Replaced oven socket resulting in complete power outage

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15 Mar 2020
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The power to my new oven kept cutting out once reaching a certain heat and making noises at the oven switch on the wall. Upon inspection the live wires where slightly loose so I tightened them but then the socket itself looked damaged and the faceplate wouldnt screw in securely to the backbox.

So I decided to completely replace both. I isolated the cooker circuit via the consumer unit and also the circuit for the other kitchen sockets just for peace of mind. Whilst removing the backplate and fiddling with the cable to get it out the entire electrics went out around the house. Nothing had tripped at the box though. I secured the new switch and everything is working fine once the breakers where turned off and back on again.

Out of interest, why would all power still go out if I isolated the circuit and everything near by? Im guessing a wire touched the backbox but I thought no current would be going through it so how has this happened?
 
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Di you have an RCD on the consumer unit that tripped out all the power ?

There is an RCD on the unit covering the sockets, kitchen sockets and cooker but it never tripped, all the switches at the unit where in the normal position. I just turned everything off and back on after it.
 
The RCD must have tripped. Did you turn the RCD off and on after all power went off ?
 
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Yes. It was still in the up position like everything else when the power went off so I turned everything off, finished installing the socket, then put everything back on. Should I really be dead now?
 
I think your wrong. The situation you describe is typical of Rcd tripping when working on a circuit where only the live is isolated by the circuits MCB.
Can you post a pic of the consumer unit ?
 
I think your wrong. The situation you describe is typical of Rcd tripping when working on a circuit where only the live is isolated by the circuits MCB.
Can you post a pic of the consumer unit ?

20200401_223735.jpg
 
Thanks for pic.
When you said the " entire electrics in the house " went off. Did that include every ceiling light ,did you try them all ?

It was in the day so no lights where on but all the power went off. I'm guessing everything covered by the RCD. I'm 99% sure the RCD was in the up position. It's just the red light indicator on the RCD that I cant remember whether that should be on or not, or was on before the power cut. The yellow test button works.
 
It's not a red light ,just a coloured plastic.
If the lights were still working ,and you didn't try them ,then your statement of ALL the power went off isn't correct. It's likely that the circuits to the left of the RCD went off , because it tripped. Your just mistaken. Stop worrying about it.
 
It's not a red light ,just a coloured plastic.
If the lights were still working ,and you didn't try them ,then your statement of ALL the power went off isn't correct. It's likely that the circuits to the left of the RCD went off , because it tripped. Your just mistaken. Stop worrying about it.

I stand corrected, always thought that was indicator. The heating was off as well as the lights so it's only from the power sockets going off that I could tell there was a problem.

What would the reason for the trip be if id isolated the circuit I was working on? Faulty oven appliance?
 

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