Resetting the ‘trip switch’ in the consumer unit (fuse box)

D A Woolgar guide to resetting your trip

First, locate your consumer unit (fuse board) and check whether the residual current device (RCD) and/or a circuit breaker have 'tripped' (turned off).

An RCD is a switching device that trips a circuit under certain fault conditions, and disconnects the electricity supply. Circuit breakers are automatic protection devices fitted in the consumer unit, which switch off a circuit if there is a fault. 

If the lights are not working, a lighting circuit breaker may have tripped due to a bulb blowing. You will need to reset the circuit breaker by switching it back on, the lights should now work. If they do not come back on, you will need to contact an electrician.

If it is your sockets that are not working, a circuit breaker and/or the RCD may have tripped due to a faulty appliance being plugged in. You will not be able to reset either of the devices until the faulty item has been unplugged from the circuit. If you are not sure which appliance has caused the problem, unplug all appliances, and reset the circuit breaker and/or RCD by switching it back on. Plug each appliance back in, one by one, until the faulty item (which trips the circuit) is found.

If you cannot reset the circuit breaker and/or RCD even with all the appliances disconnected, call D A Woolgar (central Bedfordshire).

For large appliances that are wired into a circuit such as a cooker or immersion heater, check whether the circuit breaker has tripped and try to reset it. If this does not work, call D A Woolgar (central Bedfordshire).

D A Woolgar