Burning smell, sparks or a shock? Don't troubleshoot
Leave the tripped switch down and don't reset it. Turn the main switch off if you can reach it safely, and call 000 if there's smoke, fire or someone has been hurt. Then get a licensed electrician in before anything is switched back on.
What it asks
Which switch dropped: one with a test button (a safety switch, which reacts to current leaking to earth) or one without (a circuit breaker, which reacts to too much load or a short).
When it happens: after rain, when a heater or kettle goes on, at random, or straight away each time you reset it.
Whether it stays on with everything on that circuit unplugged, and which appliance sets it off as you plug things back in one by one.
The answer you'll get
If the switch holds with everything unplugged and drops when one item goes back in, the answer points to that appliance. If it only trips when several heavy things run together, it points to an overload, and spreading the load may be enough. Ausgrid's advice is no more than one double adaptor per power point.
If it trips with nothing plugged in, after rain, or refuses to reset, the troubleshooter tells you to stop there and call an electrician who does fault finding.
What it can't tell you
It can't see inside the walls or test the wiring, so an answer that says appliance doesn't prove the circuit is sound. If the tripping comes back after the suspect has gone, treat it as a wiring question.
What's yours to do, and what isn't
You can
- Reset a tripped switch once, with appliances unplugged.
- Unplug and test appliances one at a time.
- Press the test button on a safety switch, which Queensland law says needs no licence.
Leave to a licensed electrician
- Anything behind a cover: power points, switches, the switchboard.
- Tracing a short, damaged cable or water in a fitting.
- Replacing a breaker or a safety switch.
Where we'd start
Do the unplug test once before calling anyone. If it finds the culprit, that's the job done. If it doesn't, you've narrowed things down for the electrician, and that saves time when they arrive.
Want a specialist to sort it?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.