In uk.d-i-y, Philip wrote:
My problem is this - My iron trips the circuit breaker on the power side of
the House fuse board.

Which "circuit breaker" do you mean? Is it a circuit breaker just for
the single circuit with your sockets in it - one of say 6-10 similar-looking
a-bit-like-a-switch things in your consumer unit, marked (at a plausible
guess) "32A"? Or is it a wider breaker with a "test" button on it as well,
whose markings include "30mA" and maybe "80A" or "63A" which cuts power
to a number of circuits? Let us know: the former suggests an overloaded
or faulty single circuit, the latter a problem - or possibly a combination
of little 'problems' - with leakage to earth. Let us know, too, how soon
after plugging in the iron this happens - immediately? after a few
seconds or minutes? What happens if you plug the iron in on a different
circuit, e.g. the upstairs sockets (assuming they are on a separate
circuit)?

Stefek