Loss of Electricity

an electricity consumer unit
an electricity consumer unit

Your electricity can cut out due to a number of problems, e.g.

  • Light bulbs blowing
  • Faulty or misused appliances/leads
  • Too many appliances being used at the same time
  • An overloaded circuit
  • Overfilled kettles
  • Unclean toasters
  • Worn out or cracked cooker rings
  • Faulty immersion heaters

You can switch the power back on at your electricity consumer unit. This is usually next to the meter, and will either contain trip switches or fuses. Depending on which you have, you will need to either reset a trip switch or change a fuse to restore your electricity

Resetting a Trip Switch

Modern electric circuits are fitted with a circuit-breaker fuse system, so if a fault occurs, it causes a trip switch to be activated and the circuit to be broken.

To switch your electricity back on again:

  • Open the cover of your unit. Check which switches have tripped to the off position and which rooms (circuits) have been affected.
  • Flick these switches back on to restore the power.
  • If the tripping keeps happening, identify which appliance is causing the problem by unplugging each one on the affected circuit. Switch the tripped switch to the ON position, and then plug in each appliance one-by-one until the trip goes again.
  • Leave this appliance unplugged and get it fixed by a qualified electrician or engineer.

Changing a Fuse

If a fault occurs and your consumer unit contains fuses instead of trip switches, one of the fuses is likely to have blown.

When changing a fuse, always replace a cartridge or fuse wire with one of the correct rating:

  • 5 amp for lights.
  • 15 or 20 amp for immersion heaters.
  • 30 amp for sockets and cookers (sometimes the cooker cartridge will be 45 amp).

To change a fuse:

  • Switch off the mains switch at the Fuse box (consumer unit).
  • Unplug all appliances.
  • Unscrew the cover and remove each fuse holder to check which has blown.
  • If it’s a rewirable fuse, loosen the retaining screws at either end, remove any old wire and feed new wire of the correct rating through the holder and around the screws. Tighten up the screws at both ends.
  • If it is a cartridge fuse, take out the old cartridge, fit a new one of the same rating into the holding clips and replace the fuse holder.
  • Screw the cover back on.
  • Switch the mains switch back on and check that all circuits are working.
  • Plug in each appliance one-by-one to check if the fuse blows again. If this happens, the appliance is faulty and you should get it repaired by a qualified electrician or service engineer.
  • Screw the cover back on.

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