Trip switch won't stay up: what to try before you ring

Three things to try in the right order, and when to stop.

By Joseph Lawrence · 18th Edition (BS 7671) · 3 min read

Three old fuse boxes on a wooden backboard

First, the main switch

If the whole house is off, check the big switch on the board and the trip switches around it. Push the tripped one firmly down, then up. If it stays, something on that circuit tripped it once.

Then unplug

If it trips again straight away, switch off and unplug everything on that circuit, then reset. Plug things back in one at a time. The one that trips it is your fault, often a kettle, an iron or an outside light.

When to stop

If it trips with nothing plugged in, or you smell burning or see scorch marks, leave it off and ring. Resetting a tripping breaker over and over is how a small fault becomes a fire.