Power gone in part of the home? How to reset a tripped switch

2 min read · 7 steps · Updated 3 October 2026

When the lights or sockets in part of a home go dead while the rest still works, a safety switch in the fuse box has tripped. That is the system doing its job: it cuts the power when a circuit is overloaded or an appliance has a fault. Resetting it takes a minute. Finding the cause takes a little longer and matters more.

If you rent, tell your landlord about faults in the wiring or in appliances that belong to the flat. Repairs to fixed wiring are a job for a qualified electrician.

Step by step

1. Check it is not a general power cut

   Look whether the neighbours or the stairwell have light. If the whole street is dark, wait or check your network operator's outage page.

   Done

2. Unplug the appliances

   In the rooms without power, switch off and unplug everything, especially what was running when the power went: kettle, heater, iron, washing machine.

   Done

3. Find the fuse box

   It is usually in the hallway, near the front door, or next to the electricity meter. Take a torch. If it is high up, use a stable step ladder, not a chair.

   Done

4. Find the tripped switch

   One switch points in a different direction from the others, normally down. It may be a small one for a single circuit, or the wider switch with a test button, which protects against leakage current (called RCD, or FI switch in Germany).

   Done

5. Reset it

   Push the switch firmly back up. With dry hands only, and never if water is on the floor near you.

   Done

6. Plug in one appliance at a time

   Plug in and switch on each appliance in turn. If the switch trips again at one of them, that is the faulty one. Leave it unplugged and have it repaired or replaced.

   Done

7. If nothing was faulty

   Then the circuit was overloaded: too many strong appliances on at once, often a kettle, a heater and a hairdryer together. Spread them over different sockets and rooms, and do not run them from one extension lead.

   Done

Good to know

If the switch will not stay up with everything unplugged, or keeps tripping for no clear reason, the fault is in the wiring. Stop resetting it and call an electrician, or your landlord if you rent.

Never hold a switch up, tape it, or replace a fuse with a stronger one. The protection is there to prevent fires and electric shocks.

If you smell burning, see scorch marks on a socket or plug, or hear crackling, leave the switch off and get help.

After a flood or a leak onto electrical equipment, do not touch switches or appliances until an electrician has checked them.

Do not touch the sealed main fuses of the electricity company.

In short: Unplug appliances, find the fuse box, push the tripped switch back up, plug things in one at a time to find the faulty one. Repeated tripping needs an electrician.