legal advice. Wales and Scotland have their own rules.

Book a landlord EICRPrice it first

What the codes on your report mean

  • C1Danger present. Made safe on the spot, before we leave.
  • C2Potentially dangerous. Needs fixing. The report is unsatisfactory until it is.
  • C3Improvement recommended. Worth doing, but it doesn't fail the report.
  • FIFurther investigation needed. Also makes the report unsatisfactory.
From a sample test scheduleSample readings for this demo
CircuitZs ΩIR MΩRCD ms
1 Kitchen socketsB320.58max 1.37>299min 121max 300
3 Downstairs lightsB61.12max 7.28180min 121max 300
7 ShowerB400.41max 1.09>299min 124max 300

04Instant estimate

Price it before you pick up the phone.

Three taps for a realistic range. You get a fixed written price once we've had a look.

Property
Bedrooms
Job

05Reviews

Heard round the bay.

The trip switch went every time I boiled the kettle. He found the kettle was leaking to earth in ten minutes and talked me out of a new board I didn't need.
Jo, ChelstonFault finding
Old wire-fuse box out, new board in, all in one day. Fridge kept running on a temporary lead, and the certificate was in my inbox by teatime.
Mark and Lisa, PrestonConsumer unit upgrade
Three EICRs on my Paignton flats in one week. Clear reports, a fixed price for the two C2s, and copies ready to send to the tenants.
Priya, landlordEICR × 3

Sample reviews written for this demo.

06Book

Pick a day. We'll text you back.

Tell us what's going on and when suits. We confirm by text, with a two-hour arrival window on the day.

Based in

Torbay (demo address)

Burning smell, scorch marks or a shock? Don't fill in a form. Switch off at the main switch and call.

Booking request

Preferred day
Time window
Demo form. Nothing is sent anywhere.

07Questions

Good to know.

My RCD keeps tripping. Is it faulty?

Usually it's working. An RCD watches for electricity leaking to earth and cuts the power in a fraction of a second, fast enough to stop most shocks doing serious harm. Nuisance tripping nearly always comes from one appliance or a damp outdoor socket. Press the test button on each RCD every six months to keep the mechanism free.

Do I need a new consumer unit?

Not always. If yours still has wire fuses, has no RCD protection on the sockets, or shows any scorching, it's time. A plastic board isn't dangerous just for being plastic, but anything new we fit is metal-clad: since 2016 the regulations have required a non-combustible enclosure in homes. We'll tell you plainly if yours can stay.

What's an EICR, and how is it different from an EIC?

An EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) is a health check on the electrics you already have: we inspect, test every circuit and code anything we find. An EIC is the certificate for new work, like a new circuit or consumer unit. Small jobs, such as an extra socket, get a Minor Works certificate.

Does my job need Part P sign-off?

In England, a new circuit, a new consumer unit, or new work near a bath or shower has to be notified to building control. An electrician registered with a competent person scheme notifies it for you, and you get a Building Regulations compliance certificate. Like-for-like swaps, such as a new socket front, don't need notifying.

How long will the power be off?

For a consumer unit change, most of the working day, around five to seven hours, and we can keep your fridge-freezer on a temporary supply. For an EICR, a few minutes per circuit, and we'll warn you before anything goes off. During a rewire you'll have power back most evenings.

08Areas

One ring, all round the bay.

RING FINAL · NOT TO SCALENewtonAbbotTeignmouthTorquayBrixhamPaigntonQV
  • TorquayBabbacombe, St Marychurch, Chelston, Shiphay, Wellswood
  • PaigntonPreston, Goodrington, Roselands, Collaton St Mary
  • BrixhamChurston, Galmpton, Broadsands
  • Newton AbbotKingsteignton, Kingskerswell, Ipplepen
  • TeignmouthShaldon, Bishopsteignton