What to Do If You Lose Power!?
A Step-by-Step Guide to Checking and Resetting Your Consumer Unit Safely
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- Stay Calm and Check If It’s Just Your Property
• Look outside to see if neighboring homes have power.
• If others are affected, it may be a local power outage — check your energy provider’s website or call their emergency line.
• If your property is the only one affected, continue with the steps below.
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- Check Your Consumer Unit (Fuse Box)
• Your consumer unit is usually located in a hallway, cupboard, utility room, or garage.
• Look for any switches in the ‘off’ position — especially RCDs (Residual Current Devices) or MCBs (Miniature Circuit Breakers).
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- Identify Tripped RCDs or Breakers
• An RCD protects multiple circuits and trips if a fault is detected.
• MCBs are individual circuit breakers (e.g., for sockets, lights, or appliances).
• A tripped switch will be clearly in the ‘down’ or ‘off’ position.
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- Turn Off All Affected MCBs
• Before resetting the RCD, switch all associated MCBs to the ‘off’ position.
• This helps isolate the issue and prevents further tripping when you reset the RCD.
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- Reset the RCD
• Push the RCD fully to the ‘off’ position first, then switch it back to ‘on’.
• Some RCDs require this full cycle to reset properly.
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- Turn MCBs Back On One by One
• Turn each MCB on individually, allowing a few seconds between each.
• If the RCD trips again when you switch on a specific circuit, that circuit likely has a fault.
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- Unplug Appliances on the Faulty Circuit
• If a particular MCB causes a trip, unplug all appliances on that circuit.
• Plug them back in one at a time and test — the faulty appliance will usually cause an immediate trip.
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- Still No Power? Call a Professional
• If the RCD or MCB won’t reset, or power keeps tripping without any appliances connected, it’s time to call a qualified electrician.
• Avoid attempting further resets — this could indicate a wiring issue or a damaged component.
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