Fault finding and repair

Ballard Services finds electrical faults and fixes them. We diagnose before we replace parts, so you are not paying for a sequence of educated guesses. Common call-outs include tripping RCDs, dead circuits, flickering lights and intermittent faults in older wiring.

How we find electrical faults

Method over parts-swapping. A fault is a measurement problem: isolate the circuit, test it, halve the search space, repeat. 26 years in the trade means most faults on the Shore match a pattern we have seen before, and the ones that do not are exactly why the test gear comes out before the parts do. The result is a fix for the cause, not a new part sitting on top of the same fault.

Common faults in North Shore homes

Coastal properties breathe salt air, and moisture finds its way into outdoor fittings, garden lighting runs and older conduit. Villa and bungalow wiring from another era degrades quietly behind original walls. Circuits designed for one heater now run a modern kitchen. And plenty of houses carry the legacy of a previous owner’s confident weekend work. Each of these has a signature, and each gets found the same way: by testing, not guessing.

When a fault is a symptom

Sometimes the honest answer is that the fault is the wiring or the board telling you it is done. When that is the case we say so, make it safe, and quote the real fix as a fixed price: a switchboard upgrade, a partial rewire, or both. What we will not do is keep billing you to patch a system that has reached the end of its life.

We are not a 24/7 emergency line. For urgent faults during work hours, call 021 244 5950. For after-hours life-safety emergencies, call 111 or your lines company.

Every repair carries a 12 month workmanship guarantee, and where a fault raises compliance questions our own Registered Electrical Inspector can inspect and report on the installation. We cover the North Shore from Devonport.

Fault questions

Why does my RCD keep tripping?

Usually one of three things: a faulty appliance leaking current, moisture in a fitting or circuit, or a wiring fault that has finally surfaced. The RCD is doing its job. We isolate which circuit and which cause before touching parts, so the fix is the real one.

Do you charge to diagnose?

Diagnosis is charged as part of the job, and we tell you what we found and what the fix costs before doing it. You are never paying for a sequence of replaced parts that did not fix anything.

Can you fix the fault on the same visit?

Usually, yes. The van carries the common failure points for North Shore housing stock. Where the fault turns out to be a symptom of something bigger, like a failing board or degraded wiring, we make it safe, tell you straight and quote the real fix fixed.

Do you do urgent electrical repairs on the North Shore?

During work hours, yes: call 021 244 5950 and if we can get to an urgent fault the same day, we will. We are not a 24/7 emergency line and we will not pretend to be one. For after-hours life-safety emergencies call 111 or your lines company.

Tell us what it’s doing

Get a quote

Send the address and roughly what you’re after. We come back inside two working days with a fixed price and a drawing, not a range and a maybe.

Ballard Services Limited