Oven trips the household breaker or RCD immediately or shortly after starting a heating cycle

Safety: Turn off the breaker and confirm no power is present. Do not repeatedly reset an RCD that trips; find and fix the fault first.

• Visual inspection: Remove the rear panel and inspect the bake and grill element terminals for signs of arcing, burning, or melted insulation.
• Check elements for earth leakage: Disconnect both terminals of each element. Using a multimeter on the highest resistance range, measure between each element terminal and the oven chassis. Any low resistance (or continuity) indicates a short to earth and the element must be replaced.
• Inspect wiring loom: Follow the heater wiring from the elements to the control board. Look for pinched, cut, or heat-damaged insulation contacting metal.
• Dry out moisture: If the oven has recently been steam-cleaned or flooded, allow it to dry thoroughly for 24–48 hours with the door open before retesting.
• Replace faulty element: Fit a genuine Hotpoint bake or grill element as required, ensuring all connections are tight and insulated sleeves are in place.