I've a 3 way light switch in my kitchen - whilst trying to find out why one side of the underlighting around the kitchen units wasn;t working I tripped the central fuse box. The centre switch in the light switches now is down (on) permanently and wont go to the off position. Is there something in the switch I need to now do as a result of this?

Nick Smithson, November 2009

There could be a fault on the circuit which has caused the switch to weld itself shut, which will obviously need rectifying before looking at the switch, or it could just happen again.
You sound reluctant to replace the switch - You may be able to carefully pull the switch apart, seperate the contacts, clean them, bend them back into shape and glue the switch back together, but it's not something I've ever considered doing myself.

Adam, November 2009

So it does need a total new unit? Do you know why it's stopped working completely?

Nick, November 2009

Replace the switch with a new 3 gang unit...you'll find the connections all marked so carefully look to see where they all go to avoid an electrical nightmare, and mark the wires too if you need to. A new switch will fit into the existing box on the wall.

John, November 2009