Fuse Box or RCD Keeps Tripping
A trip switch that keeps dropping is frustrating, especially when it happens at 2am or halfway through a wash. It's also doing its job. Your RCD or circuit breaker has spotted something wrong and cut the power to protect you.
Rated 4.9 on Google
Why does it keep tripping?
We find out what that something is and put it right. Call 03335775805 or book online, and a NICEIC-approved ICE Electrical engineer can be with you within 60 minutes if it's urgent.
Speak with me today,
I’m here to help
By asking you a few questions either via phone or email I can immediately provide a realistic estimation of the cost.
Our tripping electrics treatment process
Step 1 Contact
Call 03335775805 or book online. Tell us which switch is tripping and when, and we'll walk you through the plug-out test to rule out a faulty appliance.
Step 2 The Quote
We explain how the visit is charged before booking. Once we know what's causing the trips, you get a fixed price for the repair before work begins.
Step 3 The Works
Our engineer tests each circuit to find where current is leaking or overloading, then repairs the fault, from a damaged cable to a failed RCD.
Step 4 After care
You receive the test results and a written record of the repair, with a Minor Works Certificate for replaced devices, or an EIC if the consumer unit is replaced.
Emergency Hotline
03335775805
Helpline open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
When calling please have
the following ready:
- Your Name
- Company Name (if applicable)
- Site Postcode
- The problem you're having
- Email Address
Get a Quote
You’re in good company. We work with the following commercial clients… View all
Our experts can arrive on site within 60 minutes
- COVID-19 secure
- Nationwide coverage, available 24/7
- Able to arrive within 60 minutes of your call
- Free survey provided prior to quotation
- Emergency response team
- Offer a bespoke service designed to suit all your needs
- All technicians hold professional health and safety qualifications, including BICSc, IOSH, IPAF & Safe Contractor
RCD or circuit breaker: which one is tripping?
Open your consumer unit and see which switch has dropped. It tells you a lot about the fault.
RCD (residual current device). Usually wider than the other switches, with a "T" or "Test" button. It trips when electricity is leaking to earth, often through water, damaged insulation or a faulty appliance. One RCD often protects several circuits, so you may lose power to half the house at once.
Circuit breaker (MCB). The narrower switches, one per circuit. These trip when a circuit is overloaded or there's a short circuit, for example too many heaters on one set of sockets, or a failed light fitting.
Older fuse boards may have rewirable fuses instead of switches. If a fuse keeps blowing, the same causes apply, but the board itself is also worth reviewing.
Try the plug-out test first
This simple check often finds the culprit:
1. Switch off and unplug everything on the affected circuits.
2. Reset the RCD or circuit breaker.
3. Plug appliances back in and switch them on one at a time.
4. If it trips when one appliance goes on, you've found the problem. Leave that appliance unplugged and get it checked or replaced.
If it trips with everything unplugged, the fault is in the fixed wiring, and you need an electrician. Please don't keep resetting it.
The usual causes
- A faulty appliance. Kettles, washing machines, dishwashers, immersion heaters and outdoor lights top the list.
- Water getting in. Outdoor sockets, garden lighting, bathroom fans and leaks from above are common sources.
- Damaged cable. A nail through a cable can sit unnoticed for years before it starts to trip.
- An overloaded circuit. Several heaters, a tumble dryer and a kettle on the same ring is a lot to ask.
- Too much on one RCD. On older split-load boards, small amounts of leakage from many appliances add up and trip the RCD, even though nothing is actually faulty.
Tripping at night, or at random times?
Faults that only show up at certain times are some of the hardest to pin down, and some of the most common calls we get. Look for a pattern. A trip at the same time each night often lines up with an immersion heater timer, a heating system switching on, a fridge-freezer defrost cycle or outdoor lights coming on as damp settles. Tell our engineer what you've noticed. It can save a lot of testing time.
How we fix it
Our engineer tests each circuit individually, using insulation resistance testing to find where current is leaking. Once we've found the fault, we repair it, whether that means replacing a damaged section of cable, drying out and sealing an outdoor fitting, or replacing a failed RCD.
If the trips are caused by the layout of an older board, the long-term fix is usually a modern consumer unit with RCBOs. These give each circuit its own protection, so one fault no longer takes out half the house. We'll explain the difference and leave the decision with you. See consumer unit replacement for more.
Why ICE Electrical for tripping electrics?
- NICEIC-approved electricians who test before they touch anything
- Systematic testing to find the cause, not guesswork
- Same-visit repairs wherever it's safe and possible
- A fixed price agreed before repair work starts
- 24/7 cover, with engineers on site within 60 minutes
Get your power back for good
Call 03335775805 or email enquiries@iceelectrical.co.uk or book online, and we'll find out why your electrics keep tripping.