Main Switch Tripping

1) What type of switch will trip?

If you have a MAIN SWITCH TRIPPING then have a read of this article and we will try and guide you to a solution. 

If we have a look at the consumer unit above, we can see that there are different switches here. We have the circuit breakers which are the thinner looking ones with the labels beneath them saying sockets, lights and other circuits labelled accordingly. 

The switches with the orange buttons on them are the RCD switches. These are very clever devices that prevent electric shock from occurring to people who are using the electrical installation. 

The remaining switch is our MAIN SWITCH. This type of main switch WILL NOT TRIP. That’s right! Some main switches will trip but this one is designed to turn all power supply off to the consumer unit in which it is installed. A Main Switch will only normally trip if it is also an RCD. 

2) Help me with the tripping problem please!!!! 

If you need immediate help with the tripping of a switch in your fuse box / consumer unit then please go directly to this article which will give you some advice before you need to call us out! https://www.electricalfaultsfixed.co.uk/helpsheet/help-my-house-electrics-are-tripping

If you still have problems after reading that article and acting upon the information contained therein then contact us straight away as we will need to come and investigate the problem for you.

3) What do each of these devices do in my electrical box? 

I’m glad you asked. 😊 

4) MCB 

This device turns the power on and off to whatever circuit it is in control of. The MCB or (Miniature Circuit Breaker) is a circuit breaker that BREAKS the circuit. It will trip the power off whenever there is a problem, BUT it can only see two types of problem generally so it is not good enough to simply have one of these devices on its own without the use of an RCD. The MCB will detect when too much power is being used, too much stuff is turned on and the cables are at risk of overheating / catching fire. It will detect if there is a massive fault such as a nail in a cable that is touching LIVE AND EARTH.

5) THE RCD

This Device protects you from getting an electric shock. This senses when tiny amounts of electrical current may be missing from a circuit and assumes that the missing electrical current is passing through a human so it turns off! It normally turns off several circuits all at once so it can be difficult to find out what has caused the problem. 

6) THE MAIN SWITCH

This is the switch that disconnects the power to your consumer unit / fuse box. It is the device that lets electricians safely work inside your consumer unit once they have proved everything dead. This is sometimes ALSO AN RCD! I know, complicated right? So, most of the time the main switch is not something that can trip but sometimes if it is an RCD as well as the main switch then it will be able to trip. If you have a MAIN SWITCH TRIPPING then it could be that the switch is also an RCD switch.

7) Why would a main switch trip?

There are lots of reasons that a mains switch might trip in your consumer unit such as:

• Faulty cabling in your home
• Faulty appliances connected to the sockets circuit in your home
• Faulty light fittings 
• Damaged wiring
• Water that has gotten into something electrical
• Faulty Main Switch
• Excessive build up of EARTH CURRENT LEAKAGE (I know it’s really technical but don’t worry, we know what it is and how to check for it 😊)

8) Can I do anything without calling an electrician?

Yes. Have a look at the link to our article above and see if that helps. It is absolutely free and written solely for you. Our customers and potential customers, just to help you out and possibly save you some money. We are nice like that 😊 

If you have tried everything you can but still have a problem then you will need to call us and get us in to investigate. 

9) Is a switch tripping dangerous?

It could be that there is danger present yes. Switches do not trip for no reason and when they do, they can make a large popping noise sometimes. This noise is when the switch is dealing with a large electrical fault current, the noise it makes is the switch dissipating the energy inside itself and turning the supply off. 

The important thing that you need to do is RESIST THE URGE to turn the switch back on time and time again! These switches are not designed to turn off the supply repeatedly and if they are forced to then they will eventually break.

Please don’t do this. Call us BEFORE the switch breaks. Let us find the issue before there is serious damage to your electrical installation in your home. 

10) What is it going to cost me to have this fixed?

Electrical faults can vary in cost. We will charge you for our first hour of investigation and then we will have either fixed the problem or pinned it down and be able to give you a quote for further works to fix the issue. 

Take a look at your “How Much Is It?” help sheet for further information. 

11) Can you promise to get my power back on during your visit?

No. 
Sorry.

We can normally restore power to several parts of your home but there may be sections of your electrical installation that will not be able to be restore immediately. We can promise to do our best for you with our knowledge, expertise and vast array of spare parts that we carry though 😊

If you have a MAIN SWITCH TRIPPED then don’t worry, have a read through our website and if you don’t feel you can manage then give us a call and we will come out to investigate for you.