Finding an Electrical Fault in the Fusebox

Fuse box, electric box. what??

The fuse box is often called, fuse board, consumer unit, distribution board, electrical trip switch box, meter box and all sorts of other names. The title does not matter so much as the understanding of its purpose. I shall call it the “consumer unit” for ease. 😊

The purpose of the consumer unit is to carry out several safety functions in your home and the more modern this box is, the more efficient it is at doing this. 

A modern consumer unit will have many safety features such as electric shock protection, surge protection, protection against arcing and sparking, overload protection, cable protection and hopefully a great deal of convenience in the event of an electrical problem by ensuring that your home electrics are split into many different electrical ‘circuits’. It’s no good having an electrical problem that then plunges the entire property into darkness and stopping all power to sockets, switches, lights, boiler and everything else that requires electric! 

The more modern fuse box, and by this, I mean everything installed since the mid-1980s, should have ‘trip switches’ installed. These switches will detect when there is an issue in the electrical system and turn off the power to different parts of your home to ensure your safety and prevent harm coming to the wiring or occupants. That is great, however, it can be a real pain when a switch trips and you have no idea why? 

So, how do we try and restore some power to the home? 

Well,
In the event that a switch trips in the box and will not turn back on the most straightforward course of action is often to physically unplug ALL the electrical plugs from the electrical sockets in your home. There are other fault-finding methods that can be employed but this is by far the quickest and most simple that can be carried out safely by homeowners. 

Do not simply ‘turn off’ sockets. Physically unplug the plugs from the sockets, yes, I know, you will need to move furniture and crawl around on the floor to do this but it needs to be done. Do not dust behind the washing machine just yet, focus on this, eyes on the prize for a moment. 😊 

Once you have unplugged absolutely everything in the home. See if the switch at the electrical box will turn back on…….   If it does, Magic. You have solved it, give yourself a pat on the back and pour a glass of wine out. If not, then you may need an electrician to attend to investigate further. It is my experience that most electrical issues in the home tend to be something that is plugged in to the electrical installation and NOT the sockets, switches, cables or anything else. 

If you find that unplugging has not helped then you have at least saved some time and money by carrying out some of the fault finding yourself before your emergency electrician arrives to save the day, or give you bad news, either way it will be quicker. 😊 

What other problems could there be?

There are of course different types of Fusebox / Consumer Unit problems. For instance, if you have no power at all in the house then it may be that there is a power cut or a problem with your consumer unit. To rule out a power cut, ring 105 free and follow the menu to speak to an operator. The number puts you through to your local electricity network provider who will be able to tell you if there are any works being carried out in the street or on the electricity supply network that would affect the electricity supply to your home. IF THERE ARE NO KNOWN ISSUES, then wait for 5 to 10 minutes to see if the power comes back on. If not then call me. If you can smell a funny fishy smell from the consumer unit, then call me! This can indicate a serious problem inside the consumer unit. ☹ 

If you do find yourself needing an emergency electrician, I am happy to help as I specialise in this type of work and will attend as quickly as I can for you. 

As a Female Electrician in Warrington, I carry out a range of electrical works that may be helpful to prospective customers. I am more than happy to carry out the smaller jobs along with fault finding and inspection works. I find that a lot of electricians do not want to carry out these small jobs for people and my customers often mention that they have struggled to obtain an electrician that will do these jobs for them. 

For a full list of the works that I can help you with, check my website page https://www.theladysparky.co.uk/domestic-services