Electrical Fault Finding Adelaide
- 2024 Emerging Business of the Year (MEA SA)
- 13+ years in the trade
- 24/7 electrician
- Licensed & insured · PGE 229 469
Electrical fault finding means testing your circuits to find the cause of a problem, such as no power, tripping or flickering lights, then repairing it safely. A licensed electrician can trace faults that are hard to spot. Call us on 0482 099 388 and tell us what is happening.
Fault finding is a regular part of our work for home owners: over 300 jobs in the 12 months to October 2026 involved a fault, no power or tripping.
Common electrical problems
- Part or all of the house has no power.
- The safety switch or breaker keeps tripping.
- Lights flicker or dim when something else turns on.
- A power point has stopped working.
- A switch, power point or appliance feels hot.
- There is a burning smell, buzzing or crackling sound.
Some of these are minor. Others are early warnings. Treat heat, burning smells and buzzing as serious.
What to do first, safely
- If you smell burning, see smoke or sparks, or someone has had a shock, get everyone clear and call 000.
- If it is safe, switch off the affected circuit or the main switch.
- Unplug appliances from the dead or tripping circuit.
- Reset the safety switch or breaker once. If it trips again, leave it off.
- Do not open switchboards, power points or appliances yourself.
Then call a licensed electrician. Repeated resetting can hide a fault that gets worse.
No power or dead power points
If one room has no power, a breaker or safety switch may have tripped on that circuit. If the whole house is out, check whether neighbours also have no power, as it may be an outage in your street. If only your home is affected, the cause may be in the switchboard or the supply to your house. Our guide to no power to the house walks through the checks.
A power point that stops working can be a loose wire, a failed outlet or a circuit fault. We test to find out which, rather than guess. A power point or switch that is hot, scorched or buzzing is a different matter. Heat usually means a loose connection, an overloaded circuit or a failing plug. Stop using it, switch off the circuit if you can do so safely, and have it checked. Do not keep using it just because it still works.
Tripping and flickering lights
Tripping usually means the system has detected a problem. The cause can be a faulty appliance, a damaged cable, moisture in an outdoor fitting or an overloaded circuit. We unplug and test circuit by circuit to find it. Our guide on why power keeps tripping lists what you can safely check first.
Tripping after rain is common, because water gets into outdoor lights, power points and cable joints. If a safety switch will not reset, the SA Government's advice is to switch off and unplug the appliance you think is faulty and try again. If you are not sure which one, unplug them one at a time and retest. If it still will not reset, the fault may be in the wiring, and a licensed electrician needs to find it.
Overloading is a common cause too. The MFS advises using only power boards that have overload cut-out switches, and never plugging power boards into each other or several into a single power point.
Flickering lights can come from a loose connection, a bad dimmer or globe, or a problem at the switchboard. Loose connections can heat up, so they are worth checking early.
What fault finding involves
We ask what you noticed and when it started. Then we test the circuits with instruments, inspect the switchboard and the likely spots, and explain what we found before any repair. Where we can fix it on the visit, we do. If a part or bigger job is needed, we tell you what and why.
If the fault points to the switchboard, we may suggest safety switch installation or a switchboard upgrade, and we will explain why. For something urgent, see our emergency electrician page.
Safety and compliance
Fault finding and the repair that follows must be done by a licensed electrician. Hoile Electrical holds SA electrical licence PGE 229 469. A repair that looks cheap can leave a hidden fault in place, so always ask for a licence number.
What to ask your electrician
- Can I see your licence number?
- What did you find, and can you show me?
- Is the problem fixed or only made safe?
- Are other parts of the house affected?
- What does your workmanship guarantee cover?
When to call us
Call us on 0482 099 388 for any of the problems above. We take calls 24 hours, 7 days, including after hours. For fire, smoke or injury, call 000 first.
Related services
Suburbs we cover
Helpful guides
Master Electricians Australia State Excellence Awards
Lifetime workmanship guarantee
Our Reviews
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Fast, detailed and reliable workers! Eased my mind about concerns and were kind to my children when they were being annoying!
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Excellent service! Professional, efficient, and neat work. Very happy with the installation. Highly recommended!
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Hoile Electrical arranged an electrician very quickly to review my smoke alarms. Ross was very friendly, efficient and helpful. Much appreciated and will definitely call them for electrical issues again.
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Gerad arrived on time.spent a lot of time explaining the process of improving our air conditioning,would recommend him for your air conditioning needs, Craig
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Hoile Electrical were recommended to us and we can see why. Very quick and efficient service by James and Nathan. Excellent communication all the way through. The whole experience was faultless.
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Very professional and good at what they do.
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Common questions
Why do the lights flicker?
It could be a loose connection, a faulty dimmer or globe, or a switchboard issue. If it happens often, get it checked.
Why does my power keep tripping?
Something on the circuit is faulty, wet or overloaded. Unplug appliances, reset once and call an electrician if it trips again.
What should I do if there is a burning smell?
Switch off at the main switch if it is safe, get everyone out and call 000 for fire or smoke. Then call an electrician.
One power point is dead. Is it dangerous?
Not always, but it can be a loose or failed connection. Do not use it until it is checked.
Can I fix an electrical fault myself?
No. Fault repairs need a licensed electrician. Opening a switchboard or power point yourself is unsafe.
Do I need to call an electrician for a power outage?
First see whether neighbours are also out. If only your house has lost power, call us.
Call an Electrician
Competitive pricing to provide practical solutions to your electrical needs; Lifetime workmanship guarantee.