Commercial fault finding in Southampton
A tripping breaker on a production circuit or an intermittent supply fault costs a Southampton business its working day. MCI Electrical traces commercial electrical faults and reports what caused them.
“I have worked on commercial premises across Eastleigh and Southampton since 2009. I quote the job, do the work and sign it off myself, so you always deal with the person who knows your building.”
How much does commercial fault finding cost in Southampton?
Commercial fault finding and repair starts at £75 an hour, covering the testing that finds the cause and the work to put it right.
- The hours needed depend on how many circuits are affected, how easily the board and containment can be reached, and whether parts are needed.
- Out of hours attendance is charged from £105 an hour, and remedial work arising from a fixed wire test from £65 an hour.
- Fixed wire testing is priced on the number of boards and circuits, not by the hour.
- Emergency lighting is priced per light, and the three hour test is priced separately.
- Repairs are priced item by item off the report, so you choose what to do and when.
- Work outside your trading hours costs a different rate, and I tell you what it is before I set off.
- Quotes are free, rescheduling is free, and there is no callout fee.
Commercial fault finding in Southampton
- When a circuit trips or a machine loses power in a Southampton building, testing finds the cause before anything is replaced.
- Testing separates the circuit at fault from the rest of the board, so the trip is traced rather than reset again.
- Supplies to machinery, three phase equipment and control gear are checked from the board through to the connection at the machine.
- Lighting circuits are tested area by area to find the failed section instead of changing fittings that still work.
Commercial premises across Southampton SO14 to SO19
- MCI Electrical works at the docks, on the industrial estates and in the city centre offices, and the building itself shapes what a fault turns out to be.
- Salty, dusty air corrodes containment and glands, so a fault on a dockside unit often sits at the fittings rather than in the cable.
- Marine and logistics premises wear an installation harder than an office, and testing at the board narrows an intermittent fault to the affected run.
- Cold stores and food logistics units lose stock when lighting or refrigeration drops out, so testing starts with the circuits feeding those loads.
What happens on the day
The visit starts at the board and ends with the fault written down.
- 01
Arrival and a look at what is failing
The affected circuits, the board and what was running when the fault appeared are looked at before any testing starts.
- 02
Testing to isolate the fault
Live and dead testing narrows the problem to a circuit, a section of cable or a piece of equipment.
- 03
Repair, or a written price for it
Straightforward repairs are finished in the same visit, with a minor works certificate where the repair alters a circuit, and larger work is priced in writing first.
Other electrical services for Southampton businesses
MCI Electrical also covers fixed wire testing from £195, distribution board replacement from £950 and emergency lighting testing from £145 on Southampton premises.
Why Southampton businesses choose MCI Electrical
MCI Electrical is NICEIC registered and works only on commercial and industrial premises, so testing comes before anything is replaced. Every repair is written up, and work that cannot be finished on the day is priced in writing before it goes ahead.
NICEIC
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Recent work from MCI Electrical
These photographs show work completed across the wider service area covered by MCI Electrical; they are not all presented as commercial fault finding work in Southampton.
Areas MCI Electrical covers
Alongside Southampton, MCI Electrical covers Eastleigh, Chandler's Ford, Hedge End and Whiteley.
Commercial fault finding questions from Southampton businesses
What businesses across the city ask before booking a fault finding visit.
How much does it cost to find an electrical fault?+
Fault finding is charged from £75 an hour, which covers the testing and a repair that can be finished in the same visit. The time needed depends on how many circuits are involved and how much of the installation has to be tested. Anything that cannot be completed on the day is priced in writing first.
— David McInnes
Will you have to turn our power off?+
Part of the testing needs the affected circuit dead, so that section loses power for short periods. The rest of the board stays live while a single circuit is tested. Timing on a working site is arranged when the visit is booked.
— David McInnes
A breaker at our Nursling unit keeps tripping, what causes that?+
A breaker trips either because the circuit is drawing more current than it is rated for, or because insulation on it has broken down. Testing separates those two, and on an estate unit the cable run through damp or corroded containment is tested alongside the equipment. What you get back is the circuit and the point on it, from £75 an hour.
Our fault has stopped the site outside working hours, can someone attend?+
Out of hours attendance is charged from £105 an hour and the booking line is answered at any time. A fault that has stopped a cold store or a production line is booked as a callout rather than a daytime visit. What can be arranged is confirmed while you are on the call.
Do you repair the fault or only find it?+
Both sit on the same rate from £75 an hour, so a repair that can be finished on the day is done during the same visit. Larger work, such as replacing a length of cable or a distribution board, is priced in writing afterwards. Board replacement starts at £950.
Our fixed wire test came back with C2 codes, will you put those right?+
Remedial work from a commercial EICR is charged from £65 an hour, whoever carried out the inspection. Each coded item is put right and written up so it can be checked against the report. Fixed wire testing itself starts at £195.
What paperwork do we get afterwards?+
You get a written record of the fault, what was tested and what was done about it. Where the repair alters a circuit, a minor works certificate with the test results goes with it. Anything still outstanding is listed with a price against it.
Do you cover three phase supplies and machinery?+
Yes, faults on three phase supplies, machinery and control gear are traced from £75 an hour. Testing runs from the distribution board through the isolator to the connection at the machine. A new machinery supply starts at £480.
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The booking line is answered at any time, and a fault finding visit for your Southampton premises can be arranged from there.