Electrical repair in Paris: what we fix, and how it works

An electrical fault usually starts with something small. The socket in the study stops responding, or the kitchen breaker trips the moment the oven goes on. You can reset the power and get on with your day, but until you know why it cut out, it will happen again. We start by finding out why. If your problem can't wait, see also our electrical troubleshooting page.

The faults we repair

There are the power cuts. A breaker that keeps tripping whenever you plug something in, an RCD that keeps tripping at night or in damp weather: either way, the panel has detected a fault, and it needs finding before you reset it yet again.

There's also everything that stops working in one specific place. A socket that isn't working, a switch that needs replacing because it gets hot or crackles, a bulb that stays on when the switch is off. The cause is often a connection that has worked loose over the years, sometimes an electrical wire damaged inside the wall by a nail or a drill.

And then there are the appliances permanently wired into the installation. For a water heater that's stopped working, we check the supply, the heating element and the thermostat. For a radiator that stays cold, we check the pilot wire and the thermostat before blaming the appliance: it's all on our electric heating repair page. And for an intercom repair, the first step is working out whether the fault is in your flat or in the common parts, which changes who pays.

What isn't our job

Better to say so before you call.

We repair the electrical installation, not household appliances. If it's the washing machine tripping the RCD, we'll find it and show you, but repairing it is a job for an appliance engineer or the manufacturer's after-sales service. The same goes for lamps: we don't have a workshop to restore them.

When the whole building or the whole street is dark, the fault is on the grid. That's one for Enedis, the network operator, on 09 72 67 50 75 for Paris (for the Hauts-de-Seine, replace 75 with 92).

And in the common parts, for the stairwell timer or the lighting in the entrance hall, it's the managing agent who orders the work. We do work there too, at their request: our electrician for co-ownerships page explains how.

How a repair works

It all starts with a phone call. Tell us what's stopped working, since when, and what you've already tried. That way we turn up with the right part, and sometimes we sort the problem out together over the phone, without needing to come.

On site, we switch off the circuit concerned and check there's no voltage left before opening anything. Then comes the diagnosis: we track the fault down with a multimeter and a clamp meter until we find what's failing. When the part is a standard one (socket, switch, breaker, contactor), the replacement is done there and then. If the repair needs a specific part or more work, we make the installation safe and come back with a quote.

On price, our €132 incl. VAT call-out covers travel and the first half-hour. If the repair takes longer, we tell you the cost before carrying on. And if we can't find the fault, we don't charge for the call-out. The details are on our call-out prices page.

Repair, or look at the bigger picture

A repair fixes one specific problem. But if faults keep cropping up in several rooms, if the panel has no 30 mA RCD or if the wiring is showing its age, repairing piece by piece ends up costing a lot. We'll tell you when that's the case, without pushing you into work. Depending on the situation, an electrical panel replacement is enough, or some circuits need redoing. Our page on electrical code compliance helps you sort out what's urgent from what can wait.