Terry Healion
Licensed Electrical ContractorPhone 0432 278 487 Licence No. 36780
Safety Switch Instructions
So important yet usually so forgotten. Do you know if your Safety Switch/s is even working? its very important that you test your Safety Switch/s monthly, see TEST BUTTON at the end of this page to find out how.
Safety Switches can sometimes be called Residual Current Devices (RCD) or an Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker.
IF YOUR SAFETY TRIPS FOR A UNKNOWN REASON
Safety First!
If you feel unsafe and need advice, please call Terry Healion on 0432 278 487 for assistance. Do not proceed
any further if you find any of the electrical components of your building are wet or there are any exposed electrical parts, burning smells or burn marks. If you suspect there could be risk from live parts, do not take any risks, isolate by turning off main switches. Too risky – call Terry Healion on 0432 278 487.
Safety Switches are usually found on the switchboard and are recognisable by having a test button on them. General rule is if there is not a test button, it is not a Safety Switch. We will discuss test buttons later in the instructions. The younger your switchboard the more Safety Switches there will be. The one which is in the off position is the one which has tripped. Older houses usually only have one Safety Switch. Some Safety Switches require some pressure to turn them on.
If your Safety Switch tripped off as you plugged in, or started to use an appliance, you could be in luck as far as restoring the power, just turn off the power point and unplug that appliance. Then go to your Safety Switch and turn it on. Do not touch the test button on the Safety Switch or you will make it trip off. If the power stays on, the appliance you have unplugged is a high suspect for the cause and should not be plugged in again until it is checked by a qualified person.
If the above does not solve the problem and the Safety Switch trips again, we now need to go through a process of elimination to find the possible faulty appliance. Follow the following steps in order:
1. Turn off and unplug all appliances that have been affected if you have more than one Safety Switch. There is no need to bother with appliances that are still operating. If you have only one Safety Switch, turn off and unplug all appliances. Customers often forget to unplug appliances like dishwashers (usually plugged in the cupboard next to dishwashers), fridges, freezers, garbage disposals, water tank pumps, washing machines and dryers, range hoods (usually plugged in the cupboard above range hood), pool equipment, electric ignitions for gas stoves and some air conditioners.
2. After you are sure you have unplugged everything, turn on the Safety Switch and see if it stays on.
a) If the Safety Switch stays on go to the next step.
b) If the Safety Switch
has tripped again
and power has gone off again and you have made sure you have unplugged everything, sorry you need Terry Healion on 0432 278 487.
3. Now we need a noisy appliance we can hear plugged into a point that didn’t work just before (one of the power points affected by the Safety Switch tripping). The loud noise will give an indication of when the Safety Switch trips. For the following steps use a radio or TV, plug it in and turn it on nice and loud so you can hear it all through the house.
4. Go to each appliance unplugged earlier. We are searching for the cause of the power going off. Safety first, with each appliance look for a visible problem. Is the appliance damaged? Are there exposed electrical parts? Is there damage to the insulation on the appliance or cord and plug? Fluids – is the appliance affected by water/moisture? Burn marks? Funny burning smell? Or any other concerns? If there are any concerns as listed or others – then DO NOT PLUG IN THE APPLIANCE
and make sure no one else can.
5. If you are sure the appliance has no problems and is safe, then plug it in and turn it on. If the appliance functions normally proceed to the next appliance and follow the same procedure as above before turning each appliance on one by one, making sure they are safe first as above. We are searching for the appliance that tripped the Safety Switch. As you plug an appliance in or turn it on and you hear the loud appliance
we plugged in go off, that is our indication the Safety Switch has tripped. When it does trip when turning on an appliance, we have usually found our problem.
6. When an appliance turns the power off again while following the above procedure, it is likely the cause of the Safety Switch tripping. Unplug that appliance and make sure no one plugs it in as it is possibly unsafe and needs a qualified person to repair it or replace it.
7. There is a small chance your Safety Switch will shortly trip again without the suspect appliance being plugged in. If so, you do need an electrician to find this fault. Call Terry on 0432 248 778.
TEST BUTTON: The test button (usually has a small T on it) is used to test your Safety Switches. Once a month you should test your Safety Switches, but first make sure you have all computers and sensitive appliances are turned off so you can test the Safety Switches. Push the test button for one Safety Switch, it should trip instantly, in a real life emergency it must beat your heart beat, so it must trip instantly. If it does not trip or there is a delay in tripping ( turn its self off), you need to call Terry Healion on 0432 278 487 as soon as possible as your Safety Switch is not working properly and your life and others, plus your property, are at risk of a fire etc. After it trips simply turn the Safety Switch back on. If you have more than one Safety Switch you need to follow the above procedure on all the Safety Switches. Make sure you test regularly our salt air make testing even more important than in Brisbane.