Describe any electrical fault in plain English. The AI analyses the symptoms against thousands of documented fault patterns in UK installations, returns a ranked list of probable causes with BS 7671 references, and guides you through the test sequence to confirm the diagnosis.
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1,000+
UK electricians
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The AI Fault Diagnosis tool is one of eight specialist Elec-AI agents built into the Elec-Mate platform. It is trained specifically for UK electrical installations and designed to help electricians diagnose faults faster and more systematically. You describe the fault symptoms in plain English, and the AI analyses the description against its knowledge of electrical fault patterns to produce a ranked list of probable causes with suggested test sequences for each.
Fault diagnosis is one of the most skill-intensive parts of electrical work. An experienced electrician draws on years of pattern recognition — they have seen similar symptoms before and know which tests to run first. A less experienced electrician, or one encountering an unusual fault for the first time, may spend hours working through possibilities systematically. The AI Fault Diagnosis tool gives every electrician access to that pattern recognition capability, drawing on a comprehensive database of fault scenarios across domestic, commercial, and industrial BS 7671 compliant installations.
Unlike a generic chatbot or web search, this tool understands the specific characteristics of UK electrical installations. It knows the difference between TN-S, TN-C-S, and TT earthing systems and how each affects fault behaviour. It understands the failure modes of specific UK cable types like 6242Y twin and earth, SWA armoured cable, and MICC mineral insulated cable. It knows the operating characteristics of BS EN 60898 MCBs, BS EN 61009 RCBOs, and BS EN 61008 RCDs, and how their behaviour relates to different fault types.
The tool is not a replacement for the electrician's skill and judgement — it is a force multiplier. It helps you consider causes you might not have thought of, suggests tests in the most efficient order, and provides regulation references that support your professional conclusions.
The diagnostic process follows a structured approach that mirrors the systematic fault-finding methodology taught on C&G 2391 inspection and testing courses. You provide the symptoms, the AI generates hypotheses, and then guides you through the testing process to confirm the diagnosis.
When you describe a fault, the AI extracts key diagnostic indicators from your description: which circuits are affected, when the fault occurs (constantly, intermittently, under specific load conditions, in certain weather, at certain times), what the symptoms are (tripping, overheating, voltage anomalies, physical damage), and what is known about the installation (age, earthing system, cable types, previous work). It then cross-references these indicators against its database of fault patterns to produce a differential diagnosis — a ranked list of possible causes ordered by probability.
For each possible cause, the AI provides: a clear explanation of why it matches the reported symptoms, the specific BS 7671 regulations that are relevant, the test or measurement that would confirm it, the instrument required (insulation resistance tester, loop impedance tester, RCD tester, clamp meter, thermal camera, etc.), and the expected results for both a healthy circuit and the suspected fault condition.
In the app
Open the Fault Diagnosis agent in Elec-Mate, describe the symptoms, and get a ranked diagnosis with test sequences.
The AI draws on a comprehensive library of electrical fault patterns specific to UK installations. These patterns are categorised by fault type, circuit type, earthing system, and installation age — allowing the AI to weight its diagnosis based on the specific context of your installation.
Common fault patterns the AI recognises include: insulation resistance degradation in ageing cables (particularly rubber-insulated wiring from pre-1970 installations and early PVC cables), nuisance RCD tripping caused by cumulative earth leakage across multiple circuits, high earth fault loop impedance on long cable runs in TT earthing systems, neutral-earth faults in TN-C-S (PME) systems causing voltage on exposed metalwork, and overloaded circuits where diversity assumptions have been exceeded.
For intermittent faults — the most challenging category — the AI applies specific diagnostic strategies. It considers thermal cycling effects (faults that appear when conductors warm up under load and disappear when they cool), moisture-related faults (problems that correlate with rainfall, humidity, or condensation cycles), vibration- induced faults (loose connections that fail intermittently), and degradation faults (issues that gradually worsen over time, such as corroding connections or slowly failing insulation).
The AI also understands the interaction between different parts of the installation. A fault on one circuit can affect other circuits — for example, a neutral conductor fault in a shared neutral arrangement can cause overvoltage on connected equipment, or a high- resistance earth connection can cause multiple RCDs to trip simultaneously. The AI considers these systemic interactions when building its diagnosis.
In the app
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Every diagnosis from the AI Fault Diagnosis tool includes specific references to BS 7671:2018+A4:2026. This is not decorative — it serves three practical purposes.
The AI references the complete BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 including Amendment 4 (issued July 2024), which adds Regulation 530.3.2 for bidirectional and unidirectional protective devices. It also references GN3 (Guidance Note 3: Inspection and Testing, 9th Edition) for test procedures and the IET On-Site Guide for practical installation guidance.
To illustrate how the AI Fault Diagnosis tool works in practice, here are three common scenarios that electricians encounter regularly.
The customer reports that the RCD trips whenever the electric shower has been running for about 15-20 minutes. The AI identifies the most likely cause as degraded heating element insulation that breaks down when hot — the insulation resistance falls below the threshold as the element heats up, causing earth leakage current that exceeds the 30 mA RCD trip threshold. Suggested test: insulation resistance test on the shower circuit with the element disconnected (should exceed 1 megohm), then reconnected. If the IR is marginal at ambient temperature, run the shower and re-test while warm.
Lights on a single circuit flicker intermittently, worse when the central heating boiler is running. The AI considers: loose neutral connection at the consumer unit (most likely, especially if the flicker correlates with other loads switching), high- resistance connection in the lighting circuit (loose terminal), or neutral conductor damage in the cable. Suggested first test: voltage measurement at the light fitting while the fault is occurring — voltage fluctuation confirms a high-resistance connection in the circuit. Then systematic continuity testing of the neutral conductor.
A 32A Type B MCB protecting a ring final circuit trips when multiple appliances are used simultaneously. The AI considers: overloaded circuit exceeding the MCB rating (most likely — check diversity calculation against actual connected load), broken ring (circuit running as two radials with reduced capacity), or a developing fault causing increased current draw. Suggested first test: ring circuit continuity test (R1, Rn, R2) to verify the ring is complete, then clamp meter measurement of actual load current.
In the app
Got a tricky fault right now? Open the Fault Diagnosis agent and describe the symptoms. The AI will produce a diagnosis with test sequences in under 30…
Five steps from fault symptoms to confirmed diagnosis and recommended fix.
Enter a plain-English description of the fault. Include the symptoms, when they occur, which circuits are affected, and any relevant details about the installation such as the earthing system and age of the wiring.
The AI returns a ranked list of probable causes ordered by likelihood. Each cause includes an explanation of why it matches the symptoms and the relevant BS 7671 regulation references.
For the most likely cause, follow the suggested test sequence using the specified instruments. The AI tells you what readings to expect if the diagnosis is correct.
Enter your test results back into the conversation. The AI confirms or refines the diagnosis based on your actual measurements, then suggests the next test if needed.
Once the fault is confirmed, the AI provides a recommended fix with materials, BS 7671 compliance requirements, and testing procedures to verify the repair.
Purpose-built for UK electricians. Every feature is designed to help you find faults faster and diagnose them correctly.
The AI cross-references your symptom description against thousands of documented fault patterns in UK electrical installations to identify the most…
Every diagnosis includes specific regulation references from BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 so you can verify the reasoning and cite the correct standard on your…
For each probable cause, the AI provides a step-by-step test sequence specifying the instrument, measurement, expected values…
Describe or photograph the circuit configuration and the AI identifies potential fault paths, weak points, and areas that require focused investigation.
Purpose-built diagnostic approaches for intermittent faults including thermal effects, moisture ingress, load-dependent failures…
After the initial diagnosis, continue the conversation. Report your test results and the AI refines the diagnosis…
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