My brother-in-law had this problem in his house in Avonhead where the lights in two bedrooms would randomly flicker but only at night. During the day everything worked perfect. Three different electricians came out and couldnt find anything wrong cause the problem never happened while they were there.
Finally got a sparky who knew about fault finding and he spent three hours testing everything. Turned out there was a loose neutral connection in a junction box hidden in the roof cavity. When the house cooled down at night the metal contracted just enough to make a poor connection. Problem had been happening for six months and was driving them crazy.
Thats what electrical fault finding is all about. Finding problems that arent always obvious and that sometimes only happen under certain conditions. Its like being a detective but for electrical systems.
What Is Fault Finding Actually
Fault finding is when an electrician uses special tools and tests to track down electrical problems. Its different from normal electrical work cause your not just installing new stuff or replacing broken parts. Your trying to figure out why somethings not working right.
Sometimes the problem is obvious. You flip a switch and nothing happens - probably a dead light bulb or blown breaker. Easy to find and fix.
But other times the faults hidden. Intermittent problems that come and go. Strange electrical behavior that doesnt make sense. Power issues that only affect some outlets. These need proper fault finding to diagnose.
Good fault finding saves you money cause the electrician finds the actual problem instead of just guessing and replacing random parts hoping it fixes things. My mate spent 600 dollars having power points replaced trying to fix a problem when all along it was a dodgy connection in his switchboard.
Common Electrical Faults Round Christchurch
Different problems come up more often than others. Breakers that trip all the time are super common. Could be overloaded circuits, could be a faulty breaker, could be a short circuit somewhere. Takes testing to figure out which.
Flickering lights drive people nuts. Sometimes its just loose bulbs but often its loose wiring connections or voltage problems. In older houses round Papanui and Riccarton you get flickering from old aluminium wiring that expands and contracts.
Power points that dont work properly are another big one. Might be the outlet itself is broken or might be wiring problems further back in the circuit. Only way to know is test the whole circuit properly.
Hot switches or outlets are dangerous and need urgent fault finding. Something drawing too much current or theres a poor connection creating resistance and heat. Either way its a fire risk.
My neighbor in Shirley had power that would drop out for a few seconds then come back on. Happened maybe once a day at random times. Took an electrician doing fault finding to discover the main earth stake had corroded and wasnt making good contact anymore.
Earthquake Related Faults
Round here we still get electrical problems from the earthquakes even though its been years. Houses that got shaken up bad sometimes have damaged wiring in walls and ceilings that you cant see.
Connections inside junction boxes can work loose from the shaking. Everything looks fine on the outside but inside theres wires not connected properly. These cause intermittent faults that are hard to track down.
I know someone in the eastern suburbs who kept getting weird power fluctuations. Fault finding showed his switchboard had moved slightly during the quakes and some of the connections had loosened over time. Not enough to stop working completely but enough to cause problems.
Conduit and cable can crack underground from ground movement. Then years later water gets in and corrodes the connections. Suddenly you got faults that seem to come from nowhere.
How Electricians Find Faults
First thing a good sparky does is ask you heaps of questions. When does the problem happen? Does it happen all the time or only sometimes? What were you doing when it started? Any recent changes to your electrical setup?
This helps them narrow down where to look. If the problem only happens when you use the dryer that tells them something different than if it happens randomly at any time.
Then they start testing. They use special meters that measure voltage, current, resistance. They check circuits are wired correctly and earthed properly. They test RCDs and circuit breakers to make sure they're working.
For tricky faults they might use thermal imaging cameras that show hot spots in wiring. Or they trace circuits with special tools that help find cables hidden in walls. Some electricians even have gear that can detect arcing and poor connections.
The really good fault finders work methodically. They test one section at a time, rule things out, narrow it down till they find the problem. Takes patience but its way better than guessing.
Testing Your Switchboard
Most fault finding starts at the switchboard cause thats the heart of your electrical system. The electrician checks every breaker, every circuit, looks for signs of overheating or damage.
They test the main earth connection cause if thats dodgy it affects everything. They check your RCD is working properly by testing it under load not just pushing the test button.
In older boards they look for loose connections on the bus bars. These can cause all sorts of weird problems and are surprisingly common in houses that have had lots of circuits added over the years.
My uncle had a problem where certain circuits would lose power randomly. Fault finding showed the neutral bar in his switchboard was corroded and making poor contact. Once that got cleaned up and tightened properly all the problems stopped.
Intermittent Faults Are The Worst
Problems that come and go are the hardest to find. The electrician arrives and tests everything but the faults not happening right then so all the tests come back normal.
These need special approaches. Sometimes the sparky has to monitor your system over time. They might leave testing equipment connected that logs whats happening and catches the fault when it occurs.
Temperature related faults are common with intermittent problems. Connections expand and contract with heat. Works fine when its cold but fails when things warm up or vice versa.
Moisture related faults happen too especially in bathrooms and kitchens or anywhere theres humidity. The problem shows up when its damp then disappears when things dry out.
There was a house in Sumner where the power would cut out but only on really windy days. Took ages to find cause you cant exactly order wind. Finally caught it happening and traced it to damaged cable where it entered the house. Wind was moving the cable just enough to break the connection.
Load Related Problems
Some faults only show up under certain electrical loads. Everything works fine normally but when you turn on specific combinations of appliances something fails.
This happens when circuits are wired wrong or when connections cant handle the current properly. The electrician has to test the circuit under realistic loads to see the fault.
My sister had her RCD trip but only when she used the washing machine and microwave at the same time. Fault finding showed the washing machine had developed an earth leakage that was just under the trip threshold. Add any other appliance and it tipped over.
Tools Electricians Use For Fault Finding
Multimeters are the basic tool. They measure voltage, check continuity, test resistance. Every electrician has one and uses it constantly during fault finding.
Clamp meters measure current without disconnecting wires. Super useful for checking if circuits are overloaded or if theres current where there shouldnt be any.
Insulation resistance testers check if cable insulation is breaking down. Important for finding earth faults and potential short circuits before they cause bigger problems.
RCD testers verify your safety switches are working properly and tripping at the right current levels. Just pushing the test button on the RCD itself doesnt tell you if its actually protecting you properly.
Circuit tracers help find cables hidden in walls. You plug a transmitter into an outlet and use a receiver to follow where the cable goes. Saves heaps of time compared to just guessing.
Advanced Testing Equipment
Thermal imaging cameras are brilliant for fault finding. They show heat patterns and can spot connections that are getting hot from poor contact before they fail completely or start fires.
Power quality analyzers monitor voltage, frequency, harmonics. These find problems with your power supply that regular meters miss. Good for diagnosing weird appliance behavior.
Earth loop impedance testers check that your earth protection will actually work if theres a fault. They measure how quickly current would flow to trip your breakers in a fault condition.
Some sparkies have oscilloscopes that show the actual waveform of your electricity. Helps diagnose really weird problems with power quality and electronic equipment interference.
How Long Does Fault Finding Take
Depends totally on the problem. Simple faults like a tripped breaker or dead outlet might take 15 minutes to diagnose. Complex intermittent problems can take hours or even multiple visits.
For problems that only happen sometimes the electrician might need to come back when the faults actually occurring. Hard to fix what you cant see happening.
My opinion is you should expect to pay for the electricians time during fault finding even if they dont find the problem on the first visit. They're using their expertise and equipment to hunt for your issue and that has value.
Good electricians will tell you roughly how long they think it'll take based on what you describe. If they say it might take a while and cost a bit to find dont get angry - complex faults are genuinely hard work.
Sometimes fault finding reveals multiple problems. The electrician fixes the obvious fault then another problem shows up that was hidden by the first one. This isnt them ripping you off its just how electrical systems work sometimes.
What Faults Cost To Find And Fix
Fault finding usually gets charged by the hour cause theres no way to know upfront how long it'll take. Round Christchurch expect to pay 80 to 150 dollars per hour depending on the electrician and time of day.
Simple faults might only need one hours work. Complicated problems could take three or four hours of testing and investigation. Really nasty intermittent faults have taken whole days before.
Once the fault is found fixing it is separate. Might be a quick cheap fix like tightening a connection. Might be expensive like replacing damaged cable in walls. The electrician should quote the repair before doing it.
Some sparkies charge a call out fee plus hourly rate. Others just charge hourly with a minimum charge. Ask upfront so you know what your paying.
I reckon fault finding is worth paying for properly cause DIY troubleshooting electrical problems is dangerous and you usually just end up calling an electrician anyway after wasting time and risking shocks.
Getting Value From Fault Finding
You can help the electrician and reduce costs by being ready when they arrive. Have your switchboard accessible, know where the problem areas are, be able to show them what happens.
Write down when the problem occurs. Keep a log if its intermittent. Note what appliances were running, time of day, weather conditions, anything that might be relevant.
If you had other electricians look at it before tell the new one what they checked and what they ruled out. Saves them repeating tests.
Be realistic about old houses. If your place was built in the 1960s and never been rewired your probably gonna have multiple issues. Fixing one fault might expose others.
Dangerous Faults That Need Immediate Attention
Some faults are safety issues and cant wait. Anything sparking, smoking, or getting hot needs an electrician right away not next week.
Burning smells from outlets, switches, or your switchboard means somethings overheating. Turn off power to that circuit and call someone immediately.
Electric shocks from appliances or fittings mean theres an earth fault. Could be the appliance or could be your houses wiring but either way its dangerous.
Breakers that trip and wont reset usually mean theres a short circuit or serious overload. Dont force it back on - call an electrician to find why its tripping.
My workmate ignored a burning smell from his switchboard for two days cause he was busy. Finally called an electrician who found a main connection nearly melted through. Another day and it probably would of started a fire in the wall.
Commercial Fault Finding
Businesses need fast fault finding cause electrical problems cost them money every minute. A shop with no power is losing sales. A factory with machines down is losing production.
Commercial fault finding is often more complex cause the electrical systems are bigger and more complicated. Three phase power, heavy machinery, computer networks, all sorts of stuff that can fail.
I know a restaurant owner in town who had intermittent power problems. Some days everything worked fine, other days circuits would drop out randomly. Fault finding showed poor connections on the three phase supply that were getting worse. Got it fixed before it totally failed during dinner service.
Commercial electricians doing fault finding often work after hours so they dont disrupt business. They come in at night, test everything while its quiet, fix problems before opening time.
Preventing Faults In Business
Regular electrical maintenance stops lots of faults before they happen. Having a sparky check your system every year finds loose connections, worn components, overloaded circuits before they fail.
Thermal imaging surveys spot hot connections that are gonna fail soon. Fix them during planned maintenance instead of dealing with emergency breakdowns.
Testing your RCDs and circuit breakers regularly makes sure your protection actually works. Dont wait till theres a fault to find out your safety switches are dead.
DIY Fault Finding Limits
Theres not much fault finding you can safely do yourself. Check if breakers are tripped and reset them if its safe. Make sure appliances are actually plugged in. Check light bulbs are working.
Beyond that you need proper testing equipment and knowledge to find faults safely. Opening switchboards or testing circuits with power on is dangerous if you dont know what your doing.
Even simple things like testing power points need care. You can buy cheap voltage testers but they dont tell you if the wiring is actually safe just that theres power there.
I've seen people get hurt trying to find electrical faults themselves. Shocks, burns, one guy started a fire by accidentally shorting out a circuit while poking around. Just not worth the risk when electricians have the tools and training.
After The Fault Is Found
Once the electrician finds the problem they explain what they found and what needs fixing. Good ones show you the actual fault if possible so you understand what went wrong.
They give you options if there are any. Sometimes you can do a temporary fix and plan a proper repair later. Sometimes it needs fixing right now for safety.
Get a quote for the repair work in writing. If its gonna be expensive you might want to get a second opinion or think about it overnight if its not urgent.
Keep records of what was found and what was fixed. If the same problem comes back you'll know what was already checked and what the previous electrician ruled out.
Sometimes fault finding shows your whole electrical system needs work not just one thing. Like finding one fault reveals your switchboard is outdated or wiring is deteriorating. Better to know than keep patching problems.
Warranties On Fault Finding Work
Registered electricians should warranty their work. If they find and fix a fault it shouldnt come back unless something new happens.
But understand the warranty covers what they fixed not other faults in your system. If they repair a circuit and a different circuit fails later thats not warranty work.
Keep your invoice and certificate of compliance if they issue one. You'll need these if problems crop up and you want warranty service.
Choosing An Electrician For Fault Finding
Not all electricians are good at fault finding. Some are better at installations or renovations. You want someone with experience diagnosing problems not just installing new stuff.
Ask if they have proper testing equipment. If they show up with just a screwdriver and basic meter they probably cant do thorough fault finding.
Check reviews specifically mentioning fault finding or troubleshooting. Did they actually find the problem or just guess and replace things?
Experienced electricians can often tell you what they think the problem might be based on your description. They've seen similar faults before and recognize patterns.