Hearing Sparks

Home
United Kingdom
Luton
Hearing Sparks

My name is Richard Hearing, I am a fully qualified electrician and founder of Hearing Sparks.

I offer a wide range of electrical services in Luton and the surrounding area, from changing a doorbell to a full Inspection & Testing of your house.

10/01/2025

Back in the 1960s (the decade that causes the most grief for electricians) it was common to use wooden backboxes behind light switches. Nowadays these are considered unsafe as they are a potential fire risk, so when you find them, you replace them with nice modern metal backboxes. It is a job that can be simple or really awkward...

22/09/2024

Another water-based post I'm afraid. Called out for a continually tripping circuit, found this little gem. Obviously a rather damp wall, the backbox was wet and rusted as was the socket

18/09/2024

Gave my customer a good laugh today - opened up a bathroom light that wasn't working after a water leak, and tipped a LOT of water over myself! And to think I became an electrician instead of a plumber because I didn't want to get wet at work...

14/08/2024

Putting up a wall light today, and once it was done the bulb wasn't turning on normally. It was a screw bulb, and would light up when halfway in, but not when fully screwed in. After some investigation I discovered that the neutral connection between the terminal and the bit the bulb touches had broken off. Normally that is fixed by simply buying a new light (or in this case asking the customer to buy a new light) but today, for various good reasons, that wasn't possible. So I indulged myself and had fun fixing it

23/07/2024

Currently off work sick (boo!) But it does give me a chance to post here, which I've not done in far too long.

I recently invested in a new box-cutting chisel bit for my sds (big hammer drill). This chisel is normally used to square off a hole in a wall to accommodate a backbox for sockets and switches. I tend to use it for lots of other chisel-related jobs simply because it is a lovely size.

I had the old one for maybe 8 years, you can see the level of wear compared to the new one!

20/08/2023

Spent a few days helping to install an alarm system and outside lights, and thought I would just share the exciting working conditions

10/05/2023

I finally remembered to take a few 'before and after' pictures of a job.

This was from a house which had been rewired, and I was asked to test & certify the work, and 'could i tidy up the wires at the fusebox'. As a caveat, it was done by a guy I've worked with a fair bit and whose work I trust, and he had simply got it in and working as a temporary measure (the house is empty) intending to finish off properly later but was unable to do so.

02/02/2023

A couple of horror stories for you from recent jobs...

06/01/2023

Currently having a lot of jobs involving a constantly tripping RCD, which is normal for this time of year. RCDs trip when electrical current leaks into the earth wire, and one of the more common causes is damp. Other common causes are faulty appliances, heat damage or plain old faulty wiring.

If your RCD keeps tripping, you can often narrow down the fault by elimination -
Turn off all circuits, reset the RCD, then turn on the circuits one by one (leave a few seconds between each one). This will show which circuit has a fault. Once you know that, it can be possible to narrow it down further, for example by unplugging all appliances on a socket circuit, turn the power on then plug them in one by one.

Attached are a few pictures of recent trip culprits

03/11/2022

Sorry everyone, it has been a long time since I last posted (as ever). I blame the fact that if I do them right, there is very little to see once I've finished my jobs. Although if I'm honest I also tend to forget to take pictures!

So here is another compilation of random pictures from jobs - enjoy!

11/06/2022

People often ask me why there is a history of (mostly friendly) rivalry between electricians and plumbers. There is always banter between trades, but these two are especially noted for it.

Personally I think it is because our specialities are mutually opposed, but there is a fair overlap - both in terms of water-based equipment needing power, but more importantly needing to run pipes / cables in the same areas.

As ever, a picture speaks a thousand words...

07/06/2022

Another installment of "the things you find..."

I was changing a fusebox, and as part of that you have to inspect & test the entire electrical installation. This is what I found in the garage

Address

30 Oatfield Close
Luton
LU40UH

Telephone

+447400613866

Website

http://www.hearingsparks.co.uk/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Hearing Sparks posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Want your business to be the top-listed Contractor in Luton?