30amp socket ring blowing intermittently SORRY FOR LONG POST

[securespark]

Most probably, if the popping sound is heard when the fuse blows and the pop does not come from the fusebox.

You need to take care, though.

I know a customer who kept replacing fuses when they blew and eventually, the wiring caught fire, starting a fire in the loft space.

Look for obvious signs of damage where there's pictures over sockets - sometimes you see soot on the wall. If not, take off the sockets in that room and look for signs of short circuit - they should be obvious. Make sure you safely isolate first.

 

[Hercules1946]

Hello
Years ago I had a problem with a ring fuse blowing that turned out to be water under the floor. I established it wasn't an appliance problem by making sure that everything was unplugged from the ring main. If the fuse still blows then power must be draining to earth somewhere in the circuit.
I determined where by disconnecting the neutral and live cable at the first plug socket (so that it wasn't connected to the next socket). Then, test the two cables on each side for resistance with a multimeter set to 2meg Ohms. You will get a low reading on one side if the circuit is grounding. If (say) this is on the left side, you then need to move along that wire to the next socket and repeat the test until you get a poor reading on the right side, and you have then established that the fault is on the pair of wires running between the socket your at, and the one you tested before it.
I know its obvious, but make sure you have disconnected the power at the fusebox before you start.

HTH

 

[useless21]

Thanks for the advice. I do have a bit of news, I accept that I need to call an electrician and I have but unfortunately he cannot fit me in until after the weekend (something about a Jubilee!!).

Anyway, he has quoted me £300 for a new certified fuse box with trip switches and around £80 to solve the fault (he hasn't been to the flat yet so not sure how he knows how much to fix it but I thought it was pretty reasonable?).

In the mean time, I got one of those cheap jack socket testers........yes I know, I know, leave it to the professionals........ but curiosity got the better of me and the last socket I tested seemed to find a fault. This socket is not in the bedroom which pops when the fuse blows but is in a small room with trunked wiring which has had the modem plugged into it. The socket itself is not flush to the wall (it is a plastic box screwed to the wall if you see what I mean) and I think I may have knocked it moving in when putting a fold up bed in that room and knocked a few times since quite viciously trying to get the bed out.

I have moved the modem to a different socket and replaced the fuse and so far no blown fuse. Do you think I may have got to the bottom of what is causing the fuse to blow or not? Obviously time will tell but is that possible? I do think it would be good to find out before or have an idea before the electrician comes just for my own sanity to be honest.

I will post back to see if this is what the electrician agrees with but I have to say thank you to everyone who has posted and one last question; if the fuse blows again before the electrician comes would I be better leaving the fuse out or putting another one in safety wise?

Thanks again

Paul

 

[Lectrician]

No. I don't.

Just because you have unplugged and moved your modem doesn't mean you have cured the fault. The socked is still live, and if you have damaged it internally it will be that which requires attention. Moving the modem will make no odds at all.

Your socket tester will prove useless too unless it shows a socket as not working correctly, this socket not working correctly due to a fault on the cable feeding it, not necessarily the socket itself.

Take your own advice and wait for the pro. Remove the fuse until then. After two pops you should never keep putting a fuse back in without first solving the problem.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Anyway, he has quoted me £300 for a new certified fuse box with trip switches and around £80 to solve the fault (he hasn't been to the flat yet so not sure how he knows how much to fix it but I thought it was pretty reasonable?).

1) You don't necessarily need a new consumer unit. There are good reasons for having one, but none of them have anything to do with your problem.
2) If it's going to be done properly, £300 is not a bad price, but doing it properly is a bit open-ended, in terms of work involved, so particularly as he knows there's a problem with at least one circuit I'd be suspicious of an offer like that - either he won't do it properly and/or you'll find yourself paying an indeterminate amount more to fix problems after the event.
3) He can't possibly know what the problem is or how long it will take to find it or fix it, so £80 is just a guess.
4) Get a few more quotes.

 

[useless21]

Thanks for the post. I didn't mean/say I had solved the problem, I was just wondering if I had located the fault. Of course I am going to get it checked and sorted as I said in the previous post.

Will take your advice on leaving the fuse out many thanks

P

 

[useless21]

To Ban all Sheds

My thoughts exactly, just reeling me in I reckon and then when he does come down it will be the old tutting and sucking of teeth, would rather get a real quote and then can properly make an informed choice.

Many thanks

Paul

 

[Lectrician]

You will more than likely need to have a decent electrician around who will charge hourly to locate the fault - none will quote for fault finding, it is too open ended. You can only hope for a rough idea.

If it was me, I would charge my usual hourly rate, expecting to identify and isolate the fault in an hour or so, but any remedial work required to repair the fault would then be quote for (assuming it was not something simple). This is when I would also quote for a new consumer unit if it was requested/required.

 

[useless21]

Unfortunately I went for the new fuse box option but at least I got the fault fixed as well. Total cost £400. If I could have found a decent sparky I would have just been able to get the fault fitted but atleast everything is working and safe now. Many thanks to everyone who gave advice. It is genuinely very much appreciated.

The fault, by the way, according to the sparky was water eroding the wires.

 

[securespark]

Where?

 

[useless21]

on the socket which was on the wall where the popping came from when the fuse blew. Basically reckon that rising damp had eroded the cable but I think it may have been that the bath (the bathroom backs on to that room) was not sealed properly after we first moved in and that may have caused the issue.

 

[phatboy]

Sounds like you DID find a decent sparky, if he found a rectified the fault?

 

[useless21]

I think the only point I was making was that I would rather have had the fault found and rectified instead of being told over the phone that the only way they would even come to look was if I agreed to a new fuse box being fitted in addition to locating and fixing the fault.

He was also 4 hours late but I suppose he did fix the fault and I should be very grateful. I did pay him as well (cash only, no receipt as "it was such a good deal") so he found a good customer too. There are plenty of us around and thats why we sometimes get taken for mugs.

Many thanks for the feedback.