What to Do When a Safety Switch Trips in 13 Steps

When a safety switch trips, follow these 13 key steps to identify the cause.

1. Try to turn the switch on.

2. If it remains on, the fault was likely temporary and no further work can be done at this stage.

3. Try to remember what device was being used when the switch was tripped.

4. If the Residual Current Device (RCD) switches off again, move to step 5.

5. Switch on the RCD.

6. If it doesn’t remain on, all appliances should be unplugged.

7. Outdoor power points should be turned off and outdoor appliances should be unplugged.

8. Now the RCD should stay on. If not, an electrician should be called.

9. If the RCD does stay on, the Circuit Breakers should be switched on, one at a time.

10. When the leaking circuit is reached, the RCD will turn off.

11. All appliances plugged into the faulty circuit should be unplugged.

12. The RCD should be switched on. If it doesn’t stay on, an electrician should be called.

13. If it stays on, that means one of the appliances that was unplugged is faulty. Plug them in one at a time until the faulty one is identified.

And remember, do not try to fix a faulty device yourself – that job is just for an electrician.

Source: www.testandtagadvice.wordpress.com