Why is my fuse board tripping?
An RCD or circuit breaker trips to protect you. The cause is usually one of these:
- A faulty appliance: kettles, toasters, washing machines, dishwashers, immersion heaters and outdoor equipment are common culprits
- Overloading: too many high-power appliances on one circuit, causing the breaker to trip
- Moisture: water in outdoor sockets, lights, bathrooms or anywhere a leak has reached wiring
- Damaged cables: nails, screws, drilling, rodents or ageing insulation
- A faulty protective device: RCDs and breakers can fail and occasionally need replacing
Safe checks you can do first
- Unplug everything on the circuit that has tripped.
- Reset the RCD or breaker.
- If it stays on, plug appliances back in one at a time. If it trips when a particular appliance goes in, that appliance is likely to be faulty, so stop using it.
- If it trips straight away with nothing plugged in, or won't reset at all, the fault is in the fixed wiring or the board. Leave it off and call us.
Never hold a breaker or RCD in the on position, tape it up or replace it with a higher rating. If you notice burning smells, scorching or heat from the board, switch off the main switch if it is safe to do so and call an electrician.
Fuse board repairs we carry out
- Tracing and repairing the circuit fault causing the trip
- Replacing faulty RCDs, RCBOs and miniature circuit breakers
- Repairing loose or heat-damaged connections
- Splitting circuits to reduce nuisance tripping
- Replacing damaged or unsuitable boards. See consumer unit replacement
Frequently asked questions
Is it dangerous if my fuse board keeps tripping?
The tripping itself is the board doing its job, but the underlying fault can be dangerous. Don't keep resetting it. Get the cause found.
Can you repair an old fuse box with fuse wire?
We can make it safe and replace fuse wire to the correct rating, but old rewireable fuse boxes provide no RCD protection. In most cases we recommend upgrading to a modern consumer unit.
My power is off and the board won't reset. Is that an emergency?
If you've lost power to essential circuits, yes. Call us on 07557 586786 and see our emergency electrician page.