Advice · Repairs · 4 min read
A circuit breaker keeps tripping:what to do.
A tripping circuit breaker is not a fault in itself: it is a safety device doing its job. The question is why it tripped, and what to do next.
Maxime LyonsElectrician in La Croix-Valmer
Circuit breaker or RCD?
A circuit breaker protects a circuit against overload and short circuits: too many appliances running at once, or a faulty one. An RCD, on the other hand, protects people: it cuts the power as soon as it detects a current leak, often caused by damp or a damaged appliance.
The right steps
- Find which device has tripped on the electrical panel
- Unplug the appliances on that circuit
- Reset it once only
- Plug the appliances back in one by one to find the culprit
If it trips again straight away, do not force it: leave it off and call an electrician. Resetting it over and over means ignoring a fault.
The most common causes
- An overload: oven, hob, washing machine and air conditioning on the same circuit
- A faulty appliance, often a water heater, an oven or a pump
- Moisture in an outdoor junction box, a floodlight or a garden socket
- A connection overheating in a socket or at the panel
Around the Gulf, an RCD tripping after a storm or heavy rain is a classic: water has found its way into an outdoor fitting. The point of entry then needs to be found and sealed.
When to call straight away
- A burning smell, or a socket that is blackened or hot
- A circuit breaker that trips with nothing plugged in
- A main RCD that refuses to reset
