Troubleshooting

Have the lights gone out? Is a socket or appliance not working? Here are some simple suggestions as to what might be wrong.

The lights aren’t working

If your wall or ceiling light won’t come on it’s either a blown bulb or a problem with the circuit. If it’s just a bulb then the lights in the other rooms will be working. If it is a circuit problem then all the lights on the circuit will be out.

Blown bulb – make sure the light is off. Wait for the bulb to cool down, and change it for a new one of the correct size.

Circuit – find and open your fusebox. Most homes have two lighting circuits, one for upstairs and one for downstairs. Check if the circuit breaker has turned off. If it has, reset it by switching it back on. The lights should now work.

Note: most modern circuit breakers are sensitive and a bulb blowing can easily trip them.

If resetting the circuit breaker does not work, call a registered electrician.

You’ve plugged it in but it hasn’t come on.

Check that the problem is the socket. Do this by plugging an appliance that you know is working into the socket. Also try other sockets to see whether the problem is with one or, as will probably be the case, several sockets.

Appliance – if it is the appliance, check the plug and try replacing the fuse. If this does not work, the appliance may need to be repaired or replaced.

Socket – find and open your fusebox. Check the circuit breaker for that particular socket’s circuit. You will also need to check the residual current device (RCD).

The circuit breaker and/or the RCD may have turned themselves off due to a faulty appliance being plugged in. You won’t be able to reset the devices until the faulty item has been unplugged.

If you are not sure which one caused the problem, unplug them all. Reset the circuit breaker and/or RCD. Then plug each appliance back in, one by one, until you find the faulty item that trips the switch again. If you can’t reset the circuit breaker or RCD with everything disconnected, call a registered electrician.

If our advice has not helped resolve your situation, please contact a registered electrician.