Resetting a trip switch
This advice only applies to modern consumer units. If you have an older ’fuse box’ type, see Mending a mains fuse.
General advice
- Modern electric circuits are fitted with circuit breakers called trip switches. If a fault develops, a switch is tripped and the circuit is broken.
- All of the trip switches are in the consumer unit. This may be next to the electricity meter or near your front or back door (unless the meter is in an outside cupboard). Some consumer units have buttons rather than switches.
- Trip switches/buttons usually operate because:
- a circuit is overloaded by too many fittings or appliances
- an appliance is faulty or misused
- leads to appliances such as TVs, hair driers, are loose or badly connected
- water has leaked into a circuit
- light bulbs have blown, or
- immersion heaters are faulty.
- If an appliance is faulty, leave it unplugged and get your own electrician or service engineer to check it.
- Make sure your hands are dry when you touch electrical fittings.
- Never touch the electricity company’s fuse and seals.
What to do
To reset a trip switch
- Open the cover on the consumer unit to expose the trip switches/buttons.
- Check which switches/buttons have tripped to the OFF position and which rooms (circuit) have been affected.
- Put these switches/buttons back to the ON position.
- If the trip goes again it is probably being caused by a faulty appliance. You need to identify which circuit is being affected and which appliance on that circuit is causing the problem.
To identify the problem appliance
- Unplug all appliances on the problem circuit, and switch off the immersion heater.
- Switch the ’tripped’ switch to the ON position (press in if it is a button).
- Plug in the appliances one at a time.
- Do not use double adaptors when testing appliances. Test one appliance per socket, until the trip goes again.
