Advice Sought on Power Loss to Sockets

[RoryL]

Hi,

I'm afraid I know little to nothing about electrical things, but basically, I unscrewed a number of plug sockets in my house prior to decorating, and everything was fine. Then the other day after I finished the painting, I turned the main trip-switch off while screwed the sockets back into their boxes and when I turned the main trip switch back on, discovered I now have no power to any sockets in the house.

The light switches in the house are working fine, and the sockets in the garage work as well.

All of the trip switches on the main box are set in the correct positions - 'up' including the one labelled 'sockets' and nothing is tripping when I put the main switch on. But as I say, no power to any socket in the house.

I went back along the four sockets I had reaffixed to see if any wires had been dislodged and they all looked fine. I since rewired them as well incase something was dislodged but no joy.

I don't know if this is relevant but the only other thing to mention is that on the main trip-switch box by the entrance door that I'm talking about, among the row of standard blocks with switches, there is a block that has a lever with a button above it. I thinks its an RCD. The lever sits naturally in the one o'clock position and pulls down to the five o'clock position. When I pull that lever down and hold it there, the power to the sockets comes on. The lever seems to be sprung loaded so if I let go it just springs back to its up - one o'clock position., and the sockets lose power again. The button above it makes the lever go a bit lower, but doesn't change the situation.

Any advice as to the likely cause and remedy of this situation would be much appreciated.

I've attached a photo of my box below ...

Thanks

 

[RoryL]

I'm concerned I might have pulled a wire out of a junction box in the wall while was fiddling about. But without really knowing anything felt like if that was the case, the sockets up to that point should at least work. Or is that not the case on a ring-main system?

But then it surely wouldn't work when i pull the RCD lever.

Grasping at the moment ...

 

[Colin Brenton]

The RCD is tripping; it sounds to me like a neutral-to-earth-fault if the sockets come back 'on' when you are holding the RCD 'on' (don't get in the habit of this, it can be dangerous!).

Probably due to a wire miss-connected to one of the sockets that's been removed?

Switch everything off and check those sockets again, looking for wires caught against the metal boxes, damaged insulation etc caused when the sockets were replaced.

 

[sparkwright]

Send pictures of the wiring at each socket, we may notice something that you may not notice.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Or wires trapped when screwing the sockets back into place..

 

[RoryL]

The RCD is tripping; it sounds to me like a neutral-to-earth-fault if the sockets come back 'on' when you are holding the RCD 'on' (don't get in the habit of this, it can be dangerous!).

Probably due to a wire miss-connected to one of the sockets that's been removed?

Switch everything off and check those sockets again, looking for wires caught against the metal boxes, damaged insulation etc caused when the sockets were replaced.

When you say the RCD is tripping, is it supposed to sit in another position than that 'one o'clock' position? Because it doesn't seem to, regardless of whether the main (double) power tripswitch is on or off.

I really have had a close look at the wring of those sockets, and as I say, even disconnected and reconnected them all. Defintely no touching metal boxes because they're all back off the wall at the moment. No exposed wires.

But all the sockets are off upstairs at the moment, and I'm thinking I might need to have a look at some of the others, even though I hadn't fiddled with them when the fault occured, in case it's coiincidence.

 

[RoryL]

Send pictures of the wiring at each socket, we may notice something that you may not notice.

Will do, I'm not back over there until saturday (as it's a house I'm renovating for rental purposes) but I'll take some snaps and post them up. Thanks

 

[terryplumb]

With the Main switch ( far left ) in the on position ,when you press the test button on the RCD ,does the lever move down ? And if it does ,are your sockets then working ? That would be abnormal. The test button should ,when pressed , flip the RCD to off ,cutting power to all the circuits that it protects ( which on your CU is only some and to the right of the RCD).
As a seperate issue there is a potentially dangerous gap between the circuit breakers ,which should be covered with a blanking plate.

 

[RoryL]

With the Main switch ( far left ) in the on position ,when you press the test button on the RCD ,does the lever move down ? And if it does ,are your sockets then working ? That would be abnormal. The test button should ,when pressed , flip the RCD to off ,cutting power to all the circuits that it protects ( which on your CU is only some and to the right of the RCD).
As a seperate issue there is a potentially dangerous gap between the circuit breakers ,which should be covered with a blanking plate.

The lever on the RCD does move down if I pull it and yes the power to the sockets does come on if I hold the lever down. But you can feel it's sprung and wants to come up.

If I press and hold the button above the lever, the lever seems go down a little further and it releases some of the 'spring pressure' but still goes straight back up if I release it.

I just don't know what position the lever is supposed to be in if all is working well ..

Unfortunately that last line doesn't mean much to me, but it doesn't sound good.

I think maybe I need to get a sparky in, but was hoping to avoid if it was something simple.

I do appreciate the advice

 

[terryplumb]

Turn all the breakers on the right side of the RCD to OFF.
Then see if the RCD will set to the on position ,which according to you is the " down " position.
Do not hold the test button pressed in ,whilst operating the RCD lever manually.
Report back.

 

[flameport]

it's a house I'm renovating for rental purposes

You need an electrician to fully inspect and test the installation, carry out repairs if required, and then replace that non-compliant mess of a consumer unit.

 

[RoryL]

Turn all the breakers on the right side of the RCD to OFF.
Then see if the RCD will set to the on position ,which according to you is the " down " position.
Do not hold the test button pressed in ,whilst operating the RCD lever manually.
Report back.

Ok, i will give that a try when I'm back over there tomorrow. But I would've expected if that RCD lever was going to set in the down position, it would be doing it when the main (double) breaker switch - far left is set in the off position, no.

I'll report back

thanks

 

[RoryL]

You need an electrician to fully inspect and test the installation, carry out repairs if required, and then replace that non-compliant mess of a consumer unit.

lol, ok thanks. I didn't realise there was anything wrong with the unit. Damn.

 

[terryplumb]

Ok, i will give that a try when I'm back over there tomorrow. But I would've expected if that RCD lever was going to set in the down position, it would be doing it when the main (double) breaker switch - far left is set in the off position, no.

I'll report back

thanks

Yes it should ,your quite right

 

[RoryL]

Yes it should ,your quite right

That's what's weird. Maybe that RCD needs replacing. I will double check that is the case (that it doesn't reset with power off), and recheck no wires are touching anything in any of the sockets, including ones i didn't messa bout with that day, but are actually off the wall from some time earlier ... and failing that I will have to get someone in i think.

thanks