Power trips · Guide

Power Trip at Home: What to Do First

Hand resetting a tripped circuit breaker

Quick version: switch off appliances on the affected circuit, reset the tripped breaker once, then plug things back one at a time to find the culprit. If it trips straight back with everything off, or you smell burning, stop and call a licensed electrician. In an HDB flat, check the corridor breaker too.

1. Switch off appliances first

Before touching the DB box, switch off and unplug what you can on the dead circuit, especially high-load appliances like kettles, air fryers, heaters and irons that commonly overload a circuit at dinner time. This makes the reset safe and helps you find the cause.

2. Reset the breaker once

Open your DB box and find the tripped switch, it usually sits midway between ON and OFF. Push it fully OFF, then back ON, once. If it holds, reconnect appliances one at a time; the one that trips it again is your culprit. If it will not hold with everything unplugged, do not keep trying.

3. Check the corridor breaker (HDB)

Most HDB units have a second breaker at the common corridor near the front door. If your flat is dark but the DB box breakers look normal, check there. If both the corridor breaker and your DB box have tripped, the fault is likely in your internal wiring, a job for an electrician, not another reset.

4. SP Services or an electrician?

Whole block dark, or no power but nothing tripped? That is the supply side, call SP Services on 1800 778 8888. Breakers tripped inside your own DB box? That is an internal fault for a licensed emergency electrician, and specifically our power trip repair service. Burning smell or sparks? Switch off the main and call SCDF on 995.

When to stop and call for help

The rule of thumb is one reset. A breaker that trips again immediately, a trip that follows one appliance, or any burning smell is telling you there is a live fault. Understanding which breaker tripped helps, our RCCB, ELCB and MCB guide explains what each one is protecting you from.

Breaker will not stay on?

Get emergency help

Power trip questions

What should I do during a power trip in Singapore?

Stay calm and work in order: switch off appliances on the affected circuit, open your DB box, reset the tripped breaker once, then reconnect appliances one at a time to find the culprit. If the breaker trips straight back with everything off, stop resetting and call a licensed electrician, the fault is in the wiring or a device.

Should I worry if a breaker trips once?

A single trip that resets and holds is not a worry, it is your protection doing its job, usually after a momentary overload or a one-off appliance glitch. It becomes a concern when it trips repeatedly, trips the moment one appliance runs, or comes with a burning smell. Those need diagnosis, not another reset.

What do I do if my power keeps tripping?

Stop resetting. Repeatedly flipping a breaker back on an undiagnosed fault stresses the wiring and can turn a small fault into a fire risk. Leave it off, note what was running when it tripped, and call a licensed electrician. Repeated tripping means a live fault that needs finding, not overriding.

Why did my power trip when it rained?

Water ingress. A damp ceiling, leaking aircon trunking or a weathered outdoor point can let moisture reach a live part, and the RCCB trips exactly as designed to protect you. The fix is finding and sealing the entry point, which is rarely where the symptom shows, a job for diagnosis rather than just a reset.

Where is the second breaker in an HDB flat?

Most HDB units have an emergency breaker at the common corridor, in a small panel or riser near the front door, separate from your in-flat DB box. If your flat is dark but the DB box looks normal, check there. If both have tripped, an internal wiring fault is likely.

When should I call SP Services instead of an electrician?

Call SP Services on 1800 778 8888 when the fault is on the supply side, the whole block or several flats are dark, or you have no power but nothing in your DB box has tripped. Call a licensed electrician when your own breakers have tripped, because that means the fault is inside your unit.