Ever had that moment where your power just does weird stuff and you got no idea why? Like half your house works fine but the other half is dead. Or maybe one room keeps loosing power but only sometimes. Thats when you need proper electrical troubleshooting and let me tell you - its not as simple as just looking at stuff.
Last month I got called to a house in Merivale where the owner was pulling his hair out. His lounge lights would flicker randomly, sometimes once a day sometimes ten times. He changed all the bulbs, checked the switches, even bought new lamps thinking that was it. Nope. Turned out there was a loose connection in the ceiling that only made contact when the wind blew a certain way. Took me an hour to find it but once we tightened that connection problem solved.
What Electrical Troubleshooting Actually Means
So what is troubleshooting really? Its detective work for your electrical system. Something aint working right and we gotta figure out why. Could be a simple thing like a tripped breaker or could be something way more complex hiding in your walls.
The thing about electrical problems is they dont always make sense at first. You think its one thing but its actually something completly different. Thats why you need someone who knows what theyre doing and has the right tools to test stuff properly.
Good troubleshooting follows a process. You dont just start ripping things apart hoping to find the problem. You test circuits, check voltages, trace wires, eliminate possibilities one by one. Its methodical work and it takes patience.
Common Problems We Find When Troubleshooting
After years of doing this around Christchurch ive seen pretty much every electrical problem you can imagine. Some are simple fixes, others not so much. Here's the stuff we deal with all the time.
Breakers that keep tripping are probly the most common call we get. People reset them and they trip again right away or maybe they work for awhile then trip randomly. Could be a overloaded circuit, could be a short somewhere, could be the breaker itself is worn out. You gotta test the circuit to know for sure.
Had a job in Cashmere where the kitchen breaker kept tripping every time they used the toaster. Homeowner thought they needed a new toaster. Actually the problem was they had the toaster, kettle, and microwave all on the same circuit and it was just too much load. We added another circuit for the kitchen and problem sorted.
Flickering lights drive people crazy. Sometimes its just a loose bulb but other times its a real problem. Loose connections in light fittings, faulty dimmers, problems in the switchboard, even issues with the power company supply. Each one needs different troubleshooting.
Dead outlets are another big one. You go to plug something in and nothing happens. Could be the outlet itself is burnt out, could be a tripped GFCI somewhere else thats protecting that outlet, could be a wire came loose in the wall. We see this a lot in older homes where connections have corroded over time.
Weird smells near outlets or switches are serious. If you smell burning plastic or that hot electrical smell dont ignore it. Thats often a sign of a connection thats arcing or wiring thats overheating. We had an emergency call in Addington where smoke was coming from a wall outlet. Got there quick and found the outlet was melted inside from a loose connection that had been arcing for who knows how long.
How We Actually Do Troubleshooting
When we show up for a troubleshooting job the first thing we do is talk to you about whats happening. When does the problem occur? Does it happen all the time or just sometimes? What were you doing when it happened? All this info helps us narrow down where to look.
Then we start testing. We use multimeters to check voltages, circuit testers to see if power is flowing, infrared cameras to find hot spots, cable tracers to follow wires through walls. All these tools help us see whats going on that you cant see with your eyes.
Sometimes the problem is obvious once you open things up. A burnt wire, a melted connection, a breaker thats clearly damaged. Other times you gotta dig deeper. Test each circuit individually, check the neutral and earth connections, look for voltage drops that indicate resistance somewhere.
I rember a tricky one in Strowan where random outlets around the house would stop working for no reason. Seemed totally random which outlets died and when. Spent two hours testing everything before I found it - there was a junction box in the ceiling that had a loose neutral wire. Every time someone walked on the floor above it the vibration would make the connection come and go. Once we fixed that junction box all the outlets worked perfect.
Troubleshooting After Earthquakes
Living in Christchurch means dealing with earthquake damage and electrical systems take a beating during big shakes. Even if your house looks fine outside the wiring inside might have problems.
The quakes can shake connections loose, crack insulation on wires, shift junction boxes, even damage the main service connection. If your house went through the big ones and you havent had the electrical checked its worth doing.
We still find earthquake related faults in houses around the eastern suburbs. Wires that got damaged in wall cavities, connections that came loose in ceiling spaces, switchboards that shifted and pulled wires tight. All this stuff causes problems years later.
One house in New Brighton had lights that started flickering five years after the quakes. Owner thought it was just old wiring but when we investigated we found the main service cable had been pulled loose during a aftershock. It had been making a dodgy connection all that time just waiting to fail completely.
Why DIY Electrical Troubleshooting Is Risky
Look I get it - you wanna save money and fix things yourself. But electrical troubleshooting aint like fixing a leaky tap. Electricity can kill you and even if it dosnt kill you it can burn your house down.
The biggest danger is you dont know what your looking at. That wire that looks fine might be live with 230 volts. That breaker you think is off might not actually be controlling what you think it controls. Without proper testing equipment and training you could hurt yourself bad.
Plus theres the legal side. In New Zealand electrical work has to be done by licensed electricians. If you do your own troubleshooting and repairs and something goes wrong your insurance wont cover you. Ive seen people loose everything because they tried to save a few bucks doing dodgy electrical work.
Had a customer in Bishopdale who tried to fix his own power problem. He thought the issue was a bad outlet so he replaced it himself. Seemed to work fine for a week then his house caught fire. Turns out he didnt connect the earth wire properly and when a fault occurred there was nothing to protect the circuit. Fire started in the wall and spread quick. Insurance denied his claim because unlicensed electrical work caused it.
Troubleshooting Specific Problems
Lets talk about some specific issues and what causes them. If your dealing with any of these you probly need troubleshooting help.
Lights dimming when appliances start up usually means your electrical service is undersized or theres a problem with your main connection. When the fridge kicks on and all your lights dim thats not normal. Could be loose connections at the meter box, could be your service cable is too small for your load, could be a problem with the power companys connection to your house.
Outlets that work sometimes but not others often have loose connections. The connection makes contact then breaks contact depending on temperature, vibration, or just random chance. These are dangerous because loose connections create heat and heat causes fires. We find these all the time in older homes where the wiring has been there for decades.
Buzzing sounds from switches or outlets mean somethings vibrating and that usually means loose parts or arcing. If you hear buzzing turn off that circuit and call someone. I saw a outlet in Fendalton that was buzzing for weeks before the homeowner called us. When we opened it up the whole thing was melted inside and close to starting a fire.
Hot spots on walls or ceilings are a big red flag. If you touch a wall and it feels warm for no reason theres probly a electrical problem behind it. Could be a wire thats overloaded, could be a bad connection creating resistance and heat, could be a junction box with loose wires arcing. We use thermal cameras to find these before they become fires.
Commercial Electrical Troubleshooting
Business electrical troubleshooting is different than residential. Theres usually more equipment, higher power loads, and way more at stake if something goes wrong. A power problem in a restaurant means spoiled food. A fault in a retail store means lost sales. Downtime costs money.
We did troubleshooting for a cafe in the CBD that kept loosing power to their coolroom. Happened randomly and they couldnt figure out why. They were loosing hundreds of dollars in food every time it happened. We traced the problem to a faulty contactor in their electrical panel that was dropping out when it got too hot. Replaced the contactor and they havent had a problem since.
Commercial buildings often have three phase power which makes troubleshooting more complex. You gotta check all three phases, make sure theyre balanced, look for phase loss or voltage imbalance. If one phase is having problems it affects all the equipment on that phase.
Data and communication systems add another layer. Modern businesses rely on computers and networks and electrical problems can cause data loss or equipment damage. We had a office in Riccarton where computers kept crashing randomly. Turned out there was electrical noise on the circuit from a faulty ballast in their fluorescent lights. The noise was corrupting data on the network. Fixed the ballast and the crashing stopped.
Emergency Troubleshooting
Some electrical problems cant wait til morning. Sparks flying, smoke, burning smells, total power loss in winter - these need attention now. Thats why we do 24/7 emergency troubleshooting.
Emergency calls are different because you gotta work fast and safe at the same time. First priority is making things safe. Isolate the problem, turn off power if needed, make sure nobodys in danger. Then you can start figuring out whats actually wrong.
Got called out at 3am to a house in Papanui where the owner woke up to sparking sounds in the ceiling. He was freaking out thinking the house was gonna burn down. We got there quick, killed the power to that section, and found a junction box where mice had chewed through the insulation on some wires. Made it safe that night and came back next day to repair it properly.
Winter emergencys are tough because people have no heating. When your power goes out on a cold Christchurch night and youve got kids in the house thats serious. We do our best to get people back up and running quick even if its just a temporary fix til we can do permanent repairs.
Tools We Use For Troubleshooting
Good troubleshooting needs good tools. You cant just eyeball electrical problems you gotta measure and test. Heres some of the gear we use every day.
Multimeters are basic but essential. We use them to check voltage, test continuity, measure resistance, check if circuits are live. Without a multimeter your just guessing whats happening.
Circuit testers plug into outlets and tell you if the wiring is correct. They show if the earth is connected, if the polarity is right, if theres voltage present. Quick way to check outlets without opening them up.
Thermal cameras are amazing for finding hidden problems. They show heat so you can see hot connections, overloaded circuits, failing components before they cause fires. Expensive gear but worth it for serious troubleshooting.
Cable tracers help us follow wires through walls and ceilings. You put a signal on the wire then use a receiver to trace where it goes. Super helpful in older houses where nobody knows what circuit controls what.
Clamp meters measure current without disconnecting anything. We clamp them around a wire and they tell us how many amps are flowing. Good for checking if circuits are overloaded or if theres a imbalance between phases.
How Long Does Troubleshooting Take
People always ask how long its gonna take to find the problem. Honest answer is it depends. Some faults we find in five minutes. Others take hours of testing and investigation.
Simple problems like a tripped breaker or loose connection might take 15 minutes to diagnose and fix. More complex issues like intermittent faults or problems in inaccessible areas can take half a day or more.
The worst are intermittent problems that dont happen when were there. Customer says the lights flicker but when we show up everything works fine. Sometimes we gotta come back multiple times or install monitoring equipment to catch the fault when it happens.
Had a job in Sumner where the power kept dropping out randomly. Homeowner said it happened every few days but never when we were there. We ended up installing a power logger that recorded voltage over time. Week later we checked the data and found the problem was happening at night when certain appliances were running. That data helped us track down a loose neutral connection that only failed under specific load conditions.
What Happens After We Find The Problem
Once we figure out whats wrong we explain it to you in plain english. None of that technical jargon that makes your eyes glaze over. We tell you what failed, why it failed, and what needs to happen to fix it.
Then we give you options. Sometimes theres a quick cheap fix that gets you going. Other times the proper solution costs more but lasts longer and is safer. We let you decide what makes sense for your situation and budget.
After the repair we test everything to make sure its working right. Check voltages, test the circuit under load, verify the problem is actually fixed. No point doing all that troubleshooting work if the fix dosnt stick.
And we give you a certificate of compliance for any electrical work we do. Thats required by law and proves the work meets code. You need it for insurance and when you sell your house.
Preventing Future Problems
Good troubleshooting dosnt just fix the current problem - it often reveals other issues waiting to happen. While were in there testing we might find connections that are getting loose, circuits that are overloaded, outdated equipment thats on its last legs.
We always tell customers what we find even if its not part of the original problem. Maybe your switchboard has room for more circuits so you can stop overloading the ones you have. Maybe some of your wiring is old and should be replaced before it fails. Better to know now than wait for a emergency.
Regular maintenance helps avoid problems. Having a electrician check your switchboard every few years, test your safety switches, tighten connections - all that prevents faults before they happen. Way cheaper than emergency troubleshooting at 2am.
When To Call For Troubleshooting Help
So when should you actually call someone? Any time your electrical system does something it shouldnt. Lights flickering, breakers tripping, outlets not working, weird smells, buzzing sounds, warm spots - all of these need attention.
Dont wait til it gets worse. Electrical problems dont fix themselves they only get worse over time. That small issue today could be a big expensive problem tomorrow or a fire next week.
And definately call if you see sparks, smell burning, or see smoke. Those are emergencys and you need help right away. Turn off power if you can do it safely and get everyone out of the house til we can make it safe.
Why Choose WeDo For Troubleshooting
We do electrical troubleshooting all over Christchurch every single day. Residential, commercial, emergency call outs - weve seen it all and we know how to find problems fast.
All our electricians are fully licensed and registered. We have the right tools and experience to diagnose complex faults. And we explain things in a way that makes sense so you understand whats going on with your electrical system.
We show up on time, we work clean, and we fix things right the first time. No bandaid solutions that fail next week. Proper repairs that last.
Give us a call and well sort out whatever electrical problem is bugging you. Whether its something simple or a real head scratcher we will figure it out and get you back to normal. Thats what we do.