12 November 2026
Breaker or RCD keeps tripping: causes and when to call an electrician
A tripping breaker is protecting your home: it is flagging a problem. Here is how to spot the likely cause safely, and when you need a professional.
A circuit breaker or residual-current device (RCD) that trips is not a fault in itself: it is a safety device cutting the power because it detected something wrong. Resetting it again and again without knowing why is not a fix.
Overload: too many appliances on one circuit
Oven, kettle, heater and washing machine on the same circuit? That circuit's breaker trips. Spread heavy appliances across circuits. If it happens often, the circuit may be undersized.
RCD: current leaking to earth
The RCD (30 mA or 300 mA) trips when current leaks to earth: a faulty appliance, moisture in a junction box or outdoor socket, a damaged cable. Unplug everything, reset, then plug appliances back in one by one to find the culprit.
Short circuit
An immediate trip, sometimes with a burning smell or a blackened socket, points to a short circuit. Do not reset: leave the circuit off and call an electrician.
When to call a professional
A burning smell, a socket or fuse board that gets hot, repeated trips with no obvious cause, or an old installation: have it checked. On VoltBrux, describe the problem, add a photo of the fuse board, and a vetted electrician from your municipality will contact you.