Earth Leakage Keeps Tripping in Cape Town? 8 Common Causes and What to Do

If your earth leakage keeps tripping, something is leaking current to earth, and the unit is doing its job by cutting the power. The fault is usually one appliance, one damp circuit or an ageing earth leakage unit. You can often narrow it down safely in ten minutes, but you should never bypass the unit.

Here is how to find the cause, what is normal in a Cape Town home, and when it is time to call an electrician.

What the earth leakage unit actually does

The earth leakage unit (also called an earth leakage relay or RCD) sits in your distribution board (DB). It watches the current going out and coming back through your wiring. If a small amount goes missing, usually through a person, a damp wall or a faulty appliance, it trips in a fraction of a second. In South African homes it is normally rated at 30 mA, which is low enough to protect people from a fatal shock.

So a tripping unit is a warning, not a nuisance. The job is to find what is leaking.

8 common causes of earth leakage tripping

1. A faulty appliance. Kettles, toasters, stoves, tumble dryers and microwaves develop insulation faults over time.
2. A failing geyser element. Water gets into a cracked element and leaks current to earth. If the power trips mainly when the geyser switches on, this is the first suspect. See why your geyser may not be heating.
3. Damp in sockets, light fittings or the DB. Winter rain, coastal humidity and spray can get into outdoor and garden circuits.
4. Pool pumps and garden lighting. These are exposed to water every day and are a very common source of trips.
5. Damaged cable. Rodents, nails hammered into walls and old brittle insulation can all cause a leak.
6. Too many small leaks adding up. Every appliance leaks a tiny amount. Chargers, fridges, TVs and surge plugs on one circuit can together reach the trip threshold.
7. Old or cheap wiring in older homes. Some of the older houses in Woodstock, Observatory, Sea Point and the Southern Suburbs have original wiring that has aged badly.
8. A worn earth leakage unit. After years of service the unit itself can become over-sensitive or fail its test.

A safe way to find the fault

You do not need to open the DB for this. If at any point you smell burning, see scorch marks or feel a tingle from a switch or appliance, stop and call an electrician.

1. Unplug everything on the circuit that trips, or switch off all appliances at the wall.
2. Switch off all the circuit breakers in the DB, then reset the earth leakage unit.
3. Switch the breakers back on one at a time, waiting a minute between each.
4. When the earth leakage trips again, you have found the circuit with the problem.
5. Plug appliances back in one at a time. The one that trips it is the faulty one.
6. If it trips with every appliance unplugged, the fault is in the wiring or the unit. That is an electrician’s job.

What not to do

• Do not tape down the switch or bypass the earth leakage unit. It is there to save lives.
• Do not fit a higher-rated unit to stop it tripping.
• Do not open the DB or touch bare wires.
• Do not keep resetting it over and over. Repeated tripping means there is still a fault.

Test it once a month

Press the test button on the earth leakage unit once a month. The power should drop immediately. If it does not, the unit is not protecting you and should be replaced.

When to call an electrician in Cape Town

Call an electrician if:

• It trips with nothing plugged in.
• It trips again within minutes or hours of resetting.
• You smell burning, or a breaker or socket feels hot.
• The DB is old, rusty, damp or crowded with added-on breakers.
• The test button does not work.
• You are selling and need an electrical Certificate of Compliance, because earth leakage protection is part of the inspection. See what we check during an electrical COC.

If the power is tripping in the middle of the night or you suspect an immediate danger, our emergency electricians in Cape Town are available around the clock.

FAQ

Why does my earth leakage trip when it rains? Rain gets into outdoor sockets, garden lights, pool equipment and sometimes the roof space. Damp wiring leaks current to earth and trips the unit. An electrician can find and seal the wet spot.

Why does my earth leakage trip when the geyser comes on? A failing geyser element is the most common reason. It is usually a quick repair, but it should be fixed promptly because water and electricity are involved.

Can a power cut or surge make my earth leakage trip? Yes. When power returns after an outage, a faulty appliance or a sensitive unit can trip. If it keeps happening, have the circuit tested.

Is it safe to keep resetting my earth leakage? Resetting once after a one-off trip is fine. If it trips repeatedly, stop resetting and have it checked.

Should I upgrade my DB board? If your DB is old, overloaded or missing proper earth leakage protection, an upgrade is worth discussing. We can inspect it and advise.

Why Cape Town homeowners choose Thermo Group for electrical work

• Fault finding, not guessing. We trace the cause of the trip instead of just replacing the earth leakage unit and hoping.
• Registered electricians and proper certificates. Work is done to the regulations and, where needed, comes with an electrical Certificate of Compliance for selling, insuring or renting out your property.
• Plumbing and solar under one roof. Geyser elements, pool pumps and solar systems are all common causes of trips, and our team covers electrical, plumbing and solar, so the fault does not get passed between contractors.
• Emergency cover. If the power is tripping at night or you suspect danger, we have emergency electricians available.
• Local to Cape Town. We work across the city, from older houses on the Atlantic Seaboard and the Southern Suburbs to newer homes in the Northern Suburbs and the Helderberg.

Need it fixed properly?

Don’t keep resetting a unit that keeps tripping. Book an electrician in Cape Town or request a quote and we will find the fault. For urgent problems, contact our emergency electricians. Selling soon? See what is involved in an electrical certificate of compliance, and if your geyser trips the power, read why your geyser may not be heating.