Your fuse board keeps tripping. What to do, in order.
A trip switch that keeps going off is doing its job. Here is how to find out why, safely, and when to stop and call an electrician.
· 4 min read · Yeates Electrical Service
A switch that trips is protecting you from a fault. Resetting it over and over without finding the cause is the one thing not to do. Work through the steps below instead.
1. Notice what tripped
Open the fuse board and look at which switch is down. A single small switch (an MCB) points to one circuit, such as the kitchen sockets. A wider switch marked RCD or with a test button usually covers several circuits and trips when electricity is leaking to earth, often through a faulty appliance or damp.
2. Unplug before you reset
- Unplug everything on the affected circuit. Switch off at the socket is not enough; pull the plug out.
- Reset the switch. If it stays on, the wiring is probably fine and an appliance is the cause.
- Plug appliances back in one at a time. When the switch trips, you have found the culprit. Leave it unplugged.
The usual suspects are kettles, irons, washing machines, dishwashers, immersion heaters and anything that lives outdoors.
3. If it trips with nothing plugged in
The fault is in the fixed wiring, a socket, a light fitting or a hard-wired appliance such as a cooker or shower. That is not something to investigate yourself. Leave the switch off and ring an electrician.
Stop and call straight away if
- There is a burning smell, scorch marks, buzzing or heat at the board or any socket.
- The main switch itself trips or will not reset.
- Water has reached sockets, lights or the fuse board.
- The tripping started after someone drilled or nailed into a wall.
If there is a fire, or someone has had a shock and is hurt, call 999 or 112 first.