Troy from Florance Electrical here! 

Now today, we were called out to a property that has a tripped power circuit.

We have posted a handy guide on how to fault find and repair a tripping power circuit in a previous video which covers in-depth the fault finding guide to repairing the tripping circuit. In this guide, the issue was a toaster that was plugged into the kitchen power point but keep in mind that anything can be causing these faults and a process of elimination must be followed in order to narrow down the cause of the electrical fault. 

This handy and in depth electrical faulty finding guide can be found here: Repair a tripping safety switch.

We have also made a video guide here: Fix a tripping pool pump.

To show that the cause of a circuit to trip can be anything, we wanted to share this video that has a faulty pool pump that is plugged into an outdoor power point that was the cause of our client’s power circuit tripping issues. 

When following the blog text guide or video guides above it is important not to accidentally eliminate or forget about items throughout the property that are plugged into power points that are not always used and maybe forgotten.

Appliances such as: Dishwashers, pool equipment, range hoods, NBN boxes, irrigation boxes, gas appliance ignitors, washing machines and the list goes on. 

The two guides linked above explain in detail the manner that we would go through in a property to eliminate appliances before further testing for fixed cabling or circuit device faults. Often when attending properties faults are caused by appliances that are faulting in a dangerous manner that is causing the safety switch to trip and not be able to be reset as the device is operating correctly and disconnecting or tripping the circuit when a fault is detected. 

By following these guides you will be either to restore the power without the need for an electrician, or narrow down the fault saving your electrician time and therefore the costs of the job. Further to these guides, this video is a timely reminder to not forget appliances or power points that are not often used and maybe forgotten. 

In the Northern Territory and Darwin particularly, we often live in monsoonal rainy conditions. And, we all know that water and electricity do not mix due to the high conductivity of water. Following our guides and further conducting a visual inspection of your property before calling electrician will save you money. You may be able to find the faulty appliance such as Troy has found today – the pool pump and then call an electrician to repair the appliance and further test the circuit to ensure no further faults are present. This will save your electrician’s time and your hip pocket. 

Please keep in mind that we do not condone or advise any person who is not qualified to work on electrical circuits to ever try and repair an appliance once it has been identified as the cause of a tripping safety switch. Please call an electrician to verify and repair what has been identified through the process of elimination or visual inspection. 

Having a look inside the pool pump at this property which is faulty. The terminal block (cable connection) and capacitor can clearly be seen inside. With our tools and trade knowledge, we have tested the capacitor inside the pool pump and verified that the capacitor is not faulty which is generally the cause of pump failure. Completing a visual inspection it has become apparent to our electrician Troy that there has been moisture present underneath the electrical connection cover which has resulted in rust, water marks and calcium to be present inside the pool pump. 

Upon noting this and verifying that the capacitor for the pump tested ok, Troy has then completed further testing of the pump motor windings. The results of this testing has indicated that the windings have failed and are shorted together resulting in the circuit tripping. The motor windings of this pool pump are shorted to earth. Safety switches are designed to detect earth leakage (resistance from the active or neutral conductor to the earth conductor). As these windings have continuity (a circuit or connection) between the earthing conductor, the safety switch has operated and functioned well and disconnected the power supply before a dangerous situation has occurred. 

Now! Keep in mind, if your pool pump is identified as the cause of your power circuit safety switch tripping it does not necessarily mean that you need to purchase a new pool pump. Our skilled team are able to repair the majority of pool pumps and will always advise on the most economical option (whether repair or replacement of the pump is best). In most circumstances, we are able to repair pumps saving you further costs as this is generally more economical than replacement of the pump. 

Need help? Speak with our friendly team today!