A tripping breaker is not a fault in itself. It is the protection doing exactly what it was installed to do. The useful question is what it is protecting you from, and there are only a handful of realistic answers.
Work out which type of trip it is
Open your consumer unit and look at what has moved. A single breaker down usually means a problem on one circuit. The main RCD down, taking several circuits with it, usually means an earth leakage fault somewhere in the group.
The three common causes
- Overload — too much drawing off one circuit at once. Typically a kitchen with several high-draw appliances running together.
- Short circuit — live and neutral touching. Often a damaged flex, a failed appliance, or a nail or screw through a buried cable.
- Earth leakage — current escaping to earth. Water ingress in an outdoor socket or light fitting is the classic culprit, especially after heavy rain.
Narrowing it down safely
Unplug everything on the affected circuit, reset the breaker, then reintroduce appliances one at a time. If it holds until you plug in a specific item, you have found your fault and it is the appliance, not the wiring. If it trips with nothing plugged in at all, the fault is in the fixed wiring and needs testing properly.
If you are unsure, it is always cheaper to ask than to guess. Give us a call and we will tell you straight.