NANDIX Repairs · Licensed electrician
MCB or RCCB keeps tripping
A breaker that trips is protecting you. Find the cause; never tape it, bypass it, or replace it with a bigger one.
Stop and call a professional: Burning smell, warm or blackened sockets, sparks, or a shock from any appliance: switch off the main and call an electrician at once.
What usually causes it
- Overload: too many heavy appliances (geyser, iron, AC, heater) on one circuit.
- A short circuit in a wire, plug or appliance.
- An earth leakage from a damp wall, a faulty appliance or a wet socket (this trips the RCCB).
- A worn-out breaker that trips below its rating.
What you can check yourself
- Note which breaker trips, and what was switched on at that moment.
- Unplug everything on that circuit, reset the breaker, then plug items back in one at a time.
- If the RCCB trips after rain, think of outside lights, a wet wall or a pump.
- Do not open the switchboard or the distribution box yourself.
Parts to ask the shop for
- Only what the electrician names after testing: MCB of the same rating and type, RCCB, socket or wire
- Ask for ISI-marked parts and keep the bill
Take the old part or a photo of it: sizes and threads must match.
What to ask the worker
- What did the test show: overload, short circuit or earth leakage?
- Is the wire size right for this breaker rating?
- Does the house have an RCCB and proper earthing? Can you test the earth?