How to reset a tripped safety switch

Sooner or later, every household has a night where the power drops out on part of the house. Often it is a tripped safety switch, and resetting it takes less than a minute once you know what you are looking at. Here is how to do it safely.

Before you start

• Check whether the neighbours have power. If the whole street is dark, it is a network outage, not your switchboard
• Grab a torch, or use your phone light
• Make sure your hands are dry and you are not standing in water
• If you see smoke, smell burning or the board is wet, stop and call an electrician

Step 1: Find the switchboard

In many Illawarra homes the switchboard is in the meter box on the outside wall. In newer homes in Calderwood, Shell Cove and Tullimbar, it is often inside, in the garage, laundry or a hallway cupboard. It is worth knowing where yours is before you need it.

Step 2: Identify what has tripped

Open the door and look along the row of switches. A safety switch has a test button marked "T" or "Test". A tripped switch will usually sit in the off or middle position, pointing the opposite way to the others. Some models show a coloured flag or indicator.

If a regular circuit breaker has tripped instead, it will also be in the off position. The process for resetting it is the same.

Step 3: Unplug appliances on the affected circuit

Before you reset, switch off and unplug appliances in the part of the house that lost power. If a faulty appliance caused the trip, leaving it plugged in means the switch will trip again as soon as you reset it.

Step 4: Reset the switch

Push the switch firmly all the way down to off first, if it is in a middle position, then push it all the way up to on. A half-hearted push may not latch.

Step 5: Plug things back in one at a time

If the switch stays on, plug appliances back in one by one, waiting a minute between each. If it trips when a particular appliance goes in, you have probably found the culprit. Leave it unplugged and get it checked or replaced.

If it will not stay on

If the switch trips again immediately, even with everything unplugged, the fault is likely in fixed wiring, a hard wired appliance such as the oven or hot water system, or an outdoor fitting that has got wet. Do not keep resetting it. Leave it off and call a licensed electrician. Our guide why does my safety switch keep tripping explains common causes.

Never do this

• Hold or tape a safety switch in the on position
• Remove the switchboard cover
• Rewire a ceramic fuse with thicker wire to stop it blowing
• Run extension leads from a working circuit to bypass the problem

What about ceramic fuses

If your board has ceramic fuses rather than switches, replacing fuse wire is a fiddly job that involves handling parts of the board. Many people are uncomfortable doing it, and with good reason. If you are finding yourself rewiring fuses, it is a strong hint the board is due for an upgrade. See ceramic fuses vs circuit breakers.

Make next time easier

A clearly labelled switchboard saves a lot of guessing in the dark. Our guide on labelling your switchboard shows how to do it properly. And test your safety switches with the test button every few months so you know they work.

Need help now

If your switch will not reset, call or text Kalani on 0424 400 346. We are open 24 hours for emergency call outs across Shellharbour, Lake Illawarra, Wollongong and Kiama. See our emergency electrician and safety switches pages for more.