What to do when your safety switch keeps tripping

A safety switch that trips is doing its job. It has seen current leaking somewhere it should not go, usually through a damp or worn appliance, and it has cut the power in a fraction of a second. The annoying part is working out what set it off. You can narrow that down yourself without touching any wiring.

The unplug-everything test

Go around the house and unplug everything on the circuit that went out. Switching off at the wall is not enough, because many power points only switch one of the two wires. Pull the plug right out. Do not forget the things you never think about:

• The fridge, and any second fridge or freezer in the garage
• The dishwasher and the washing machine
• Outdoor power points, pond pumps and garden lights
• The kettle, the toaster and anything else that heats
• Chargers and power boards behind furniture

Now push the safety switch back to on. It sits on the front of your switchboard and has a small test button beside it. That switch is made for you to use. Nothing behind the cover panel is, so leave the panel where it is. If the switch stays on, plug things back in one at a time and wait a minute between each. When it trips again, the last thing you plugged in is your suspect. Leave it unplugged and have it repaired or replaced.

What usually turns out to be the cause

In the houses we visit around Preston it is most often something with a heating element: a kettle, a dishwasher, a clothes dryer. Elements crack with age and let moisture in. After rain, suspect outdoor power points and garden lighting. A fridge with a failing defrost heater will trip a switch at odd hours, which is why it can seem random.

When to stop and call

Stop testing and ring an electrician if any of these apply:

• The switch trips again with everything unplugged
• It will not stay on at all
• You smell burning or see scorch marks on a power point
• The switch or the board feels warm
• It trips every time it rains

A trip with nothing plugged in means the fault is in the fixed wiring, a light fitting or a hard-wired appliance, and that is not something to hunt for yourself. Do not keep resetting it, and never tape or wedge a switch on. Finding a wiring fault usually takes us under an hour, and our call-out is $140 for the first half hour. If yours will not stay on, call Fenwright and we will find it.

Fault finding and repairs →