09 Dec How to diagnose common electrical faults in your commercial building

Electrical faults in commercial buildings are not uncommon. Older buildings without modern wiring and circuits will eventually develop faults. In newer buildings, electrical faults do occur and it’s important to get them checked out professionally.

Here’s our top tips for diagnosing 3 common commercial electric faults:

1.      Appliances tripping the circuit breaker

The issue: Not knowing whether the appliance or circuit is at fault.

Diagnosis: If an appliance is tripping your circuit breaker, you can identify whether the appliance is at fault or whether the circuit is at fault by moving the appliance on. If you can, move the appliance and plug it into another socket (if your appliance is hard-wired in, and you are trained to do so, you can re-wire the appliance elsewhere). Now turn the appliance on. If it trips the circuit, then the appliance is at fault.

2.      Sags and dips in power

The issue: Appliances are switching off by themselves, and the power sockets aren’t functioning as they were intended to — but only sometimes.

Diagnosis: If one appliance is sagging or dipping in power, the smart money is on the appliance being at fault. Plug it in elsewhere to see what happens. If you are experiencing a sag or dip in power from all your power sockets, there’s a good chance it’s because of a short circuit or overload. Under the circumstances, you should call an electrician to diagnose the cause of the issue, since you already know the symptom.

3.      Light switches not working properly

The issue: You flick the switch, and nothing happens. Or, it behaves randomly.

Diagnosis: The most common cause of this electrical fault is the light switch itself. Older switches can wear out, and will require replacement. New switches on the other hand may be of shoddy quality, and you should have them checked out. If your light switch turns on sometimes, but not always, then there’s probably an issue with the circuit or wiring. We recommend you call an electrician for proper diagnosis.

Need professional help? Call us on Freephone 0800 9788 168 or on 0113 8941 968 to discuss your electrical fault. Alternatively, you can send us a message from here, and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you.