If you find that some of your power points or electronic equipment has stopped working, you should check any power boards that are in use.

They are commonly used behind TVs and computers, when there aren’t enough fixed power points available.

Power boards can cause a number of problems and in the worst cases can be a fire or electric shock hazard.

Simple problems like a plug top that is not plugged in correctly are easy to find and fix, however if the plug has fallen out because it is loose in the power board socket it’s time to replace the power board.

A loose connection can get hot enough to melt the plug top and maybe start a fire.

Some power boards have a safety cut out that will trip if the board is overloaded so check to see if your power board has some kind of reset button that can be pushed to restore power.

If the safety cut out has tripped you probably have too many appliances plugged into the power board and will need to find somewhere else to plug in one or two of those appliances.

If the cut out button won’t reset, even after you have unplugged all the appliances, then you will need to replace the power board.

The best solution to a lack of power points is to install more hard wired power points, or replace an existing double power point with a new 4-gang power point.  For more info on this topic see our blog post “The Cheapest Way To Install More Power Points.”

If you do have to use a power board here are a few things to keep in mind:

Make sure all plugs fit firmly into the sockets.
Keep the cords tidy, not in a tangled mess.
Locate the power board in a place where it cannot be disturbed.
Check the power board regularly for signs of damage, especially heat damage.
Never use double adapters in a power board and don’t plug one power board into another.

So, any time you experience a power problem, remember to check all power boards you are using and you might just save yourself the cost of having an electrician attend just to push a rest button or tell you to buy you a new power board.