One room lost power. Do I call in the middle of the night?

There is no need. With that circuit's breaker switched off, the rest of the home runs normally and there is no risk. Note which breaker it is and what time it happened, and deal with it in working hours.

How long does a fridge last without power?

Several hours if you do not open it, and considerably less if you open it to check. A full freezer holds cold longer than a half-empty one, because the frozen mass itself acts as a store.

Does a night call-out cost more?

The structure of a night call-out is the same: travel, labour and materials. What changes is the rate band applied to labour. We confirm the call-out charge by phone before setting off, so you decide with the figure in front of you.

It always trips at the same time. Why?

Because a scheduled appliance switches on at that hour: almost always the electric water heater, automatic irrigation or the air conditioning. It is the easiest fault of all to solve, because the time already identifies the culprit — note it and tell us.

Electrical fault at night — call now or wait?

A burning smell, smoke, repeated sparking, or a tingle from a tap or an appliance: switch off the main isolator, leave the property and call 112. These four never wait until morning.

Right now

1Rule out the dangerous cases firstA burning smell, smoke, sparks or a tingle when touching something is an immediate emergency at any hour. Everything else allows a calm decision.
2Isolate the affected circuitIf only one circuit is faulty, leave it switched off. With the rest of the home in service, almost any fault can wait until morning.
3Deal with the fridgeIf the dead circuit is the kitchen one, run the fridge from an extension lead from another room. Kept closed, it holds temperature for several hours.
4Use torches, not candlesCandles are the most common cause of house fires during a power cut. A phone or a torch gets you through the night without adding a new risk.

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Why it happens

The water heater coming on

Many "night" faults are not nocturnal at all: they are the electric water heater switching on during the cheapest tariff window and finding a fault that has been there for days. That is why the trip always happens at the same time.

Air conditioning cycling

In summer the unit starts several times a night. A degraded capacitor or a leaking motor produces surges that trip the protection exactly when nobody is watching.

Overnight moisture on outdoor circuits

Pre-dawn condensation on terraces and gardens completes a path to earth in a box that is dry during the day. It is very characteristic of the coast.

Scheduled irrigation

Solenoid valves and irrigation pumps are usually programmed for the night. A pump with a deteriorated casing trips the RCD at exactly the watering time, night after night.

What we do on arrival

We first ask the exact time it happens: on a recurring night fault, that alone usually identifies the appliance before anything is measured.
We measure with the suspect circuit running, because a leak that only appears when hot is invisible with the installation at rest.
If the fault will not reproduce there and then, we isolate the circuit and come back with data rather than swapping parts blind.
We explain what we found before touching anything, so you decide whether it is repaired now or in the morning.

Frequently Asked Questions

Four: a burning smell or smoke, sparking that repeats on its own, a tingle when touching a tap or an appliance, and losing power across the whole home while the neighbours have supply. The first three carry an immediate fire or shock risk; the fourth is usually in the supply and will not resolve itself.