EMERGENCY ELECTRICIAN - DELL Electrics Ltd

Before we start, if you can smell burning or if you attempted to turn the RCD or MCB/Fuse on and there was a pop or bang sound or it flashed or smoked then do NOT follow these steps. Please contact an electrician as this can cause further damage to the circuit or accessories if you keep turning it on.

Do not attempt to take anything apart yourself as electricity is dangerous.

Why do RCDs trip?

An RCD checks that there is no power leakage to earth and will trip when it detects this fault.

This could be caused by:

​

• A fault with the circuit or a damaged cable

• Water damage

• live to earth wire fault

• Neutral to earth wire fault

• A faulty electrical appliance (plugged in to a socket) or a cooker, shower etc

• A faulty RCD

• Arching

Lets try getting your power back on!

STEP 1:

​

Attempt to turn the RCD on, some RCDs can trip in the central position and may look like they are on. For these RCDs you will need to turn them all the way off (push them down until it clicks), and then turn them on.

​

If an MCB has tripped or a fuse blown or both an RCD and MCB has tripped at the same time. Please contact an electrician as this is a short circuit fault.

​

If your RCD tripped back down when attempting to turn it on, proceed to step 2.

​

If your RCD has stayed on and your power seems restored, simply go around and check every appliance one thing at a time (Kettle, toaster etc) and see if this causes the RCD to trip. This will identify the faulty appliance. Sometimes just a light bulb blowing can cause an RCD to trip and it may be ok now.

​

​

STEP 2:

​

Turn all MCBs off (in the down position). Then turn the RCD on (Push the switch in the UP position). (Refer to the first image above if you do not know what a RCD or MCB is).

If the RCD trips down even with all MCBs off then contact an electrician as this will need to be tested.

​

If your RCD is now staying on and not tripping, then turn one MCB on at a time until the RCD trips. Now we have identified the faulty circuit we can leave this off for now and turn everything else back on.

​

​

STEP 3:

​

​

Lets say for example, the faulty circuit is sockets. The next step would be to UNPLUG everything (Not just turn them off) including kitchen appliances such as washing machines etc. (assuming they are on the faulty circuit).

​

When you are sure that everything is unplugged from the faulty circuit we can attempt to turn the MCB back on to see if it still trips.

​

If the RCD has stayed on now, then proceed to plug one thing in at a time until the RCD trips to find the faulty appliance. Once found leave this unplugged as it is faulty. Proceed to turn your power back on.

​

If the RCD still trips then you will need an electrician to fault find and test the circuit.

​

If your faulty circuit is lights, then you could try turning all switches off including outside lights and then attempt to turn the MCB on. if this still trips then you will need an electrician to fault find.

​

If your faulty circuit is a cooker or shower, then turn off the isolator switch and attempt to turn on the MCB. If the RCD stays on then it's likely that it is a fault with the appliance, however it should be tested by an electrician to be sure.

​

​

OTHER ISSUES:

​

​

RCDs can trip intermittently, commonly known as nuisance tripping. This can be caused by an intermittent fault with an appliance or electrical arcing from loose connections. Arcing is a serious concern as this can lead to house fires.

​

It would be a good idea to have an electrician test afterwards anyway just in case, to ensure everything is safe and for peace of mind.