What To Do If Your RCD Trips
It can be very inconvenient when an RCD trips but it is an indication that a circuit in your property has a fault. The most common problem that causes an RCD to trip is faulty appliances, but there can be other underlying causes.
If an RCD trips to the ‘OFF’ position you can:
1. Try resetting the RCD by toggling the RCD switch back to the ‘ON’ position (some older RCDs trip to a mid position and requires the switch to be pushed down and then up to reset the device). If the problem with the circuit was a temporary one then this may be the solution.
2. If this does not work and the RCD immediately or after a short period of time, trips again to the ‘OFF’ or ‘+’ position,
Switch all the MCBs that the RCD is protecting to the ‘OFF’ position
Reset the RCD as decribed above.
Switch the MCBS to the ‘On’ position, one at a time.
When the RCD trips again you will be able to identify which circuit has the fault. You can then call an electrician and explain the problem.
3. It is also possible to try and locate the faulty appliance. You do this by unplugging everything in your property, resetting the RCD to ‘ON’ and then plugging back in each appliance, one at a time. If the RCD trips after plugging in and switching on a particular appliance then you have found your fault. If this does not resolve the problem you should call an electrician for help.
Remember, electricity is extremely dangerous and all problems need to be taken seriously and never ignored. If you are unsure it is always best to call a professional electrician. So if you need help with a tripping RCD or if you need to upgrade your consumer unit to provide this additional protection, please get in touch. We are a trusted, local NICEIC approved electrician offering a wide range of domestic and commercial electrical services for our customers.
Consumer Units With RCDs
Modern domestic consumer units (fuse box) are usually fitted with one or more RCDs (residual current devices). If yours doesn’t contain any RDCs / RCBOs or has limited protection to some circuits, you should definitely consider upgrading your consumer unit to one that does. This is because an RCD / RCBO plays an important part in electrical safety. Its purpose is to protect you from a potentially fatal electric shock and your property from electrical fires. It does this by constantly monitoring the electric circuits in your property for leaking current caused by earth faults within plugged in appliances, permanently connected appliances, light fittings, and also the fixed wiring. It is an extremely sensitive piece of equipment and can detect even the tiniest of current leakage more than 30mA. If an RCD / RCBO detects an earth leakage fault it will automatically cut off the electricity to the circuit or group of circuits with the fault.
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This is an example of an RCD that trips to a
mid-position which requires the toggle switch to be pushed down, then all the way up to reset the device.