Lights not working but sockets are? You might have tripped a breaker.
Other lights may have also turned off and aren’t responsive to you pressing the light switch. You might have even heard a loud “click”. This is the sound of the circuit breaker tripping. The solution to get your lights working again is to go to your switchboard, or fuse box and reset the tripped breaker by pressing the breaker into the “up” position.
The breaker which has tripped (and turned off your lights) will be in the “down” position and have a label saying “lighting”. Lighting circuits in newer homes will be on an RCD So you can reset this if it has tripped.
With this being said, there is more to why your lights are not working but your sockets are.
Firstly, when a light or group of lights turn off suddenly, but other circuits like sockets are still working it can be quite concerning (especially if you’ve never had this happen before) but there are important reasons for why this happens.
A breaker tripping is a protective measure to disconnect the electricity on a circuit.
Your lights and sockets will each have different circuit breakers. Put simply, your lighting circuit (which could control many lights in the house) will have an electrical fault in it causing the breaker to trip and make your lights not work, while the circuit with your sockets will be fine.
Circuit breakers are built into your home’s electrical system to protect you and anyone else in the house from electric shocks and fire, so while this is inconvenient it has a purpose.
To fix this you can simply go to the switchboard and reset this tripped circuit breaker.
Lights Not Working But Sockets Are? – Reason #1
Faulty Light Bulb
If you heard a “pop” right before the lights went out, then it is likely that a light bulb has blown.
When a light bulb becomes faulty it causes a short circuit which causes the breaker to trip. You can resolve this by simply replacing the light bulb then going to the switchboard and resetting the breaker.
If the circuit breaker immediately trips again then there are other problems at hand.
Lights Not Working But Sockets Are? – Reason #2
Faulty Light Fitting
When a group your lights are not working but your sockets are, sometimes this can be traced to a faulty light fitting. Over time light fittings (especially cheaper ones) can wear out leading to a short circuit which blows the circuit breaker. If you tried to reset the circuit breaker and it immediately tripped again it is possible that you have a faulty light fitting. You can fix this by getting a registered electrician to replace the light fitting for you.
Lights Not Working But Sockets Are? – Reason #3
Moisture In The Light Fitting Or In The Circuit
Did any outside lights get turned off as well? It is a good idea to check if any outside lights were affected by this. Outdoor lights can be the cause of many electrical faults.
If they were, it is possible that water has entered an outside light fitting. Obviously, water and electricity don’t mix, but when they do it can cause an explosive short circuit causing the circuit breaker to trip.
Replacing the light fitting and making it water tight can fix this problem.
Lights Not Working But Sockets Are? – Reason #4
Rodent Damage To Cables
If a rodent has damaged a cable this can lead to a short circuit which would trip the circuit breaker.
As lights are normally in a ceiling cavity, lighting circuits (cables) can sometimes get chewed on by rodents. In my experience, rodents sometimes like to make nests in light switch flush boxes. A rodent making a nest or chewing cables can lead to a short circuit. This is more common than you think. A registered electrician will be able to identify the damaged cable and repair it.
Lights Not Working But Sockets Are? – Reason #5
Underrated Circuit
Although uncommon in newer homes which are more likely to be fitted with LEDS. A poorly wired house can have too many lights on a circuit leading to a circuit overload. Circuit overloads can lead to fires and circuit breakers tripping. An electrician will be able to identify this and make sure your lighting circuit is correctly rated for the circuit breaker. Overloads can lead to other potentially more dangerous problems like light switches becoming hot or dimmers burning.
What Next?
Lights not working but sockets are? Hopefully this post has given you some good ideas about what is happening. You can use this information to make an informed decision about what to do next. Hopefully, you can say that it was simply a blown bulb that you can go ahead and replace, but if the circuit breaker keeps tripping you will need to call a registered electrician to resolve the problem.
You should only use a registered electrician to fix this problem and never try to do anything which you do not have the experience or qualification for.
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