Electrical faults
Tracing the root cause rather than patching the symptom, so it does not come back.
Emergency
24/7 emergency electrician in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs
Emergency callouts across the Eastern Suburbs: sparks, burning smells, no power, water in electrics.
- NSW licence 237173C
- Quoted before work starts
- 5.0 from 106 Google reviews
What does an emergency callout look like? Peter's video from Double Bay
October 2026: an emergency callout in Double Bay, filmed by Peter on his phone. The three-phase isolator on a sub-board upstairs, which controls the oven and power circuits, was not working properly.
Peter's video of the job (4:06). It plays from YouTube when you tap it. How Peter found the fault.
In short
Ambient Electrical is an emergency electrician for Sydney's Eastern Suburbs, based in Bronte and taking calls on 0415 684 120, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; response across the Eastern Suburbs is often within the hour. Call straight away for a burning smell, sparks, smoke, a hot switch or power point, water near electrics, or power you cannot restore by resetting a tripped switch once. If there is fire or someone is injured, call 000 first.
- Who
- Peter Stafford, NSW contractor licence 237173C (Electrician class)
- Where
- Sydney's Eastern Suburbs, from Bronte
- Price
- Peter gives you a clear quote before any work starts.
- Paperwork
- NSW law requires a CCEW for this work, and the eCert portal sends you a copy (what a CCEW is)
What happens when you call after hours?
Ring 0415 684 120 rather than emailing or using the form: a phone call is the fastest way to reach Ambient Electrical after hours.
Ambient Electrical works as a 24 hour emergency electrician across the Eastern Suburbs, from Bronte to Maroubra and across to the CBD. Be ready to say what you can see, hear or smell, whether the whole property or only part of it has lost power, whether anyone has had a shock, and whether the neighbours still have power.
When should I call straight away?
Common reasons to call straight away:
- No power or lights that you cannot restore by resetting the main switch once
- Short circuits, or circuit breakers and safety switches that keep tripping
- Sparks, arcing or scorch marks
- Electrical burning smells from a power point, switch, light or the switchboard
- Water in a light fitting, power point or the switchboard
For more on telling the two apart, read what is an electrical emergency.
Is the outage Ausgrid's or yours?
If the neighbours are dark too, the fault is on Ausgrid's network: check Ausgrid's live outage map, or call Ausgrid on 13 13 88, which takes reports 24 hours a day. If only your property is out, look at the switchboard for a tripped safety switch or main switch and reset it once. If it will not reset, or trips again straight away, the fault is in your own installation and needs a licensed electrician to trace it. (Source: Ausgrid: In an emergency)
What should I do while I wait?
- If there is fire or someone is injured, call 000 first
- If it is safe to reach with dry hands, turn off the main switch or the affected circuit at the switchboard
- Never touch a person who is still in contact with electricity
- Never use water on an electrical fire
- Keep people and pets away from sparking, smoking or wet fittings, and do not open the switchboard or the fitting
- Stay at least 8 metres from fallen powerlines, as Ausgrid advises
The full list of dos and don'ts is in what to do in an electrical emergency. Anything that turns out not to be urgent goes to electrical fault finding at a normal booking.
How is after-hours work charged?
Ambient Electrical does not publish an after-hours rate. Peter gives you a clear quote before any work starts, so ask about the after-hours cost on the phone, before he sets out. You can also read what customers say about emergency jobs.
What customers say about this work
Peter came over after a storm and did an after hours emergency on a Saturday evening. Cheerful, friendly, helpful. Got me back up and running and made it to my Saturday dinner, and will have him back to do a more thorough fix to everything! Highly recommend.
I was let down by another electrician who said he couldn't respond to my emergency call until midnight! So I found Peter at Ambient Electrical who assured me he could be here in 1 hour - and he was! Very happy with his service, would trust him with future jobs and recommend him to my friends.
Sources
Where this work suits the local housing most: Bondi. Ambient covers 25 areas in and around Sydney's Eastern Suburbs.
How did Peter find the fault in Double Bay?
The circuits on that isolator include the oven, and Peter believes the cooktop too. He went down to the main switch room and tested the three-phase main switch on both sides. On a three-phase supply, the voltage between any two phases should read about 415 volts.
- Tested the 32 A three-phase main switch in the main switch room, on its supply side and its load side
- Supply side: 415 volts between every pair of phases, as it should be
- Load side: 415 volts between two of the phases, but 240 volts across the other two pairs, where 415 should be
- Found no continuity through the main switch on the third phase (the blue cable)
Why did a fault upstairs come from downstairs?
The sub-board upstairs is fed through the main switch. With one phase not getting through the main switch, the circuits on that phase upstairs could not work properly, even though nothing was wrong with the sub-board itself. In Peter's words, it is an unusual situation, but it does happen from time to time.
What was the fix?
The fault was in the main switch downstairs, not the sub-board upstairs. The fix is to replace it with a new 32 A three-phase main switch from a reputable brand. In NSW, replacing a main switch is licensed electrical work, certified with a Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work (CCEW). The faulty switch was a cheaper one that had been installed before, and Peter's advice is to use a recognisable brand, such as Schneider, Hager or Clipsal.
My recommendation, folks, is to stay with the reputable brands.
More of Peter's work is on the projects page.
Emergency electrician near me: by suburb
Need an emergency electrician near you? Peter is based in Bronte. Pick your suburb to see how far away he is and what to do until he gets there.
24/7 emergency: common questions
When should I call an emergency electrician?
No power or lights, circuit breakers or a safety switch that keep tripping, sparks, or an electrical burning smell are all reasons to call. If you smell burning or see sparks, turn off the main switch if it is safe to reach, keep clear, call 000 if there is fire or injury, then call Peter on 0415 684 120.
How fast can an emergency electrician get to me?
Ambient is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and response across the Eastern Suburbs is often within the hour. Peter is based in Bronte, so he is not being dispatched from across the city. Call 0415 684 120 rather than emailing in an emergency; it is much faster.
Water got into a power point or light. Who do I call?
Water in a power point, light fitting or switch is an electrical emergency. Stay clear of it, turn off that circuit or the main switch at the switchboard if you can reach it with dry hands and without standing in water, then call a licensed electrician. If anyone has had a shock, or there is smoke or fire, call 000 first.
Do outdoor faults count as emergencies?
An outdoor fault is an emergency when it is sparking, smoking, wet or giving shocks, or when it keeps tripping the safety switch and leaves the house without power. A fallen powerline is always an emergency: Ausgrid says to stay at least 8 metres away and report it on 13 13 88, and to call 000 if a life is at risk. A garden light that has simply stopped working can wait for a normal booking.
How much does an emergency electrician cost?
The cost of an emergency callout depends on the time of the call, how long the fault takes to find, and the parts needed to make the installation safe. Ambient Electrical does not publish an after-hours rate; Peter gives you a clear quote before any work starts, so ask about the after-hours cost when you ring.
Last updated
Guides on this
Electrical emergency: what to do, and what not to do
If there is fire or someone is injured, call 000 first.Is it an electrical emergency, or can it wait until morning?
Call an emergency electrician now if there is a burning smell, sparks, smoke, a hot switch or power point, water near electrics, or no power that you cannot restore by resetting a tripped switch once.Power out at home? What to do in a blackout
First work out whether the outage is yours or the street's.Burning plastic smell in the house: is it electrical?
A burning smell from a power point, switch or light should be treated as urgent.
Available 24/7
Something not working?
Call Peter directly. No call centre, no third party, and a clear quote before any work starts.
