hiya bucks in Bourne End, Flackwell Heath, Marlow, Wycombe, Wooburn December 2013 | Page 8

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The 50plus
Keep the Lights on
this Christmas....
Fault finding power outages
An RCD is a residual current device, now fitted in an estimated
50% of UK households. They provide extra safety but are
frequently part of a confusing power outage. Why? Because
many householders don’t know how to do some simple
fault finding. So here’s a guide.
1. 
Know your consumer unit (fuse board).
2. Locate the RCD(s). They will have a ‘T’ or ‘Te st’ button.
3.  f one has ‘tripped ‘ turn all the associated MCBs off (down). If in doubt
I
turn all MCBs off.
4. Turn on (up) the tripped RCD.
5.   ne at a time turn on (up) the individual circuit MCBs. If one causes the
O
RCD to trip then leave that one down, reset the RCD again and carry on.
6. 
Turn any second RCD on (up) and all other MCBs. Most power and light should now
be restored.
7.  you can turn on all the MCBs then the
If
chances are the ‘trip’ was caused by a
light bulb blowing. Check.
8.  one MCB cannot be turned on without
If
an RCD tripping then take note of what
the label says.
9.  it’s a socket circuit do some simple
If
detective work and think what the
last item you turned on was. Primary
candidates for problems are anything
that mixes electricity and water or any
external electrical items.

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10.  
Unplug or disconnect (pull the plug
out) the potentially faulty appliance and
try turning on the MCB again. In the
cases of items like central heating and
immersion heaters turning off should be
good enough.

0845 22 50 495

If none of this works or you are unsure
about anything call for help.

By the 50plus for people of all ages

8

www.the50plus.co.uk

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