Diagnostic + minor fix
Quoted
Most repairs done in the first visit
- Full diagnostic procedure
- Common spares from the van (RCDs, switches, faceplates)
- Faulty appliance isolation testing
- Cable continuity + insulation testing
- £55/hour after first hour
Electrical
Electrical repairs & fault finding
Tripping breakers, dead sockets, lights flickering, burning smells; diagnosed and fixed by qualified electrical contractors, usually in the first visit.
Pricing Quoted
Clear quote · Gas Safe registered · Checkatrade approved
- 1Send the detailsPhotos, postcode, what's happening: phone, WhatsApp or form.
- 2Same-day replyNigel confirms price, visit time or survey slot.
- 3Fixed quoteWritten down before any work starts. No surprises.
What's going wrong?
Find the closest match. Phone is fastest, and Nigel will usually tell you the next step on the call.
- Breaker keeps tripping
An RCD trip is usually one earth-leak fault on a single circuit. We split-test to find which appliance or socket is at fault.
- Dead sockets in one room
Often a single ring-main fault
- Lights flickering across the house
Service-head or meter-tail issue
- Burning smell from a socket or switch
Switch the circuit off at the consumer unit and call. Don't keep using it. Diagnostic visit prioritised.
- Buzzing sound from consumer unit
Loose connection or a failing RCBO. Replacement is straightforward.
- Lights or sockets not working after a power cut
Worth checking your consumer unit first
Indicative scope
Exact pricing is confirmed before work starts and depends on the property, access, parts and fault diagnosis.
Consumer unit fault
Quoted
Failed RCD, MCB, or RCBO replaced
- Component replacement (Hager, Wylex, MK)
- Full circuit re-test on the affected circuit
- Polarity + earth-loop test
- NICEIC-issued Minor Works Certificate
- 12-month manufacturer warranty
Damaged cable repair
Quoted
Behind-faceplate or in-wall cable damage
- Localise damage with insulation tester
- Cable repair or section replacement
- Plaster patch where chase is opened
- Full circuit re-test
- electrical certificate
Electrical repair
Tripped circuit, dead sockets, smell of burning?
Tripping breakers, dead sockets, lights flickering, burning smells; diagnosed and fixed by qualified electrical contractors, usually in the first visit.
Electrical faults are usually one of three things: a damaged appliance pulling a circuit down, a worn cable connection somewhere in the wall, or an RCD reaching end-of-life. Diagnosing which one, and fixing it the right way, is what we do. First-hour rate £90 covers the diagnostic plus most fixes.
Common faults we trace
- Tripping RCDs: usually traced to a single appliance (failing kettle element, washing machine motor pulling a circuit) or a damp circuit (water in an outdoor socket, condensation in a fitting). We isolate by elimination.
- Dead sockets on a ring main: burnt-out connection behind a faceplate, broken wire at the back of a socket, or a damaged cable in the wall. We test for continuity and find the break.
- Flickering lights: loose neutral in the switch, the rose, or the consumer unit. Or end-of-life LED driver pulling current. Easy to test, easy to fix.
- Smell of burning: switch off the circuit at the consumer unit and ring us. Don’t wait. Burnt connections behind a faceplate progress fast; what’s a hot socket today is a wall fire next week. We treat these as priority callouts.
- Buzzing or humming: usually a loose connection somewhere on the affected circuit. Localise with insulation tester.
- Lights working but sockets dead (or vice versa): one circuit failed, the consumer unit MCB or RCBO has tripped or failed.
How we diagnose
- Insulation resistance test: high-voltage test (500V) that finds damaged cable insulation. Tells us within 30 seconds whether a cable run has a fault.
- Continuity test: confirms the integrity of the conductor and the earth wire end-to-end.
- Earth-loop impedance: measures how quickly the breaker would trip in a fault scenario.
- RCD trip-time: confirms residual current devices are still trip-fast (must be ≤40ms at rated current).
90% of faults are diagnosed in the first hour. The remaining 10% (typically buried-cable damage or intermittent faults) sometimes need a second visit with thermal-imaging or longer monitoring.
Pricing
We charge £90 for the first hour (diagnosis + minor fix) and £55 per hour after that. Materials at trade plus 15%. Most repairs are completed in the first visit.
Specific common-fix prices:
- RCD or MCB replacement: £120–£180 including new component, full re-test, Minor Works Certificate.
- Damaged cable repair (behind faceplate): £90–£140 depending on access.
- Damaged cable repair (in-wall, requires plaster patch): £140–£280.
- Consumer unit replacement (when end-of-life): £550–£800 (see electrical install page).
When to switch off and call
- Smell of burning: power off, call now. Don’t wait until morning.
- Tripping that won’t reset: power off the affected circuit only, call inside the day.
- Visible damage (scorching around a socket, melted faceplate): power off the circuit, call us straight away.
- Water near a fitting: power off the circuit, call us straight away.
For everything else (intermittent flickering, single dead socket, occasional trip), it’s a normal callout slot. We’ll fit you in same-week or sooner.
Common mistakes other firms make
- Replacing the RCD without finding the actual fault. A new RCD will keep tripping if the underlying cause hasn’t been identified. We diagnose first.
- Not pressure-testing after. A repaired circuit needs a full insulation/continuity/RCD trip test. “It works again” isn’t enough.
- Skipping the certificate. Every qualified electrical contractor job gets a Minor Works or Installation Certificate. If a quote doesn’t mention it, ask why.
Workmanship and warranty
12-month workmanship warranty on every repair. Manufacturer warranties on replacement components (RCDs, RCBOs, switches) typically 5 years (Hager, Wylex) or 6 years (MK Sentry). Every fix registered through the contractor scheme where applicable.
Our consumer unit kept tripping at 6am every morning, which drove us mad for two months. PHBLUE diagnosed it in 20 minutes (failing element in the immersion heater) and replaced it that afternoon. NICEIC certificate emailed two days later. £180 all in. Mystery solved.
Recent jobs near you
A few of the jobs we have finished lately, with the postcode and what was involved.
- CF5 April
Llandaff terrace. Failing immersion element traced from RCD trips.
- CF24 April
Roath Cardiff. Burnt-out kitchen socket, full ring re-test.
- CF14 March
Whitchurch. Failing RCD on dual-RCD board, replaced with RCBO.
- CF11 March
Pontcanna. Flickering lights traced to loose neutral in landing rose.
How the job runs
- 01
Photo + symptom
2 minSend a photo of the consumer unit and a description of when the fault occurs (e.g. "trips when the kettle goes on", "dead sockets in kitchen ring only"). We'll quote a likely band before the visit.
- 02
Visit + diagnostic
30–60 minFirst hour is the diagnostic. We isolate by elimination, testing each circuit individually with insulation and continuity testers until we find the fault.
- 03
Fix
Within visit90% of faults are fixed in the same visit. Common spares (RCDs, RCBOs, switches, sockets) carried on the van.
- 04
Test + certify
15 minFull re-test of the affected circuit. Polarity, earth-loop, RCD trip-time. Minor Works Certificate emailed within 14 days.
- 05
Aftercare
12 monthsFree return visit if the same fault recurs. Manufacturer warranty on replaced components (5 years on Hager / Wylex consumer-unit components).
Common questions
Are you NICEIC registered?
Yes, PHBLUE's electrical work is carried out by NICEIC-approved engineers. Notifiable work (Part P) is registered with your local Building Control automatically through NICEIC. You get the certificate emailed within 14 days.
How much does an EICR cost in Cardiff?
Domestic EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) starts at £150 for a flat or 1–2 bed home, £180 for 3–4 bed, £220 for 5+ bed. Includes the full report, photographs, and a follow-up phone call to walk you through any C1/C2/C3 codes. Landlord packages combining EICR + smoke/CO checks save £25.
My RCD keeps tripping - what's likely wrong?
Almost always one of three things. A failing appliance pulling the circuit down (we'll isolate by elimination). A damaged cable connection in the wall, usually behind a socket or switch where the live and neutral have crept closer over time. Or an end-of-life RCD, since modern dual-RCD consumer units are rated for around 15 years.
Do I need a new consumer unit?
If yours is a wooden-back, plastic-back, or pre-2008 metal unit without RCD protection, yes, because Wiring Regs (BS 7671) require it for compliance. A standard CU swap is £550–£750 fitted, NICEIC-certified. We'll check yours during an EICR or any other visit free.
Can you fit EV chargers?
Yes, OZEV-approved installer for 7kW home wallboxes (Pod Point, Easee, Wallbox, Hypervolt). Survey is free for households with off-street parking. We handle the DNO notification if your supply needs upgrading. The OZEV £350 grant ended in March 2022 for homeowners, but it's still available for renters and flat-owners under EVHS.
What's the smell of burning from my socket?
Switch off the circuit at the consumer unit and ring us. Don't wait. Burnt connections behind a faceplate progress fast, so what's a hot socket today is a wall fire next week. We treat these as priority callouts.
What counts as an emergency?
Suspected gas leak (call us first, then turn off at the meter). No heat or hot water in winter where there are kids, elderly residents or vulnerable people. Burst pipes, meaning water actively coming through ceilings or walls. Sewage backing up. Anything actively damaging your house or making it unsafe.
How fast will you get there?
Inside Cardiff, 60 minutes door-to-door for genuine emergencies. Penarth, Llandough, Roath: 60–75 minutes. Barry, Caerphilly, Cowbridge: 60–90 minutes depending on the time of day. We'll give you the live ETA when we pick up.
What does an out-of-hours callout cost?
Standard out-of-hours rate is £150 for the first hour (covers diagnosis and most fixes), £85 per hour after. Materials at trade plus 15%. Bank holiday rate is £180 first hour. Genuinely-urgent cases involving vulnerable residents we'll discuss the rate before we set off.
Do you actually answer the phone at 2am?
Yes, between 7am and 7pm Nigel or one of our engineers picks up directly. Outside those hours, your call goes through a triage line that makes a real-time decision. True emergencies wake Nigel within minutes. Things that can wait until morning, we take details and call back at 7am. You always get a same-day human reply.
My boiler's lost pressure overnight, is that an emergency?
Usually not. Re-pressurise via the filling loop (target 1.0–1.5 bar cold) and we'll come out on a normal callout slot tomorrow. If it keeps dropping there's a leak somewhere; that's worth a same-day visit. If you've got no heat and someone vulnerable in the house, it's an emergency and we'll come out tonight.
Do you charge a call-out fee?
No, not for any job we go on to quote or carry out. Diagnostic visits where we don't end up doing work are charged at our standard hourly rate (£90 first hour, £55 after) and we'll always tell you that up front.
Are quotes fixed price or estimates?
Fixed-price for everything we can survey: boiler installs, bathrooms, EV chargers, EICRs, central heating refurbs, heat pumps. Variable-rate for diagnostic and repair work, but with hourly rates published on every relevant page so you know before we start.
Can you take a deposit and stage payments?
For jobs over £3,000 we take a 30% deposit at scheduling, 50% on day one, balance on completion. That covers our materials outlay without exposing you. Smaller jobs are paid on completion. We accept bank transfer, card, and Apple/Google Pay; no cash in hand.
Do you offer finance?
Not directly: we're not authorised to broker credit. For boiler installs, Worcester Bosch and Vaillant both run their own finance schemes (0% over 12 months on installs through accredited installers like us). Ask at quote stage and we'll send you the application link.
Do you give written quotes?
Always. Every job over £200 gets a written, itemised, fixed-price quote before any work starts. The quote is yours to keep, valid for 30 days, and the price on it is what you'll pay: line-item breakdown for materials, labour, and any provisional sums.