24/7 call-outs

Emergency electrician in Epsom, 24/7

Electrical faults do not keep office hours, and neither do our call-outs. If something electrical has gone wrong at your Epsom home or business, call 021 156 4005: our electricians take call-outs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Tree-filled suburbs seen from above at dawn, with a city skyline on the horizon under a pink and purple sky

First, is it just your place?

When the power goes off, the first question is whether the fault is yours or the network's. Vector's power outages page lets you check your address for a current outage, and lists planned outages too. If the whole street has gone dark, it is almost certainly a network fault, and Vector's crews restore it; an electrician cannot fix the network from your switchboard.

If the neighbours have power and you do not, or only part of the house is off, look at your switchboard. A tripped RCD or circuit breaker will be sitting in the off position. Switching it back on once is reasonable. If it trips again straight away, leave it off: it is doing its job, and something on that circuit needs an electrician.

While you wait for us

Smoke or flames: call 111

Fire comes first. Get everyone out and call 111 before you call an electrician.

Stay away from fallen lines

Treat any fallen or damaged line as live. Keep people and pets well clear.

Switch off at the main switch

If you can reach the switchboard safely and nothing is wet or hot, switching off the main switch cuts the power to the whole house until an electrician gets there.

Leave a tripping circuit off

Resetting a breaker or RCD again and again can make a fault worse.

Note what happened

What was running when it tripped, and any smell, noise, heat or flicker. It helps find the fault faster.

Trees, storms and the line to your house

Epsom's tree-lined streets and big gardens are a large part of its character, and they matter in a storm. Vector notes that old and poorly maintained lines, and lines close to trees, are the most likely to be damaged in bad weather, and that trees are one of the leading causes of outages.

Where the damage is matters. Vector's network runs up to the point of supply, usually a fuse on your boundary or the nearest pole, and Vector deals with faults on it: its number is 0508 VECTOR (0508 832 867). The service line from the point of supply to your meter, and the wiring inside the house, are yours, and that is where we come in. After a storm it is worth having a long or tree-lined service line looked at, and if the board is old, see our page on switchboard upgrades for older Epsom homes.

Faults that are not quite emergencies

Not every urgent problem is dramatic. An RCD that trips once a week for no obvious reason, lights that flicker when the heater comes on, a power point that has quietly stopped working, or a fitting that feels warm are all worth tracing before they become a night-time call. Fault finding means testing circuit by circuit until the cause is found, whether that is a failing appliance, a damp outdoor fitting or a loose connection.

In an older Epsom house the cause is sometimes the wiring itself. If the fault traces back to brittle rubber-insulated cable or a board of rewireable fuses, the lasting fix may be a partial rewire of the affected circuits rather than another patch. Repairs to fixed wiring are tested and certified like any other electrical work.

Emergency call-out questions

The neighbours have power and we don't. Who do I call?

Check your switchboard first. If the main switch or an RCD has tripped and will not stay on, call us. If nothing has tripped and the house is completely dead, report it to Vector, because the fault may be on the supply to your property.

Is a burning smell from a power point an emergency?

Yes. Stop using it, switch that circuit off at the board if you can do so safely, and call us. If there is smoke or you can see flames, get out and call 111.

Do you come out to businesses at night?

Yes. Our 24/7 call-outs cover commercial premises as well as homes, so a shop, restaurant or office along Manukau Road can call at any hour.

What should I tell you when I ring?

The address, what is off or not working, what happened just before, and anything you have noticed, such as a smell, a noise, heat or water near the electrics.

A tree has brought down the line to our house. Is that Vector's job or yours?

It depends on where the damage is. Vector deals with its network up to the point of supply; the service line from there to your meter is yours, and an electrician repairs it. Keep well clear either way, and if in doubt call Vector on 0508 832 867 as well as us.