All sockets went off this morning

Just getting breakfast and all sockets (not lights) went off. Took a look at the consumer unit in garage and all individual switches in the 'on' position. The large black one in the centre had tripped. Reset that and all seems to be OK and then resumed breakfast. Each appliance (toaster, kettle and coffee maker) seem to be working.

Am I likely to find that one of these appliances (or another appliance elsewhere) was the culprit. FYI - house is only 20 years old and electrics modern.

Many thanks

Could easily be burnt crumbs in the toaster. Worth cleaning that out in any case.

It's more often water related. If it had been raining, look for traces in external sockets, garden fountains, shed supply, Christmas decs

Look for signs of splash or leakage round kettle, fishtank, boiler and pump, leak from sink or bath running down wall.

Sometimes it can be age deterioration of a heating element in oven, grill, dishwasher, kettle

Might be a worn flex, commonly on an electric iron where it is constantly bending by the handle.

To isolate a suspect appliance, you need to unplug it, not just switch off. Fixed appliances like boilers probably have a DP isolator on the wall.

Often you never pin down the culprit. There is lways a small amount of residual current, and all it takes is a little more for the RCD to trip. But then (if it's just a bit of damp) the cause disappears and it might not happen again for ages.
As mentioned, heating elements are a ommon one but they dry out once they're working. Spiders and damp in outside devices are another matter.

Many thanks for replies. Will clean out toaster. Not sure about water as everything seems very dry and no rain about. Boiler is in the garage next to consumer unit but that is working as expected. We did have to have a new Froststat a few weeks ago (in garage, next to boiler) - but that was a few weeks ago. Toaster seems favourite.

DetlefSchmitz said:

Could easily be burnt crumbs in the toaster. Worth cleaning that out in any case.

Click to expand...

I do the Electric supply to the tents for a clubs 2 week camp every year, we have 4 sockets with a common RCD on a pillar available and this usually ends up in something like a dozen locations. One year we had tripping problems which started when one tent used a kettle so he was stopped. Over the course of a week the tripping got worse with no appaerent pattern.
We started unplugging everything not being used, especially in the kitchen tent: Kettle, toaster, μwave & light on a 4 way socket had a 2p RCD added to be used as an isolator, fridge & freezer were left running. It took ages to find but that was breadbrumbs in the toaster between N&E and the trip occurred when the neutral voltage was raised by a higher load anywhere in the field.