Your earth leakage keeps tripping because somewhere in your home's wiring, current is leaking to ground — and the device is doing exactly what it's designed to do: cutting power before that leak can kill someone. The problem isn't the earth leakage unit itself. The problem is whatever fault is causing it to trip, and in South African homes, the usual suspects are geyser elements, moisture ingress, and degraded wiring.
We fix earth leakage faults across Cape Town and the Western Cape every week. Below, we'll walk you through the most common causes, how to narrow down the fault yourself, and when it's time to call a fault finding service.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Why does earth leakage trip? | Current is leaking to ground somewhere in your circuit — the unit detects an imbalance above 30mA and cuts power. |
| Most common cause in SA? | Faulty geyser elements — corrosion causes current to leak through water to the geyser casing. |
| Can I reset it myself? | Yes, but if it trips again within minutes, stop resetting and call an electrician. |
| Is it dangerous to keep resetting? | Yes — repeated resetting bypasses the protection designed to prevent electrocution. |
| What does SANS 10142 require? | All circuits in South African homes must be protected by an earth leakage unit rated at 30mA or less. |
How Earth Leakage Protection Works
The earth leakage unit in your DB board constantly monitors the current flowing out on the live wire versus the current returning on the neutral wire. In a healthy circuit, those two values are equal. When current leaks to ground — through a person, through water, through damaged insulation — the returning current drops. Once that difference exceeds 30mA (the standard threshold in South Africa per SANS 10142), the unit trips in milliseconds.
The 5 Most Common Causes in South African Homes
1. Faulty Geyser Element
This is the number one cause we encounter. Geyser elements corrode over time, especially in areas with hard water. Once the element's insulation breaks down, current leaks through the water to the geyser casing and then to earth. The earth leakage trips — often early in the morning when the geyser heats up on timer.
A simple insulation resistance test on the geyser circuit confirms this in minutes. Element replacement typically solves it.
2. Moisture Ingress
This is particularly common in the Western Cape's coastal areas — Salt River, Mouille Point, Sea Point, Kommetjie. Salt-laden moisture creeps into outdoor light fittings, pool pump junction boxes, and garden irrigation controllers. After winter storms, we see a spike in earth leakage call-outs directly linked to water getting where it shouldn't be.
3. Degraded Wiring Insulation
Homes built before the 1990s often have wiring with insulation that has become brittle and cracked. Rodents chewing through cables in roof spaces is another common cause. The exposed conductor touches a metal conduit or damp plaster, and your earth leakage does its job.
4. Faulty Appliances
A washing machine, dishwasher, or oven with internal insulation breakdown will trip the earth leakage as soon as it's switched on. The clue here is timing — if your earth leakage only trips when you use a specific appliance, that appliance needs testing.
5. Pool Pump and Borehole Pump Faults
Pool pumps operate in wet environments and their motor windings degrade over time. Borehole pumps sit submerged in water — when their cable insulation fails, current leaks directly to ground. Both are common culprits, especially in properties across the Cape Winelands and Northern Suburbs.
How to Narrow Down the Fault Yourself
The Circuit Isolation Method
- Open your DB board and switch all circuit breakers off.
- Reset the earth leakage unit.
- Switch circuit breakers on one at a time, waiting 10–15 seconds between each.
- When the earth leakage trips, the last breaker you switched on is the faulty circuit.
- Leave that breaker off and switch everything else back on — you'll have power while waiting for the electrician.
When to Call an Electrician
Call a registered electrician if:
- The earth leakage trips again within minutes of resetting, regardless of which circuits are on.
- You smell burning or see scorch marks near outlets or the DB board.
- The tripping started after recent rain or flooding.
- You can't isolate the fault to a single circuit using the method above.
- The earth leakage trips intermittently with no obvious pattern — these faults are the hardest to find and usually require insulation resistance testing with a megger.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my earth leakage trip at night?
Night-time tripping usually points to the geyser. Most geysers are on a timer set to heat overnight. A failing element leaks current once it heats up, tripping the earth leakage. Switch off the geyser breaker — if the tripping stops, you've found your culprit.
Can I add a second earth leakage unit to stop nuisance tripping?
You can split your DB board into multiple earth leakage-protected groups. This way, a fault on one circuit only kills power to that group, not the whole house. It's a worthwhile upgrade, especially for larger homes. We do this routinely during DB board upgrades.
Is earth leakage tripping covered by home insurance?
The tripping itself isn't covered, but damage caused by the underlying fault (such as a fire from degraded wiring) may be. More importantly, if your electrical installation doesn't have a valid Certificate of Compliance and something goes wrong, your insurer may reject the claim entirely.
How much does it cost to diagnose an earth leakage fault?
A standard call-out and diagnosis in the Cape Town area typically takes 30–60 minutes. The repair cost depends on what's causing the fault — a geyser element replacement is straightforward, while tracking down a wiring fault in a roof space takes longer. We provide upfront pricing before starting any repair work.
Earth Leakage Keeps Tripping?
Abacas Solution diagnoses and fixes earth leakage faults across the Western Cape. Registered electricians, same-day service.
Book a Diagnosis Call 067 071 9472
