No power to garage anymore?

bob2015 · 19 Jan 2015

Hi just looking for some suggestions as to what the problem might be?

I have a electric supply to my garage running lights and sockets. Yesterday suddenly there is no power. Where do I start looking for a fault. I have checked all of the MCB's and RCD's but they are all fine. The only thing I can think of is a faulty MCB or something?

Any suggestions on where to start?

Taylortwocities · 19 Jan 2015

How does the power get to the garage, underground?
What sort of cable?
Where is it fed from (a fused spur, or has it got its own feed from somewhere)?
Do have a multimeter?
Can you post a picture of your consumer unit and the incoming supply arrangement.

JohnW2 · 19 Jan 2015

bob2015 said:
I have a electric supply to my garage running lights and sockets. Yesterday suddenly there is no power. Where do I start looking for a fault. I have checked all of the MCB's and RCD's but they are all fine. The only thing I can think of is a faulty MCB or something?

From what you say, I presume that you don't know exactly where the garage gets its electricity from? I take it that there are no MCBs labelled "garage" or anything obvious like that? I also presume that none of the electricity in house (e.g. sockets) has stopped working? I also presume that 'nothing happened' which could have explained the loss of power?

Are you sure that there is not a separate consumer unit somewhere (with MCBs and RCDs) just for the garage? It's also possible that the supply to the garage has been run from one of the house's sockets circuits via a 'Fused Connection Unit' ('FCU', aka 'fused switch') somewhere - if that were he case, the fuse may have blown (or it might even have got switched off!).

If you could provide photos of the wires coming from your electricity meter and of your main house consumer unit, that might help us to offer some other ideas.

Kind Regards, John

Taylortwocities · 19 Jan 2015

SNAP!!

JohnW2 · 19 Jan 2015

TTC ... Goodness, this is getting eerie

- are you perhaps my hitherto unknown identical twin!

Kind Regards, John

JohnW2 · 19 Jan 2015

SNAP!!²

Kind Regards, John

ericmark · 19 Jan 2015

If you don't know where supplied it may be a fuse in a fused connection unit FCU likely looks something like this

maybe without switch.

Also try switching all MCB's off and on again two things one it can trip without moving leaver and second when they go faulty often they feel slack compared with a good one or if they trip straight away again you can feel the difference to a good one giving you some idea which MCB.

JohnW2 · 19 Jan 2015

ericmark said:
If you don't know where supplied it may be a fuse in a fused connection unit FCU likely looks something like this ... maybe without switch.

Indeed:

JohnW2 said:
It's also possible that the supply to the garage has been run from one of the house's sockets circuits via a 'Fused Connection Unit' ('FCU', aka 'fused switch') somewhere - if that were he case, the fuse may have blown (or it might even have got switched off!).

Kind Regards, John

bob2015 · 19 Jan 2015

Taylortwocities said:
How does the power get to the garage, underground?
What sort of cable?
Where is it fed from (a fused spur, or has it got its own feed from somewhere)?
Do have a multimeter?
Can you post a picture of your consumer unit and the incoming supply arrangement.

The cable is over head a black armoured cable. It has its own MCB/RCD next to the house consumer unit I think. The reason I say I think is that it is not labelled but it has the same black cable here as I can see outside. I can't see any fused spurs before it leaves the house. Then inside the garage there is another MCB/RCD unit. which has two MCB, one for lights one for sockets. Both lights on sockets are dead. Tested with a working appliance and definitely working bulb. I have a multi meter.

All of the MCB's I can find are switched on. Definitely.

Hope this helps.

bob2015 · 19 Jan 2015

JohnW2 said:
From what you say, I presume that you don't know exactly where the garage gets its electricity from? I take it that there are no MCBs labelled "garage" or anything obvious like that? I also presume that none of the electricity in house (e.g. sockets) has stopped working? I also presume that 'nothing happened' which could have explained the loss of power?

Are you sure that there is not a separate consumer unit somewhere (with MCBs and RCDs) just for the garage? It's also possible that the supply to the garage has been run from one of the house's sockets circuits via a 'Fused Connection Unit' ('FCU', aka 'fused switch') somewhere - if that were he case, the fuse may have blown (or it might even have got switched off!).

If you could provide photos of the wires coming from your electricity meter and of your main house consumer unit, that might help us to offer some other ideas.

Kind Regards, John

I will try and get pictures if it will help.

None of the house circuits are affected. All lights, sockets and appliances work fine.

There was no event that caused this loss of power. I locked the garage up one day, next morning I opened it up and......... nothing. Over night there were no thunder storms or anything.

bob2015 · 19 Jan 2015

ericmark said:
If you don't know where supplied it may be a fuse in a fused connection unit FCU likely looks something like this

maybe without switch.

Also try switching all MCB's off and on again two things one it can trip without moving leaver and second when they go faulty often they feel slack compared with a good one or if they trip straight away again you can feel the difference to a good one giving you some idea which MCB.

I have tried switching them off and on again. They seem to switch fine (although no power).

OK one thing that I'm not sure about is on the RCD it has a test button. I thought when you pressed that it is supposed to make the switch flick off. Is this correct? If so we have a problem because it doesn't. Does this suggest there is no power to the RCD?

deadshort · 19 Jan 2015

Hi, yes it should switch off. Sounds as if you have no power to the RCD or a faulty unit.

Regards,

DS

JohnW2 · 19 Jan 2015

bob2015 said:
OK one thing that I'm not sure about is on the RCD it has a test button. I thought when you pressed that it is supposed to make the switch flick off. Is this correct? If so we have a problem because it doesn't. Does this suggest there is no power to the RCD?

Which RCD are you talking about? If you mean the one in the garage then, as has been implied, you wouldn't expect the test button to (currently) do anything - since the test facility relies on their being electricity available, and none is currently getting to your garage.

Kind Regards, John

JohnW2 · 19 Jan 2015

bob2015 said:
It has its own MCB/RCD next to the house consumer unit I think. The reason I say I think is that it is not labelled but it has the same black cable here as I can see outside. ... All of the MCB's I can find are switched on. Definitely.

Occasionally, MCBs and RCDs can look as if they are 'on' when they are actually 'off'. Just in case, try pushing their levers firmly down as far as they will go ('off') and then back up into the 'on' position.

Does this RCD (which you believe is serving the garage supply) trip if you press its test button?

Kind Regards, John

delmel · 19 Jan 2015

If you have checked everything else, look in the main board where the SWA is connected and check you have no cable loose or disconnected. Then check the garage unit for same.

Turn off mains first if you wish to remain safe at all times.

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No power to garage anymore?

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