No power in 3 rooms? You might have tripped a circuit breaker. To fix the problem go to your switchboard and reset the breaker. The breaker will be in the “down” position and hopefully have a label like “Power” or something like that.
This should fix the problem, but you are probably wondering why this happened in the first place.
When a circuit breaker trips, it is a protective measure to prevent electric shocks to people or fire hazards.
This post will cover some of the likely reasons why there is no power in 3 rooms and why the circuit breaker might have tripped.
No Power In 3 Rooms? – Reason #1
Overloaded Circuit
Go into each room and check if anything was plugged into the power outlets when the power was lost.
This should give you the first clue about what the problem is.
Did you have hair dryers, heaters, kettles, spa pools or several high power consuming appliances plugged in and running when the power went off?
If so, it is possible that the circuit was overloaded and the circuit breaker tripped to prevent a fire from occurring.
Sometimes cheaper Electricians will group many outlets in multiple rooms onto one circuit when wiring a new house. This is to save money, but it’s also a good example of “you get what you pay for”
Having multiple rooms on one circuit was also common in older houses built pre 1980’s. The reason being that laws and regulations were different in those times when these houses were built.
Older houses may also be wired with underrated, or undersized cable. This means that the circuit can handle far fewer appliances. This may have suited times such as the 1980’s and prior, when there were fewer appliances in the home, it doesn’t suit modern times with the many different appliances we might have around the home today.
If you identified an appliance which might be the culprit, try unplugging the appliance and resetting the circuit breaker to check whether this problem happens again.
If the circuit breaker doesn’t “trip” again, then the cause of no power in 3 rooms is the appliance.
No Power In 3 Rooms? – Reason #2
Faulty Appliance Plugged In
You can also try to plug this appliance into an outlet which is on another breaker. This is to see if a breaker trips again. Usually an outlet on a different breaker will be on the opposite side of your house.
If it trips again, it is likely that the appliance is faulty and should be replaced. It is possible the cord on the appliance is damaged. You should get a registered electrician to come and confirm this for you.
If you have tried using the appliance in another room and it hasn’t caused a circuit breaker to trip, it is likely that the appliance isn’t faulty.
If you want to keep using the appliance in the same location it will be a good idea to get a registered electrician to install a separate outlet on an independent circuit. This way you can be sure that you can use this appliance without overloading the circuit.
No Power In 3 Rooms? – Reason #3
Short Circuit
A short circuit might be why you have no power in 3 rooms. A short circuit will cause a circuit breaker to trip, disconnecting power. Again the reason for this is to prevent electric shock to people and potential fire hazards.
The way to tell if there might be a short circuit is to go and reset the circuit breaker at the switchboard. If it immediately trips again then that points to a potential short circuit.
A short circuit can occur for many reasons. Some common reasons for a short circuit are moisture getting into the circuits, potential rodent damage, power outlet faults, light switch faults and many others. A registered electrician will be able to diagnose the issue.
No Power In 3 Rooms? – Reason #4
RCD Fault
The next reason why you might not have power in 3 rooms is there may be an RCD fault.
You will know this because when power was lost the tripped breaker at the switchboard was actually an RCD.
Hopefully, this would be labelled as ‘RCD’ at your switchboard. If it wasn’t labelled as RCD or you are not sure, it is best to consult with a registered electrician about this. An RCD will trip when there is an imbalance between the neutrals of the consuming devices (lights, power outlets, etc) and the main neutral (going back to your transformer). An RCD tripping can be caused by something as simple as the neutral coming in contact with the earth, and RCD faults can sometimes be more tricky to find than simple short circuits.
Personally, I find that RCD faults are quite common after rainy weather. If it has been raining recently in your area, and you suspect the tripped breaker is an RCD. It is a good idea to get in touch with an electrician to fault find this.
Conclusion
This post was written to give you some ideas to find out why you have no power in 3 rooms. As always, don’t do potentially dangerous electrical work you’re not experienced or qualified to do. Instead use this information to better understand what the electrician needs to do and hopefully save some money in electrician fees by coming to the solution sooner than you would otherwise.
Next Steps
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