Electrical maintenance and upgrades
Ongoing maintenance, small works, replacements and upgrades for homes, landlords and businesses.
In short
Electrical maintenance is the ongoing work that keeps an installation safe and working: replacing failed accessories, repairing damage, upgrading tired parts of an installation before they fail, and putting right the items an EICR has flagged. For landlords and businesses it also means having somebody who already knows the property, so a call-out does not start with an hour of working out how the place is wired.
Most electrical problems give notice. A socket that has started to feel warm, a breaker that trips once a month, an extractor that has stopped working, a light that only comes on if you jiggle the switch. Dealing with them as they appear is cheaper and far less disruptive than waiting for the day they all matter at once.
Maintenance and small works
- Replacing damaged, cracked or discoloured sockets and switches
- Extractor fans, cooker hoods and shower units replaced or repaired
- Remedial work following an EICR, coded item by coded item
- Landlord maintenance between tenancies, done in the changeover window
- Upgrading tired accessories and light fittings during redecoration
- Smoke and heat alarm replacement, including interlinked systems
What the job involves
Every property is different, but the shape of the work is usually the same. Here is how a typical electrical maintenance and upgrades job runs.
Tell us what is wrong
A description, or a photo on WhatsApp, is usually enough to tell whether it is a small job, a repair, or something that needs looking at first.
Fit it in sensibly
Small jobs get grouped where it makes sense, so you are not paying for three separate visits to do three ten-minute tasks.
Do it properly
Even a socket change involves checking what is behind it. A discoloured faceplate usually means a connection that has been getting hot, and swapping the front and walking away misses the actual fault.
Certificate where required
Alterations and additions get a Minor Works Certificate with the relevant test results, so there is a record of what was done.
Leave it clean
Dust sheets down, mess taken away. On a small job it is the whole impression you are left with.
Want someone to take a look?
Call 07557 448945 or send a photo on WhatsApp and you will get a straight answer on what it needs.
Electrical maintenance and upgrades near you
S. Sparham Electrical covers Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Pick your area for local detail, or call 07557 448945 if you are not sure whether you are in range.
Frequently asked questions
Do you take on small jobs?
Yes. A single socket, a light fitting, an extractor fan or a switch that has stopped working are all normal work. Grouping a few small items into one visit is usually the sensible way to do it.
Can you do the remedial work from my EICR?
Yes, whoever carried out the report. Send the report over and each coded item can be gone through so you know what actually has to be done to satisfy it and what is a recommendation you can weigh up.
Do you work for landlords and letting agents?
Yes. Landlord work is a regular part of the business, from EICRs and remedial work through to maintenance between tenancies. Changeover windows are tight, so those jobs get planned around the date rather than fitted in afterwards.
My extractor fan has stopped. Is that an electrician’s job?
Usually. It may be the fan itself, the isolator, the timer module or the switched live from the light. Diagnosing which is quick, and in a bathroom the replacement has to be right for the zone it sits in.
How often should smoke alarms be replaced?
Most manufacturers give a working life of around ten years, after which the sensor degrades whether or not the unit still beeps when tested. If yours have a date stamp on the back and it is more than a decade ago, they are due.
Who is doing the work
Before anyone works on your electrics it is worth knowing what they are trained to do. This is what Stephen Sparham holds.