Failed isolator

What this usually means

This covers fan isolators, appliance isolators, fused spurs and similar local control points that seem dead, intermittent, loose or unreliable. Sometimes the appliance has failed, but just as often the local isolator, fuse or connection is the real issue, so it is worth checking the right point first.

Typical solutions

• Check the supply, any local fuse arrangement and the isolator itself before assuming the connected fan or appliance has failed.
• Replace the faulty isolator or fused spur where the local wiring arrangement is otherwise sound.
• Test the point after repair and explain whether the problem was the accessory, the connected item or a wider fault.

Basic information

• These points are common around extractor fans, boilers, cooker hoods and other fixed appliances, and a failed one can look like an appliance fault.
• If the plate is hot, cracked, buzzing, loose, scorched or smells burnt, stop using it until it has been checked.

What can change the scope

• Access to the fan, appliance cupboard, ceiling void or local fused spur arrangement can change the scope.
• If the symptom started after another change nearby, or comes with tripping, the job may need fault-finding rather than a straight accessory swap.