1) Faulty Electrical Appliances
Electrical appliances tend to wear and not function properly with extended use over a period of time. If appliances are not maintained they will be one of the biggest causes of your safety switch tripping. Some of the most common faulty appliances around the home are electric kettles, powerboards, toasters, range-hoods, clothes iron, dishwasher, cooktops igniters, fridge and freezes.
2) Intermitent Tripping
When your safety switch trips occasionally about every one to two days, customers even saying once a week. Some example of what causes Nuisance tripping are;
water leaks, water and electricty do not mix remove the water leak and let electricals dry out before turning back on
Water LeaksWater and electricty do not mix remove the water leak and let electricals dry out before turning back on
Insect InfestationWater and electricty do not mix remove the water leak and let electricals dry out before turning back on
Water filling up in external lights power and conduits
Q:who do you call plumber or electrician. A: both. Electrician first to make it safe then a plumber to stop the water. If you see any rust around power points, switches or lights; this could indicated water damage inside.
A combination of appliances each with a small leakage that when on a safety switch together causes a trip
An outside power point in the back yard, when disconnected there were hundreds of ants and bugs inside. A water feature with a submersible water pump in the water pond and found the electric motor had failed. Dish washer in the kitchen, the owners had noticed that tripping accrued every few days and what we found was a small water leak on to the electrical panel enough to trip a safety switch.
3) Faulty Electrical Wiring
Once established that electrical appliances are not the cause of safety switch tripping then faulty wiring can be another issue. Old electrical wiring deteriorates over time and the insulation around the wiring becomes brittle and unsafe. This will be common with older homes (1940 – 1960s) that have black rubber insulated cables or split metal conduit with cotton cables.
The only way to overcome this issue is to have your property fully inspected and most likely rewired to replace all the old electrical cables. If the age of your home is within 10 to 15 years old things like rodents eating into cables and possibly 240 volt wiring for garden lighting can be damaged.
4) Rain and Lightning
Severe storms and long periods of rain can cause safety switch trip’s. This happens when excessive water get’s in behind electrical items such as outside light fittings under eaves and external power points. Lighting can also cause safety switches to trip, safety switches don’t like voltage fluctuations and the imbalance in electrical supply will trigger a trip.
Nuisance tripping or intermittent tripping is usually caused by an intermittent fault caused by one of your appliances. They can be very difficult to find.
