Help with new fuse box?

[grantuk]

Hello All,

Right I've got a massive problem;-

I've had a new Wylex fuse box installed, its got 5 x 32, 3 x 16 and 2 x 10 fuses. I've had installed;

4 new sockets in living room
3 new sockets in dinning room
5 new sockets in kitchen (inc connection for oven/hob)
3 new sockets in bedroom one
3 new sockets in bedroom two.

We left the existing sockets and lights/light switches in place as they was pretty new, But the following was present before;

2 sockets in living room, 1 double switch and 3 wall lights
1 socket in dinning room, triple switch and 1 ceiling light (other two are for hall way)
3 sockets in kitchen (no oven/hob), 1 single switch and 1 light
no sockets in bedroom one, 1 switch and 1 light
1 socket in bedroom two, 1 switch and 1 light
also there was a double light switch in hall way which also did Bathroom lighting.


The problem i've got is the old wiring doesnt seem to be working on new fuse box, the new wiring has power but once something is plugged in eg; light it trips the RCA on the fuse box.

We've had two new fuse boxes, and both have the same problem, If anyone can think of anything to try/test that would be great.

Thanks for reading

 

[grantuk]

Also to add; If anyone is from the Manchester area and can come take a look, that would be great as time is short at the moment and we need to be moving in next Friday.

 

[RF Lighting]

Who installed the fuse box?

Does the new box have more than one RCD?

Do you have any photos of the inside of the fuse box?

What were the insulation test results for each circuit?

Have you checked for borrowed neutrals on the lighting circuits?

 

[mikeyd]

Split load board (i.e. more than one RCD or some circuits RCD protected and the others not)?

If so then probably one (or more) of the neutrals is in the wrong place in the consumer unit. If not then google 'borrowed neutral'

Edit: must type faster

 

[grantuk]

Who installed the fuse box?
a registered electrician - but he was stuck so I said leave it.

Does the new box have more than one RCD?

Yes its got 2, its split 50/50 RCD 32,32,32,32,32 RCD 16,16,16,10,10

Do you have any photos of the inside of the fuse box?

Im not currently at the house, But I can take photo's tomorrow morning and upload.

What were the insulation test results for each circuit?

I dont know, I can find out in morning off the electrician.

Have you checked for borrowed neutrals on the lighting circuits?

All I know on the lighting circuits is that the wires are RED, BROWN and Earth. Im not sure if any are borrowed. Where would I start to look?


Thanks for your reply, Sorry I cant be much help.

 

[grantuk]

Split load board (i.e. more than one RCD or some circuits RCD protected and the others not)?

If so then probably one (or more) of the neutrals is in the wrong place in the consumer unit. If not then google 'borrowed neutral'

Thank you, I'll google that now. Also when you say one of the neutrals is in the wrong place do you mean the numbers above the top?

Edit: must type faster

 

[riveralt]

If you had this new consumer unit fitted by an electrician - call that person back immediately and tell them to do a proper job - if they refuse then contact their competent persons scheme and report them.

If you fitted the new consumer unit yourself without notification then I am afraid you have broken the law and potentially put yourself and your family in danger and I personally would not be moving into that house.

You describe the number of sockets you have but not the type or number of circuits you have installed - you don't appear to have any test results that could point to your installation failure. All this makes it impossible for anyone to do anything other than hazard a guess at what could be wrong with your installation.

The best advice I can give you is STOP!
Get someone in who knows what they are doing - preferably before Friday.

 

[grantuk]

If you had this new consumer unit fitted by an electrician - call that person back immediately and tell them to do a proper job - if they refuse then contact their competent persons scheme and report them.

If you fitted the new consumer unit yourself without notification then I am afraid you have broken the law and potentially put yourself and your family in danger and I personally would not be moving into that house.

You describe the number of sockets you have but not the type or number of circuits you have installed - you don't appear to have any test results that could point to your installation failure. All this makes it impossible for anyone to do anything other than hazard a guess at what could be wrong with your installation.

The best advice I can give you is STOP!
Get someone in who knows what they are doing - preferably before Friday.

Thanks for your reply,

In regards to the Fuse box being installed, it was installed by a qualified electrician but with the work he has done on the installation, I've lost confidence in him and wouldn't want him to come back to the house to solve the problem.

Each loop in each room, has been given its own circuit so that would mean.

Living Room 1 Circuit
Dinning Room 1 Circuit
Kitchen 3 Circuit's (Oven/Hob, Sockets, Boiler)
Bedroom one 1 Circuit
Bedroom two 1 Circuit
then the bathroom has been given a separate circuit for the Jacuzzi bath. Shower is run off the combi boiler.

I hope this information helps a little more, and I will get the test results in the morning.

 

[wingcoax]

I sincerely hope you haven't paid the clown who did the "job" No electrician worth his salt would leave a job that he had not tested and proved to work.
It sounds like "he hasn't a clue what he is doing.

 

[grantuk]

I sincerely hope you haven't paid the clown who did the "job" No electrician worth his salt would leave a job that he had not tested and proved to work.
It sounds like "he hasn't a clue what he is doing.

No I didnt pay him, I thought I would come on here and try to get an insight in what could fix the problem, then phone another electrician tomorrow, who would solve the problem without me being taken for a ride again.

 

[riveralt]

Thanks for your reply,

In regards to the Fuse box being installed, it was installed by a qualified electrician but with the work he has done on the installation, I've lost confidence in him and wouldn't want him to come back to the house to solve the problem.

If, like me, he is a member of a competent persons scheme like NAPIT, NICEIC etc then you will be covered by the schemes insurance - complain to them you will get the work redone - hopefully properly this time.

Each loop in each room, has been given its own circuit so that would mean.

Living Room 1 Circuit
Dinning Room 1 Circuit
Kitchen 3 Circuit's (Oven/Hob, Sockets, Boiler)
Bedroom one 1 Circuit
Bedroom two 1 Circuit
then the bathroom has been given a separate circuit for the Jacuzzi bath. Shower is run off the combi boiler.

I hope this information helps a little more, and I will get the test results in the morning.

By loop do you mean Ring Final Circuit?
Who will you be getting the test results from? Hopefully not from the clown who left you stranded! Given what you have said so far I wouldn't put any faith in the figures he may have put on the test sheet.

 

[grantuk]

Thanks for your reply,

In regards to the Fuse box being installed, it was installed by a qualified electrician but with the work he has done on the installation, I've lost confidence in him and wouldn't want him to come back to the house to solve the problem.

If, like me, he is a member of a competent persons scheme like NAPIT, NICEIC etc then you will be covered by the schemes insurance - complain to them you will get the work redone - hopefully properly this time.


Thanks, I shall give them a ring with his company details tomorrow morning. As regards to the insurance scheme I dont think I have time to wait for that to be sorted as we've got to move in by Friday.

Each loop in each room, has been given its own circuit so that would mean.

Living Room 1 Circuit
Dinning Room 1 Circuit
Kitchen 3 Circuit's (Oven/Hob, Sockets, Boiler)
Bedroom one 1 Circuit
Bedroom two 1 Circuit
then the bathroom has been given a separate circuit for the Jacuzzi bath. Shower is run off the combi boiler.

I hope this information helps a little more, and I will get the test results in the morning.

By loop do you mean Ring Final Circuit?
Who will you be getting the test results from? Hopefully not from the clown who left you stranded! Given what you have said so far I wouldn't put any faith in the figures he may have put on the test sheet.

Yes, Sorry I do - I just heard the guy talking about Loops. I was going to get someone else in tomorrow morning to check that its safe for now, and do some tests on the circuits to get a price to correct the issue.

 

[riveralt]

Yes, Sorry I do - I just heard the guy talking about Loops. I was going to get someone else in tomorrow morning to check that its safe for now, and do some tests on the circuits to get a price to correct the issue.

Sounds like the best plan - Good Luck.

 

[Click4]

Some right clowns around, went to a job this week, where the idiot couldnt find a terminal on the light switch for the earth, so they cut it off.. they was supposed to of been an electrician also.

co-incidently.. in the same room.. an idiot had installed a gas isolation point for the cooker underneath the cabinets.. accessible only by removing the cooker, then the base board.

like said above report the idiot, and get it rectified properly.

 

[AndyPRK]

Look at the RCD in the unit (thing with the test button).

The live/phase connection will come out of this at the bottom on the bar and goto the breakers.

A blue neutral wire will come out of the RCD on the same end as the bar. It will goto the top of the unit, to the neutral bar.

What flows out of the rcd on the live needs to return on its blue neutral. Nothing more and nothing less.

If any circuit is used and trips the RCD then it is probably not connected correctly as above.

So check every cable leaving the CU is correctly connected as above. (to the right netural block)

There maybe 2 netural blocks. One for each RCD. They should not be mixed.

A pic of the inside of the CU would help.


You don't explain how the new sockets have been connected ? Into the existing circuit in the room, or a new wire back to the CU ?