Safety switch keeps tripping
Often a faulty appliance or moisture in an outdoor power point or light. Unplug the appliances on that circuit and try again. If it still trips, the circuit needs testing.
A tripping safety switch or a dead circuit is your electrical system telling you something is wrong. The cause might be a worn appliance, water in an outdoor fitting, a damaged cable or a failing breaker, and the job is to find the real cause rather than keep resetting the switch.
Joel tests the circuits methodically, isolates the faulty appliance, fitting or cable, then repairs or replaces it. If the switchboard itself is the problem, or the circuit has no safety switch, he’ll tell you what an upgrade involves.
What’s involved
- Talk through what’s happening
- Circuits tested one by one
- Fault isolated and made safe
- Repair or replacement
- Tested before the power goes back on
Power out to part of the house
A tripped or failed breaker, or a damaged circuit. If resetting it doesn’t hold, or nothing has tripped, it’s time to call an electrician.
Flickering or buzzing
Loose connections, failing fittings or an overloaded circuit. Buzzing from the switchboard, or a power point that feels warm, needs checking promptly.
If you smell burning, see scorch marks or the switchboard feels hot, turn off the main switch if it’s safe to do so and call straight away.
great communication and easy to arrange the job with. Very prompt, polite and professional and very happy with the work performed. I’ll be asking Joel to do electrical work for me again.
Quoted word for word from LENNELEC on Service.com.au, where Joel is rated 5.0 from 7 reviews.
Why does my safety switch keep tripping?
A safety switch (RCD) trips when it detects current leaking to earth, which is exactly its job. Common causes are a faulty appliance, water in an outdoor power point or light fitting, or damaged wiring. Unplug everything on that circuit and reset it. If it holds, plug items back in one at a time to find the culprit. If it still trips, call an electrician.
Is it safe to keep resetting a tripping breaker?
Not over and over. A breaker or safety switch that keeps tripping is protecting you from a fault. Resetting it once is fine, but if it trips again, leave it off and have the circuit tested.
Half my house has no power. What should I check?
Check the switchboard for a tripped safety switch or breaker and try resetting it. If nothing has tripped, check whether your neighbours have power, as it may be a supply outage shown on your electricity distributor’s outage page. If it’s just your property and nothing resets, call an electrician.
My lights flicker. Is that dangerous?
An occasional flicker can be a failing globe or a dimmer that doesn’t suit the LED. Flicker across several lights, or flicker with buzzing or a warm switch, can mean a loose connection and should be checked.
Can you fix faults in shops and workshops?
Yes. LENNELEC finds and fixes faults in commercial and industrial sites as well as homes, from tripping circuits to lighting and equipment that has stopped working.
Is the repair certified?
Yes. In Victoria, a licensed electrician issues a Certificate of Electrical Safety for electrical installation work, including repairs to fixed wiring. LENNELEC is a Registered Electrical Contractor, REC 31663.
Fault finding and repairs in key areas
LENNELEC covers the Mornington Peninsula and south-east Melbourne. See the full service area or call Joel to check your suburb.
Got an electrical fault?
Tell Joel what’s happening and when it started, or call for a chat about the problem.