The correct method is to confirm your test device works before testing your suspect item.
MCB Failure or something else ?
- Thread starter bracknelldiy
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Wow. Ok, so now here is the really really weird thing. Having decided to put this to one side until the morning, a few hours later I've gone back upstairs and everything that was plugged in has sprung back to life. And I mean like I'm not making this s**t up or imagining it. Things plugged in that had no 'charging' lights on, now have lights on. Things that wouldn't charge, when plugged in now charge.
Apart from it being halloween, any ideas ? I think we can rule out the RCD breaker off of the CU. Dust in the MCB which has been dislodged ? The fairies ? I've switched to a parallel universe ?
Doesn't of course solve the problem of: a) why and will it happen again b) wouldn't it be nice for that ring to be on a breaker.
Weird.
Apart from it being halloween, any ideas ? I think we can rule out the RCD breaker off of the CU. Dust in the MCB which has been dislodged ? The fairies ? I've switched to a parallel universe ?
Doesn't of course solve the problem of: a) why and will it happen again b) wouldn't it be nice for that ring to be on a breaker.
Weird.
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Loose connection somewhere on the circuit . Very possibly at the MCB,or neutral connection.
So thinking about it yesterday evening, I came to the conclusion that most likely the MCB was a red herring / just co-incidental and it was most likely a loose connection issue e.g. at one of the sockets. [which @terryplumb clearly also concluded]. During the night, the sockets became live again - I had deliberately left a USB device charger with lights on it. Then some short time after I got up it went dead and then live again. Which made me more sure.
I'm pretty confident I've found the issue: loose live connection at one of the sockets. It didn't seem that at first as I tried gently levering the wires (with an insulated tester) to see if I could induce a break. I couldn't. But once I switched off the circuit to tighten things up, I found one which was not tight.
Fingers crossed I have it sorted. If it goes again, then I will look at taking the front of the CU off and testing while it is out, but it no longer seems like a likely candidate.
I have taken note that it should be put on RCD or RCBO. There are however six slots taken (32 and 16A) on the right hand RCD side, 4 on the non RCD side, and what I assume is two blanked ? I'm thinking that means that it would be a 6:6 split and there is no spare RCD slot and why it was not done that way in the first place? Someone has also said that doesn't think this would take an RCBO. So I'm going to have to see what the electrician says I guess.
I'm pretty confident I've found the issue: loose live connection at one of the sockets. It didn't seem that at first as I tried gently levering the wires (with an insulated tester) to see if I could induce a break. I couldn't. But once I switched off the circuit to tighten things up, I found one which was not tight.
Fingers crossed I have it sorted. If it goes again, then I will look at taking the front of the CU off and testing while it is out, but it no longer seems like a likely candidate.
I have taken note that it should be put on RCD or RCBO. There are however six slots taken (32 and 16A) on the right hand RCD side, 4 on the non RCD side, and what I assume is two blanked ? I'm thinking that means that it would be a 6:6 split and there is no spare RCD slot and why it was not done that way in the first place? Someone has also said that doesn't think this would take an RCBO. So I'm going to have to see what the electrician says I guess.
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Realistically it's either leave it as is, or replace the whole lot.
rumour has it Alto were rebranded wylex products.
Providing the wiring has been done sensibility this will suffice: https://www.wentvaleelectricalltd.c...-single-pole-class-ac-rcbo-unused-20922-p.asp
Providing the wiring has been done sensibility this will suffice: https://www.wentvaleelectricalltd.c...-single-pole-class-ac-rcbo-unused-20922-p.asp
Well I was going to say it's not difficult to swap the position of a 32A circuit and the 16A radial... But sorry I didn't see its a type C.Best not put a C32 on a 2.5mm radial, though, eh @SUNRAY
There is actually one slot that is labelled "Immersion Heater" on the RHS (5th slot out). There is no longer any immersion heater fitted, and indeed wasn't when we moved in several moons ago. So as a short term, I guess it could be feasible to move the circuit feed over to that B16 (and indeed I ought to probably put that MCB into off anyway, for completeness).
Well there it goes
Realistically All of those on the left would ideally be RCD protected too, and the same site has a 40A type ac: https://www.wentvaleelectricalltd.c...ac-double-pole-rcd-un-used-in-box-11731-p.asp.
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Yes you could do that. BUT BUT you cannot just move the live conductor across. You will also have to move the neutral conductor. In a split CU, there are two Neutral busbars. If you dont do this then the RCD on the right will trip as soon as you plug something in!.
Another job for your electrician, maybe?
I would suggest you get the whole thing replaced with a RCBO board with SPD
I definitely would not intend to muck around with that myself. I was more musing that it was something I could get an electrician to do without having to change the whole CU - although I do see merit in that, and its less a cost thing and more a time thing at the moment
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