All lights out, all sockets still working

[Jeff543]

I put the upstairs light on and it went out, i thought it was the light bulb but no lights in the house are coming on. I have never checked fuses on the box which is less than 2 years old I reckon. I take it it's some sort of surge that has blown the fuse, are these modern fuse-boxes straightforward if i change the fuse?

 

[JohnD]

They aren't fuses, they're MCBs (miniature circuit breakers)

Turn on the green one marked "lights" by moving it upwards.

I expect you will find you have a blown lightbulb

Is it a spotlight, downlight, halogen or old fashioned filament bulb?

Modern LEDs or even CFLs don't often trip the MCB.

 

[Jeff543]

They aren't fuses, they're MCBs (miniature circuit breakers)

Turn on the green one marked "lights" by moving it upwards.

I expect you will find you have a blown lightbulb

Is it a spotlight, downlight, halogen or old fashioned filament bulb?

Modern LEDs or even CFLs don't often trip the MCB.

The big old type of light bulb. Every light in every room had stopped working. I flipped up the 'lights' MCB , lights are back on, cheers.

 

[JohnD]

Have you turned on the MCB?

 

[Jeff543]

Have you turned on the MCB?

The big old type of light bulb. Every light in every room had stopped working. I flipped up the 'lights' MCB , lights are back on, cheers.

 

[JohnD]

Good

Get LEDs as replacements. They will last for years and use one-tenth the electricity.

The old lampholders are pretty sure to be B22 base

Examples of prices

Wickes.co.uk

Search results for Light bulbs on Wickes.co.uk

www.wickes.co.uk

Your supermarket will have a small selection.

Changs a few at a time because I find they tend to be brighter than you were expecting.

 

[Jeff543]

Good

Get LEDs as replacements. They will last for years and use one-tenth the electricity.

The old lampholders are pretty sure to be B22 base

Examples of prices

Wickes.co.uk

Search results for Light bulbs on Wickes.co.uk

www.wickes.co.uk

Your supermarket will have a small selection.

Changs a few at a time because I find they tend to be brighter than you were expecting.

Thanks. This is the first time this has happened i.e. over the years if a light -bulb blew it never took all the other lights out with it. This fuse-box is pretty new as i say.

 

[JohnD]

Thanks. This is the first time this has happened i.e. over the years if a light -bulb blew it never took all the other lights out with it. This fuse-box is pretty new as i say.

Luck. Filament lamps, especially spotlights, it is not unusual.

Modern MCBs are more sensitive to momentary surges, than old fuses.

 

[Eccles]

As the man said, there are no fuses in modern consumer units, just switchable miniature circuit breakers which automatically switch off if there is a fault of some kind on that particular circuit. Wonders of modern science eh?

 

[winston1]

.

 

[FrodoOne]

Thanks. This is the first time this has happened i.e. over the years if a light -bulb blew it never took all the other lights out with it.

And, it did not "Take the other, lights out with it" this time - in that they were not damaged but the circuit was "disconnected".

What happened was the filament in the lamp concerned "disintegrated" - due to "old age"!
A short piece if this filament then "fell" between the "feeder" wires from the base.
The current then exceeded the rating of the MCB, which operated - to protect the wiring of the house.

In the above process, this "short piece of filament" further "disintegrated", removing the fault and allowing the MCB to "hold", when you restored it.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

A short piece if this filament then "fell" between the "feeder" wires from the base.
The current then exceeded the rating of the MCB, which operated - to protect the wiring of the house.

I think you will find that what happens is that an arc strikes up inside the lamp, rather than a short bit of the filament falling across the support wires. Some such lamps used to include a fuse, to prevent the main supply tripping.

 

[bernardgreen]

I am with Harry on this, the arc created as the filament snaps initiates a plasma in the lamp with a near zero impedance.

 

[Jeff543]

And, it did not "Take the other, lights out with it" this time - in that they were not damaged but the circuit was "disconnected".

What happened was the filament in the lamp concerned "disintegrated" - due to "old age"!
A short piece if this filament then "fell" between the "feeder" wires from the base.
The current then exceeded the rating of the MCB, which operated - to protect the wiring of the house.

In the above process, this "short piece of filament" further "disintegrated", removing the fault and allowing the MCB to "hold", when you restored it.

It wasn't a lamp appliance, it was a light bulb or does 'lamp' have a double meaning?

 

[JohnD]

Electricians gain much pleasure from calling lightbulbs "lamps" and lamps "luminaires."

Or in some cases "lanterns"

They also like saying that "bulbs" are planted in the garden.

It's just a harmless foible.