Fuse Board and Appliances Buzzing

[themelon]

I have tried pushing the case on the Main Switch and it doesnt appear to stop it. The only thing that makes it stop is turning off both ring mains. Or when it stops of its own accord. It seems to bear no relation to anything I do load wise. A bulb went upstairs last night and the unit tripped as normal.

I cant really tell where the vibration is coming from with the method above (use a plastic scewer ), it is around the power supply areas of the Kettle, Microwave, LCD TV and PC/Monitor but the plastic coverings are stopping me pinpointing what item is responsible.

Is changing the Consumer Unit going to be the only way forward.

 

[JohnD]

well, this is a complete guess, but I wouldn't be surprised if the internal parts of the RCD are vibrating under load. it is probably quite safe, just old. It was good quality when it was new, but it is a pretty old one. Maybe 20 years or so? I don't know. The old CU is MEM which is one of the best.

However buzzing at the sockets is more likely to be a loose connection which will overheat and get worse. You could try opening then all up and looking for signs of overheating at a terminal. if there is a junction box you should start there. If you find discoloured copper wire then you have to cut it back to bright metal as the heat will have softened the copper and it will come loose again. Also change the socket or other part. It is more likely on something with heavy and prolonged load, like a washer or drier.

I see you have metal faced accessories which are not cheap, but you might consider replacing them with good-quality white plastic ones, by Crabtree, MEM or MK. If you find that this cures the socket buzzing you will know that you have replaced something that was wrong and can save up for some good metal ones.

Switches that are used a lot will eventually wear out, this may apply to your kettle socket. Cheap brands are more likely to go wrong than good brands as mentioned above.

If you plug in a table lamp you might be able to see a slight flicker which suggests a faulty socket, especially if it happens at one socket but not others.

 

[themelon]

The strange thing is that the buzzing isnt actually coming from the sockets its the appliances. I tried plugging in a lamp and it was fine other appliances in the same socket cause no buzzing, its just these ones so im assuming there is some kind of common ground in terms of Power Supply between all of them, perhaps picking up some kind of interferance.

Ive also checked all sockets, most are white MK ones only the Bedroom and Kitchen are different these are Volex not sure if these are any cop? All the cables seem fine, not discouloured or anything. Is still need to confirm the junction boxes are ok.

It sounds as though it may be the internal parts of the RCD as you have suggested, I may ask my electrician to install a new one and see if that solves it. 20 years would be about right as I have a certificate saying the house had a full rewire in about 1987. Cheers.

 

[JohnD]

Volex is not one of the best brands.

If you have any junction boxes, they are a common source of problems.

If you do have a new CU installed, the electrician will have to test quite comprehensively, and may well discover some hidden fault. This is notifiable work, so ask the electrician if he is a member of a self-certification scheme, which one, and ask for evidence (if he is properly qualified he will not mind being asked).

If there is no flickering at your lamp, I've run out of ideas

 

[mattylad]

If the buzzing is in the appliance(s) I.E. suddenly more than 1, could it be an earth fault somewhere in the ring? or perhaps the supply is over/under voltage?

 

[JohnD]

he has an RCD which passes button test, so earth fault not at the top of my list.

a loose or arcing connection seems more likey, especially if on one leg of the ring so the other leg is able to keep appliances going.

 

[themelon]

Further to this someone has suggested it could be 'mains noise'. How likley is this? It only occurs between the hours of 6:30 in the morning and 10:30 at night.........perhaps a neigbour turning something dodgy on for the day.

Ive checked all sockets and all junction boxes to no avail, tests are apparently coming back ok.