Yes there is power everywhere else
Hedge trimmer shocker!!
- Thread starter Jonboy18111
- Start date
Ah. That is an MCB. Miniature Circuit Breaker.Thanks, ive tried to push it right down and it seems all the way already, just springing right back down
Do not press it up again until the fault has been removed.
If you do not have the equipment then you will need an electrician,
Im guessing its not as simple as it looks to change a circuit breaker then. I suppose there needs to be some checks done with some other equipment yea? So i shouldnt go in all "flat blades and phillips blazing then lol " (dont worry joke)Ah. That is an MCB. Miniature Circuit Breaker.Thanks, ive tried to push it right down and it seems all the way already, just springing right back down
Do not press it up again until the fault has been removed.
If you do not have the equipment then you will need an electrician,
No, it's not that.
I meant equipment to find the fault and prove it is safe to turn on again.
I doubt you will need a new MCB - although trying to turn it on several times with the fault still there won't have done it any good.
I meant equipment to find the fault and prove it is safe to turn on again.
I doubt you will need a new MCB - although trying to turn it on several times with the fault still there won't have done it any good.
What was the extension plugged into? Was it a kitchen socket or something else? It could well be that the socket itself has been damaged or if it's a spur socket that the cable between that and the socket or junction box it feeds from has been damaged. If you are confident and power down, you could visually check some of that by removing the cover of the sockets in question but it may be worth getting someone in to test the circuit anyway.
Some cheap MCBs fail easily during a fault. Even the recent MK ones often won't reset after a short circuit fault.
You would normally know if you were closing an MCB onto a fault, it would pop at you, not just spring down.
Does the MCB 'feel' the same as the others when operated? Or does it feel less firm and latchy?
What make is it?
You would normally know if you were closing an MCB onto a fault, it would pop at you, not just spring down.
Does the MCB 'feel' the same as the others when operated? Or does it feel less firm and latchy?
What make is it?
Hi it feels a lot different to the rest, the rest are stiff to push up and this feels loose but still on a spring like motion, i was plugged into a double kitchen socket just on the wall same sort as my kettle is plugged into
What make?
I Would say the MCB is damaged. You can try giving it a good tap and flicking it on and off vigourously. This may get the mechanism back working. An MCB is around a fiver, you could fit if confident, or an hours labour from a spark.
I Would say the MCB is damaged. You can try giving it a good tap and flicking it on and off vigourously. This may get the mechanism back working. An MCB is around a fiver, you could fit if confident, or an hours labour from a spark.
But what about testing the circuit before connecting it to the new MCB?
Are we going to be busy soon?
Yesterday it was an RCD that could only cope with one short circuit and today it's an MCB.
What happened to the 6kA rating?
I may be wrong, but IIRC the 6kA (or 16kA, or whatever) rating only means that the device can safely disconnect that current ('once') but doesn't guarantee that it will remain serviceable thereafter. Having said that, fault currents in most domestic installations are presumably very rarely going to get anywhere near even the 6kA figure.
Kind Regards, John
It's the current the device is capable of breaking without being destroyed.
That may be the same thing.
Quite, so isn't it unlikely that the device will need replacing after tripping once.
I suppose it may not be the first time and several attempts have been made to turn it on with the fault still there.
It just seemed strange that an RCD and an MCB have been reported failing at nearly the same time.
How often is a device replaced after a fault? Not often here.
Yes, that's essentially what I meant. ISTR that there are (not unreasonably) two requirements - firstly that it can break 6kA, and secondly that it is not 'destroyed' (to the extent, for example, of creating a fire) by so doing. ... but no requirement that it remains usable after experiencing 6kA (or any other particular current, come to that)
Unlikely, yes - and I dare say that it is pretty rare. However, don't forget that there are the 'disasters waiting to happen' due to manufacturing or whatever defects. You will probably recall my daughter's RCD which 'blew up' a few months back when she pressed the test button at a time when there was a load of probably less than a couple of amps flowing. Some defect, which had probably always been there, caused/allowed the tripping action to 'slice through the isultaion of the main L conductor'. Maybe she's not the only person to have experienced that sort of problem - which presumably could have arisen as a result of a 'real trip' just as easily as when she pressed the test button.
It is in the nature of coincidences that they sometimes occur
Kind Regards, John
But - at the same time ???It is in the nature of coincidences that they sometimes occur
Yes, sometimes even that - amazing, isn't it?But - at the same time ???It is in the nature of coincidences that they sometimes occur
Kind Regards, John
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