Dereham, Norfolk

Dereham Electrician: rewires, consumer units, sockets and EV chargers

Get your free quote

Answer a few questions about the job. It's free and there is no obligation.

A fault to find, a fuse box to replace, sockets to add or a charger for the car: tell us about the job in a few clicks and get a free, no-obligation quote for your home in and around Dereham.

  • Free quotes
  • No obligation
  • Fast response
  • Local electricians

What an electrician is asked to do

Six kinds of job, from a dead socket to a new circuit.

Reading your fuse box

The consumer unit is where every circuit starts. A typical modern board looks like this.

Main switch
RCD
Lights 6A
Lights 6A
Sockets 32A
Sockets 32A
Cooker 32A
Shower 40A

A typical board. Labels and ratings vary from house to house.

Main switchTurns off the whole house at once. Know where it is before you need it.
RCDCuts the power in a fraction of a second if current leaks, for example through a person. Press its test button every few months.
Circuit breakersEach one protects a single circuit from overload and short circuit, and trips instead of letting a cable overheat.

Signs that a board is due for an upgrade

  • Rewirable fuses with porcelain holders
  • No RCD protection on the sockets
  • A plastic board fitted before 2016, when new domestic boards had to become non-combustible
  • Circuits with no labels, so nobody knows what each switch does
  • Scorch marks or a smell of burning near the board

What the colours of the wires mean

The colours changed in 2004. A house with both old and new colours has been altered or extended over the years, which is common and not a fault in itself, but a good reason to have it checked.

WireSince 2004Before 2004
Live, single-phaseBrownRed
Neutral, single-phaseBlueBlack
EarthGreen and yellowGreen and yellow
Three-phase, line 1BrownRed
Three-phase, line 2BlackYellow
Three-phase, line 3GreyBlue
Four wall boxes in a plastered wall with blue, white and yellow wires coming out, before the sockets are fitted

Four kinds of home around Dereham

The age and the building decide the wiring more than the postcode does.

From the first call to the certificate

What happens on a typical job, in order.

  1. Survey and quoteThe electrician looks at the existing wiring and the board, and gives a written quote.
  2. First fixCables and back boxes go in before plastering or decorating.
  3. Second fixSockets, switches, lights and the new board are connected.
  4. TestingEvery circuit is tested for insulation, earth continuity and RCD operation.
  5. CertificateYou receive a certificate, and the work is notified to building control where it is required.
Smiling electrician fitting a socket into a plastered wall with the cable coming out of it

Charging the car at home in the country

A home charger is simple on a new estate and less simple on a long drive. Four things to ask about.

Where we work around Dereham

By postcode area, from the town to Watton, Swaffham and Wymondham.

Frequently asked questions

Often half a day to a day for a standard home, because the power is off while the old board is swapped and the circuits are tested. Older houses, or boards that need extra work, take longer.

In England, new circuits and a new consumer unit are notifiable under Building Regulations (Part P), and you should be given a certificate. Small jobs such as replacing a socket may not be notifiable, but they should still be done and tested safely.

An Electrical Installation Condition Report is an inspection of the fixed wiring. Landlords of private rented homes in England must have one at least every five years and give tenants a copy. Buyers sometimes ask for one too.

A common guide is every ten years for an owner-occupied home and every five years for a rented one, or when a property changes hands.

It can be a faulty appliance, damp, or a damaged cable. Unplug everything on that circuit and reset it. If it trips again, call an electrician and do not hold it on.

Yes, with care. Cables in the roof space must be protected and kept away from the thatch, and the work is tested and certified. Tell the electrician about the thatch when you ask for a quote.

Yes: Dereham and the towns and villages around it, including Mattishall, Watton, Swaffham, Wymondham and Fakenham. Enter your postcode in the form to start.

Contact us

Thank you, your message has been sent.

An electrical job in Dereham?

Get a free quote, with no obligation.

Get my free quote