In this article I'll walk through the electrical problems I see most often in Bali villas — what causes them and what the actual fix is, not just resetting the MCB and hoping for the best.
The most common complaint. The MCB trips, someone resets it, it trips again. There are three main causes:
The wrong fix: replacing the MCB with a higher-rated one. This just means your wiring overheats before it trips — which is how fires start.
Stop using it immediately. A burning outlet means one of: a loose connection arcing, undersized wiring overheating, or a defective outlet. All three are fire risks. The outlet needs to come off the wall, the connection inspected and re-terminated properly, and the wiring checked for heat damage.
You won't notice until something goes wrong. But bad earthing means that if an appliance develops a fault, the fault current has nowhere to go — so it goes through you instead. In Bali, many older villas either have no earthing at all, or have an "earth" wire that's connected to nothing, or has a resistance so high it's useless. We verify earthing with a proper earth resistance meter — not just checking if there's a wire.
Water heaters draw 1,500W–4,500W continuously. Many Bali villas have water heater circuits wired with 1.5mm² cable — which is rated for about 1,200W. Over time the insulation degrades, the connection overheats, and eventually it fails. Water heater circuits need 2.5mm² cable minimum, with a dedicated MCB sized for the heater's rating.
Usually a loose connection at the switch, at the fitting, or at the distribution board. The connection needs to be re-tightened and inspected. Persistent flickering with no loose connection found can indicate a neutral issue in the panel — which needs a technician.
Questions about electrical work in your Bali property? WhatsApp us — free advice, no pressure.