Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting


What should I do if there’s a loss of power at my property?


Start by checking the consumer unit (also known as the fuse board) to see if any of the fuse switches have tripped. This can happen if you plug in a faulty device or if a lamp blows, for example.

If you need to reset switches inside your consumer unit and identify the reason for them tripping, this video explains the steps to take.

If none of the switches in your consumer unit have tripped, the loss of power could be due to a local power cut or a loss of incoming supply to your property alone. To check if there’s been a power cut affecting your whole area, look outside at local streetlights (in hours of darkness) or check with your neighbours. If your property seems to be the only one affected, look inside your electricity meter box. A loss of incoming supply will mean the screen inside the meter box is blank. If this is the case, contact your local electricity network operator by calling 105. Note that this will not be the same company that sends you your electricity bill.



How can I stop my power from continually tripping out?


If your power keeps tripping out, this is usually due to you having a faulty appliance, with kettles and irons being the most common culprits. To find out which of your appliances is faulty, follow the steps in our video above.


Ceiling Spotlight Bulbs

How do I change a ceiling spotlight bulb?

 

The process to follow will vary according to the type of spotlight bulb fitting. Watch our video to see how to replace bulbs in the most common fittings.

Why do my lamps keep blowing?

The wiring in your home will not make lamps blow. The most common cause of limited lamp life is that they are poor quality lamps, are not fitted correctly, are becoming too hot or the amount of vibration is excessive, for example in high traffic areas.


Smoke Alarms

Why is my smoke alarm beeping regularly?


This is an indication that the battery needs changing. Details on how to do this should have been provided with the manufacturer’s instructions in your home handover pack, or you can watch our video below for guidance.

How can I stop my smoke alarm from continually sounding?


If your smoke alarms are sounding and there is no sign of fire or smoke in your property, there may be a fault or a problem with dust affecting the sensor. To stop the alarm from sounding, press the hush/test button on the unit which will typically silence the alarm for around 8 minutes (depending on alarm type) before it re-arms. Clear the air if needed or try vacuuming the units. If the alarms continue to sound as a false alarm, they may need to be removed and replaced.



How can I check my smoke alarm is working and make sure it is well maintained?


Watch our video above for guidance on how to test your smoke alarms and the steps you should take to keep them working correctly.


Intruder Alarms

How do I silence my intruder alarm?


You should be able to silence your alarm by simply entering your code.



If you have forgotten your alarm code

 

We do not keep records of individual alarm codes but if you have forgotten yours, we can arrange for one of our alarm engineers to visit your property and reset it for you. If you have an alarm maintenance contract with us the reset can be done free of charge when your next service is due, or a chargeable visit can be arranged if you would like the code to be reset more urgently.

 

If you do not have an alarm maintenance contract with us, we can arrange a chargeable visit to reset your code on the condition that you also enter an alarm maintenance contract with us (as we do not carry out works on non-contracted alarm systems).



If you have a Qolsys alarm


For information on your Qolsys alarm system click here.


Electrical Appliances

There appears to be no power to one or more of my kitchen/utility appliances. What might the problem be?


To troubleshoot an appliance that isn't powering on, first check if the on/off switch is set to on. Next, look for the grid switches located near the hob in your kitchen that are labelled for the appliance and make sure they are turned on. If the appliance still isn't working, check the consumer unit to ensure all circuits are turned on.

grid-switch-location
grid-switch

Extractor Fans

Why is the fan in my bathroom not working?

It might be that the fan hasn't been turned on, the fan switch is located above the door on the outside of your bathroom.



Why does the fan in my bathroom not stop when the light is turned off?


Every house is designed with a ventilation system to meet the building regulations in place at the time of build. Some rooms, like a bathroom, will be designed to have an overrun timer, so that when an occupant has finished and leaves the room the fan will continue to run for a set period of time to remove odours and water vapour.



Why does the fan in my cloakroom stay on all the time and how can I turn it off?


Every house is designed with a ventilation system to meet the building regulations in place at the time of build. Some rooms without natural ventilation from a window will feature a constantly running fan, which will ramp up and down in accordance with room use.

extractor-fan

Heating and Hot Water

How can I set the timings for my heating to come on and go off?


This will depend on the make of heating system you have in your home. You should refer to the manufacturer’s instructions that would have been provided as part of your home handover pack or visit the manufacturer’s website if you do not have these.



How can I set my hot water to warm up and can I set the maximum temperature?


You can set the maximum temperature on any hot water system. For details of how to do this and how to set the timings for your water to heat up, you should refer to the manufacturer’s instructions that would have been provided as part of your home handover pack or visit the manufacturer’s website if you do not have these.


TV Signal

Why can’t I get a TV signal or a Sky signal?


TV aerial and satellite installations do not come as standard for most homes. TV aerials usually need to be ordered as extras, either by contacting your builder or by contacting a TV aerial installer directly. We install the internal wiring for connecting TV and satellite systems if these have been ordered through the builder but we do not fit the aerials themselves. Only authorised Sky installers can fit Sky TV.


Wired Internet Connections

Why does my internet connection not work when I plug in my router?


We install ethernet ports to enable devices to be connected to the internet through a wired connection but you will need to have a subscription to an internet provider so that your internet connection can be activated. You should contact the internet provider of your choice to connect to the internet.


Gas and Water Bonding

Should my gas and water pipes be bonded?


It’s quite common to see a green and yellow cable attached to gas and water pipes in some older properties, and this is known as ‘protective bonding’, to prevent the pipes introducing earth potential and therefore a risk of electric shock if touched. Under the current Wiring Regulations, this bonding is not required to internal metallic pipework if the incoming service to the property is made of plastic or another electrically insulating material.


All of the new homes we now wire have incoming supplies via plastic pipes so gas and water pipe bonding is not required; therefore it should not be cause for concern if the green and yellow bonding cable isn’t present.


Further details can be found in this NHBC guidance.


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