- Joined
- 4 Jan 2015
- Messages
- 16
- Reaction score
- 0
- Country
Hi all. I'm new to the forum, but wanting to grab some opinions from the electricans out there.
I recently started hearing a quiet buzzing sound from our old wylex fuse board (with wired fuses) but very intermittently. It only happens if there are 2 high pull devices running in the circuit (such as the dishwasher and washing machine). If only 1 is running, there's no buzz. It doesn't appear to be a particular appliance as it does it whatever the combination of device, although it is quieter or noisier dependant on the appliances in use. The only appliance that does it when it is on on its own is the microwave- but I get a feeling that is on its last legs anyway, so it's a gonner!
So I did what I thought was best and called an electrican. He came out and after checking over the fusebox and telling me that no one has had a proper look at it in years (we've only been here a couple), he reeled off a list that included all the screws being loose in the box (he tightened them up) and that the bonding and earth was insufficient. He then advised we need a new box (which I knew anyway!), but I'd need to get the provider out to sort the meter tails and earthing on the outside of the house. He said that we shouldn't need a rewire, but the box would solve it. Having noticed the wires as we have been changing light switches and sockets over the a last couple of years, the wiring looks like black and red cable with earth. (Though there's no earth on the light circuit apparently...)
I just wanted some more opinions from anyone else out there that may have experienced or seen this issue previously. Until this time there's not been a problem. No fuses have blown, there's no sign of any issues anywhere else (browning on sockets or little shocks, etc). I know we need a new box so we have some RCD protection, but I was just wondering if anything else could be causing the buzz? He's basically said that the new box would get rid of the buzzing (which is still there), but given that we have a baby on the way, I'm not too keen on suddenly having another bombshell of a bill on my hands in the form of a rewire. It seems like a perfect time to have the safer box put in, but will it fix the issue is what I am wondering. Can the fusebox only buzzing indicate an issue there, or could there be a problem somewhere else?
Cheers folks
I recently started hearing a quiet buzzing sound from our old wylex fuse board (with wired fuses) but very intermittently. It only happens if there are 2 high pull devices running in the circuit (such as the dishwasher and washing machine). If only 1 is running, there's no buzz. It doesn't appear to be a particular appliance as it does it whatever the combination of device, although it is quieter or noisier dependant on the appliances in use. The only appliance that does it when it is on on its own is the microwave- but I get a feeling that is on its last legs anyway, so it's a gonner!
So I did what I thought was best and called an electrican. He came out and after checking over the fusebox and telling me that no one has had a proper look at it in years (we've only been here a couple), he reeled off a list that included all the screws being loose in the box (he tightened them up) and that the bonding and earth was insufficient. He then advised we need a new box (which I knew anyway!), but I'd need to get the provider out to sort the meter tails and earthing on the outside of the house. He said that we shouldn't need a rewire, but the box would solve it. Having noticed the wires as we have been changing light switches and sockets over the a last couple of years, the wiring looks like black and red cable with earth. (Though there's no earth on the light circuit apparently...)
I just wanted some more opinions from anyone else out there that may have experienced or seen this issue previously. Until this time there's not been a problem. No fuses have blown, there's no sign of any issues anywhere else (browning on sockets or little shocks, etc). I know we need a new box so we have some RCD protection, but I was just wondering if anything else could be causing the buzz? He's basically said that the new box would get rid of the buzzing (which is still there), but given that we have a baby on the way, I'm not too keen on suddenly having another bombshell of a bill on my hands in the form of a rewire. It seems like a perfect time to have the safer box put in, but will it fix the issue is what I am wondering. Can the fusebox only buzzing indicate an issue there, or could there be a problem somewhere else?
Cheers folks
