Electrical Emergency? What to Do Now

Something electrical has gone wrong and you need to know what to do right now. The good news is that most electrical emergencies have a few safe, sensible first steps that either fix the problem or make it safe until an electrician arrives. The golden rule: if something is smelling, sparking, getting hot or will not reset, stop using it and get it looked at. Here is how to handle the common ones.

What actually counts as an electrical emergency?

Not everything is a 999 situation, but these all warrant stopping and calling an electrician quickly:

A burning smell, scorch marks, or heat around a socket, switch or the fuse board.
Sparks from a socket, switch or appliance.
A circuit that trips the moment you reset it, or a main switch that will not stay up.
Total loss of power to the home that is not a street-wide cut.
Anything involving water and electrics together, such as a leak near a consumer unit or a light fitting.

Any of these is worth a phone call rather than a wait.

The power has gone off, what first?

Start by working out whose problem it is:

Is the whole street out? If your neighbours have no power either, it is a network fault, not your wiring. Call 105 free from any phone to reach your local network operator. There is nothing an electrician can fix in that case.
Is it just your home? Check your fuse board. If the main switch or one of the breakers has tripped, that is the safety system doing its job. Try to reset it once. If it holds, good. If it trips straight back, or will not reset at all, leave it and call, because that points to a fault in your installation.

A burning smell, sparks, or heat, treat it as urgent

A burning or fishy smell, browning or scorch marks, or heat you can feel at a socket, switch or the board means something is overheating, and that is the sort of thing that starts fires. If you can do it safely, switch that circuit off at the fuse board. Stop using it. Do not keep plugging things in and hoping it settles. This is exactly what an emergency call-out is for, and it is better to make the call than to sit with it overnight.

A circuit that keeps tripping

There is some safe detective work you can do first, with no tools and nothing opened up. Unplug everything on the affected circuit, then reset the tripped switch. If it holds, plug appliances back in one at a time, waiting a moment after each, and the item that trips it again is very likely the culprit, so leave it unplugged and get it checked. If it will not reset even with everything unplugged, that points to a wiring or fuse board fault rather than an appliance, so leave that circuit off and call. There is more detail in our guide on why your electricity keeps tripping.

What not to do

Do not open the fuse board or take the cover off a socket to investigate. The live parts behind them can kill.
Do not keep resetting a breaker that trips straight back, or force a switch that will not stay up.
Do not carry on using a socket or circuit that is smelling, sparking or warm.
Do not touch anything electrical that is wet, or stand in water near it.

How fast can Snelling Electrical get to you?

Emergency work is the core of what Jack does, 24/7, and he answers his own phone rather than a call centre, so a genuine emergency goes to the front of the queue. On the Fife side, around Dalgety Bay, Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy and the coast, he is usually close by; Edinburgh is about twenty minutes over the Queensferry Crossing. Tell him what is happening and he will give you a straight answer on how quickly he can be there. You can read more on the emergency electrician page.

Frequently asked

What counts as an electrical emergency?

A burning smell, scorch marks or heat around a socket or the fuse board, sparks, or a circuit that trips the instant you reset it are all reasons to stop using that circuit and call. A total loss of power, or anything that feels or smells wrong, is worth a phone call rather than a wait.

The power has gone off in my whole house, what do I do?

First check whether your neighbours have power too. If the whole street is out it is a network fault, so call 105, the free national power-cut number. If it is just your home, check your fuse board: if the main switch has tripped and will not reset, or one switch keeps tripping, that points to a fault in your installation and needs an electrician.

There is a burning smell from a socket or the fuse board, is it dangerous?

Treat it as urgent. A burning or fishy smell, scorch marks or heat at a socket, switch or the board means something is overheating. Switch off that circuit at the fuse board if you safely can, stop using it, and call an electrician straight away. Do not keep using it and hope it settles.

My fuse board keeps tripping and will not reset, what now?

Unplug everything on the affected circuit and try to reset it. If it holds, plug things back in one at a time until it trips again, the last item is usually the culprit. If it will not reset with everything unplugged, stop, leave that circuit off, and call, because that points to a wiring fault rather than an appliance.

Do you come out 24/7 for emergencies?

Yes. Emergency call-outs are the core of what Jack does, day or night, seven days a week. He answers his own phone, so genuine emergencies across Fife and Edinburgh get a fast response rather than a call centre and a queue.