Power Cut Help in Cardiff

This guide is designed to help if you’ve lost all power—meaning nothing using mains power works in your house. You’ve already tried all known-working items, like lights, sockets, the cooker, and the shower. If you’ve lost power in some circuits—such as your sockets working but not your lights—then we have an RCD tripping article that may help with that slightly different situation. Hopefully, this guide will help you get your power back on. But if it doesn’t, you’ll know what to do next. Let’s get started.

Your fuse box contains a main switch and circuit protection for your home. Under normal circumstances, the main switch and all circuit breakers should be in the “on” position. The power is fed to the main switch from the electricity meter.

If the main switch is also an RCD (it will have a small test button if it is), it can switch itself off in the event of an electrical fault. If it has switched off and you’re not aware of any problems—such as recent work in your house where a cable might have been damaged—then try to switch it back on, but do not try to hold it in position. If it trips immediately, you can follow this guide.

If the main switch in your fuse box is just a switch (not an RCD), then it has no means of switching itself off. It can only be turned on or off manually. So, if your main switch is in the “on” position, and all your circuit protection is also on but you still have no power, move on to step 2.

In newer houses, the electric meter is usually installed on the outside wall inside a white cabinet. In older properties, it’s often inside the house, typically near the fuse board.

Once you find it, there might be clues if there has been a power cut to your home. Smart meters have a screen that normally displays information. Later, non-smart meters typically have a status light, which will be green or flash red quickly when they are powered. If there’s been a power cut in your area, the meter will be off. If you have an older meter, are unsure if it’s active, or can’t find your electricity meter, go to step 3.

If there are no signs of life at your electric meter, you can check the National Grid status for your home. If there are known issues in your area, keep an eye on the status for an estimated time of resolution, and make sure nothing is switched on that might cause a problem if it suddenly starts working when you’re not there. Sometimes, people switch cookers, showers, etc. on when troubleshooting a power cut and forget to switch them off. When power is restored, you don’t want these same things coming on suddenly! If there are no known issues, proceed to step 4.

Sometimes National Grid may offer to send someone out to check things for you. If they do, their staff will check to see if there is mains power at the meter. If there is, they will inform you that an electrician is needed, as their job is only to ensure the supply to the property is functioning. If there’s no mains power to the meter or if the meter itself is faulty, they will investigate or liaise with your energy supplier.

What to Do During a Power Cut and When to Call an Electrician

When we arrive, we will remove the cover of your fuse box to check for power at the main switch. We will verify that the polarity is correct and ensure that the earth fault reading is within the safe range. If it’s not, then we would contact the Grid on your behalf. If everything checks out OK at the switch and you are still without power, then what happens next will depend on your specific setup and the issues we find.

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