Clipsal safety switches are found in a great many Sydney switchboards. When one trips, it has detected electricity leaking to earth, which is exactly what it's there to protect you from. The fault is usually in an appliance or the wiring, rarely in the safety switch itself.
Use the steps below to narrow it down. If it won't stay on, call 0421 772 661.
Never hold a safety switch on, tape it up or bypass it. If it trips together with a burning smell, smoke, sparks, a scorched power point or water near an outlet or appliance, keep clear, turn off the main switch if safe, and call an electrician. For fire or injury, call 000.
Only operate the switches on the front of the board. Don't remove the switchboard cover or any panel.
Switch off and unplug appliances on the affected circuits, particularly anything outdoors, anything with a heating element, and anything near water.
Push the safety switch back on. If it stays on with everything unplugged, the wiring is probably fine and an appliance is the likely culprit.
Turn each appliance on in turn, waiting a little each time. If the safety switch trips when a particular appliance starts, leave that appliance unplugged and have it checked or replaced.
Leave it off. A trip with no appliances connected points to the fixed wiring or a hardwired appliance like a hot water system, oven or exhaust fan. That needs an electrician.
Trips after rain often point to outdoor power points, garden lights or water entry. Our tripping in the rain guide covers that.
A faulty appliance. The most common cause. Kettles, toasters, washing machines, heaters, fridges and power tools can all develop leakage as they age. The fix is repair or replacement of that appliance, not the switchboard.
Moisture. Water in an outdoor power point, garden lighting, a roof-space junction or an exhaust fan is a frequent cause, especially in older Inner West homes after heavy rain.
Wiring faults. Damaged cables, deteriorated insulation in older wiring, or a nail through a cable in a wall can all trip a safety switch. These need testing with proper instruments by a licensed electrician.
Too many circuits on one safety switch. In some boards, a single safety switch covers many circuits. Small, normal leakage from lots of appliances can add up and cause nuisance tripping. Splitting the circuits across more protection, often with RCBOs, can fix it. Our RCD vs RCBO guide explains the difference.
Call us if the safety switch trips with nothing plugged in, if it won't reset at all, if it trips at random with no pattern, or if trips are getting more frequent. A safety switch that won't hold is covered in safety switch won't reset.
We test each circuit's insulation, find the fault and fix it, and look at whether your switchboard's protection is set up sensibly. If an upgrade makes sense, our Clipsal switchboard page and switchboard upgrades service explain the options.
Usually not. It's normally detecting a real fault. Safety switches do occasionally fail, but that's confirmed with testing, not assumed.
Press the test button on the front. It should trip straight away. Reset it afterwards. Many households do this every few months.
Unplug the machine and get it checked by an appliance repairer. If it still trips with the machine unplugged, call us.
Yes, if the rest of the board stays on. Avoid running extension leads from other circuits to work around it.
Not if an appliance or wiring fault is the cause. It can help where too many circuits share one safety switch.
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