Electrical fault finding

It's the RCD doing its job. It has spotted electricity leaking somewhere it shouldn't and cut the power to keep you safe. Resetting it again and again won't fix whatever is causing it, but there are a few safe checks worth trying first.

A few safe things, none of which involve touching any wiring. Unplug everything on the circuit that tripped and reset the switch. If it stays on, plug things back in one at a time: whatever trips it is usually the problem, and kettles, washing machines and outside lights after rain are common culprits. Make a note of which switch on the board tripped and whether it took out one circuit or the whole house. If it still trips with everything unplugged, stop resetting it and get in touch. Never take the cover off the board.

Check your board first. If one of the switches has flipped down, that circuit has tripped. If nothing has tripped, see whether your neighbours have lost power too, and if they have, call 105 to report a power cut. If it's only your house and nothing on the board has tripped, get in touch.

Try a new bulb, or plug in something you know works. Check the board for a tripped switch. If the socket or light is still dead, or it looks scorched or smells of burning, switch it off at the board and get in touch rather than using it.

Sometimes we can narrow it down from a description or a photo, which helps with the quote. Finding it for certain means testing on site.

For parts of it, yes. Testing is done with circuits isolated for safety.