Find your consumer unit
Your consumer unit (often still called the fuse box) is usually under the stairs, in a hallway cupboard, in the garage or near the front door. Grab a torch if it's dark – a phone torch is fine.
Look for a switch that's in a different position from the others. Most will be up (on); a tripped one will be down, or sometimes halfway. It might be a single circuit breaker, or a wider RCD switch that controls a group of circuits.
Unplug before you reset
If you know what was happening when it tripped – the toaster went on, the washing machine started – unplug that appliance first. If you don't, switch off and unplug things on the affected circuit, such as the kitchen sockets.
Then push the tripped switch firmly back up. If it stays on, plug things back in one at a time. If it trips again as soon as a particular appliance goes back on, you've probably found the culprit – leave it unplugged and get it repaired or replaced.
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If an RCD won't reset
If the RCD switch flicks straight back down, there's still a fault somewhere on the circuits it protects. Many people find it helps to switch off all the circuit breakers under that RCD, reset the RCD, then switch the breakers back on one at a time to see which one causes the trip.
Once you know which circuit it is, leave that one off and call an electrician. Don't go any further than switching things on and off – no removing covers or poking inside the consumer unit.
Leave it alone and call for help if…
- There's a burning smell, scorch marks or smoke
- The consumer unit is hot, cracked or buzzing
- Someone has had an electric shock
- It trips again straight away with everything unplugged
- You have an old fuse box with rewireable fuses and aren't sure what you're looking at
