30amp socket ring blowing intermittently SORRY FOR LONG POST

[useless21]

ARGHHHHHHHH! This is driving me mad. Any words of wisdom would help as I have tried practically everything to work this out. I am staying at my dad's flat whilst he is away for six months and since we moved in the socket ring fuse keeps blowing. This does not happen when a particular deivice is plugged in but seems to happen randomly, we can go a wekk without it happening and then it just goes.

My dad reckons this has never happened since he has had the flat (two years) and it must be something I am plugging in. The fuse box is an old style metal box with the pull out fuses rather than trip switches. The cooker has it's own circuit and there are all but one of the sockets in the kitchen on a different circuit (They do not blow when the socket ring blows) The only sockets on this ring are in the bedrooms and one double socket in the kitchen.

I can change the fuse and everything seems OK but then sometime later (could be a day, a few days, a week) a hear a pop in the wall and the fuse goes again at the box. I have changed the kettle, the iron and am not using any electric heaters, I just do not get it at all.

Could it be water? If so why would the fuse still work after I had changed it? Could it be a fault in the building? I have not had any work done at all but there have been solar panels fitted to the roof of the flats to power the communal areas. Could it be someone siphoning electricity from us? I know all these things sound a bit far fetched but I just cannot work out what the problem is!! Could the oven be faulty and that is affecting the socket ring even though it is not on the same circuit?

Any advice/thoughts would be gratefully received. Honestly it is doing my head in.

Many thanks

Paul

 

[DetlefSchmitz]

hear a pop in the wall

Have you fixed anything to the wall since you moved in?

 

[useless21]

maybe a couple of pictures and a mirror but nothing else

 

[Chri5]

maybe a couple of pictures and a mirror but nothing else

Did the problem start after any of the work was done (as in might you have put a nail through a cable?).

 

[useless21]

Do you know what, I am at work and can't really remember. I am going to go home this aftrenoon and check exactly what has been put up and where. I will deffo get back to you on that, many thanks for the thoughts at least I have a new avenue of enquiry!!

Please let it be that!!

Will post tomorrow.

Paul

 

[timtheenchanter]

please be VERY careful, IF you have put a nail through a cable, remember the nail could be live, and you seem to have not RCD protection.

 

[useless21]

Just a thought though, if I had nailed or screwed through a cable, would I not have got a shock at the time?

 

[ricicle]

Not necessarily the fault could have developed from a very minute contact causing no issues to a fault that clears itself every time the fuse operates.
I had exactly the same issue at work a couple of weeks ago where someone had put a drawing pin into a plastered wall. The pin pierced the thin skim layer, the plastic capping and the cable between the L and E.
The pin had a plastic type head so there was no shock involved. The tripping was infrequent to begin with and then got more frequent as the fault burnt itself more and more. The protective device was an RCBO so it might have been the RCD element operating at first and then the MCB part as the fault got worse.
As said above watch that the nail/pin is not live so turn off all power before investigating.

 

[DetlefSchmitz]

You're welcome...

 

[useless21]

I see, I have just checked three of the rooms including kitchen. Just one bedroom to check and that is the lodger's and he is not back until Thursday unfortunately. We have not put any additional nails in the rooms I have checked (had to double check but all the same nails/screws as before thought the wife may have put some picture hooks up but she reckons not). Will check the lodger's and post back. I can't believe it could even be a tack or drawing pin! That would be mad.
Still frustrated but the fuse hasn't blown since I put the new one in yesterday but until I find what is causing it I won't be happy! Thanks for your posts, they really are appreciated.
Paul

 

[riveralt]

Just to clarify, are you talking about fuse wire here, or fuses in the main board?
If it is fuse wire, I assume you are using the correct size fuse and that you are properly terminating the fuse wire in the fuse itself.
The wrong size fuse wire or a poor terminated fuse wire could cause the problems you are experiencing.

 

[useless21]

fuses in the main board. It is a 30amp cylindrical thing that clicks into a two pin unit going into the board itself.

 

[useless21]

Hmmmmmmmmmm, just from bad to worse really. MY lodger was at home yesterday and he called to say the fuse had blown again and he replaced it. The new one then blew only around a minute later and there was a pop in the wall (not in his room but in my bedroom).

There is one socket on that wall and I have tested this by plugging a device in whilst the fuse was working (two days ago) and the socket worked and the fuse did not blow. I am totally at a loss as to why this is happening. I have not put anything new on that wall although my daughter did put a few marks on the wall with a pin hammer shortly after we moved in! (Not deep or anything like that). The socket on this wall is not usually used as it is behind a chest of drawers and the wall is not damp (and the sockets works!!).

Could a fault on another socket be causing it to pop in my room? I just haven't got a clue what is causing this and I have decided not to replace the fuse until I get some advice really.

Any thoughts gratefully received.

Paul

 

[JohnD]

start to ask around friends and neighbours for a recommended local electrician.

You have already examined all sockets, plugs and flexes for damage, you have searched for evidence of a water leak, you have tried unplugging all appliances to try to identify the faulty one, you have verified that no appliance (such as a cooker, shower or immersion heater) that should not be connected to a socket circuit stops working when the fuse blows or is removed, and you have not been able to find the fault yourself.

 

[useless21]

Yes, I think you may be right! Would the fault necesarily be in the room where the popping is heard though? Just as a matter of interest really.

Cheers

P