Appliance switch goes bang!

[studentdoc]

I am an idiot! Somehow I managed to get water on the switch panel which controls 4 appliances, with a separate labelled switch for each one. 3 of them are fine, but the one controlling the dishwasher, goes bang and trips the main socket fuse when you turn it on. How do I go about fixing this painlessly? Any help gratefully received!

 

[securespark]

Let it dry out first of all.

 

[studentdoc]

Thanks for the reply. I have left it a few hours and its still doing it. It was just a small splash of water. As there were sparks and soot I had assumed (possibly wrongly) that the unit itself is irreversibly damaged. How long should I leave it do you reckon?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I am an idiot! Somehow I managed to get water on the switch panel which controls 4 appliances

How?

How close is it to the sink?

How long should I leave it do you reckon?

Try again in the morning.

 

[conny]

isolate it completely and try to GENTLY dry it with a WARM hairdryer. If it is sooty this is probably tracking to earth and needs to be removed. Do you have any electrical cleaning spray. if so use this to wash the sooty deposits away and allow to dry thoroughly. Failing this a cotton wool bud dipped in meths or something similar that will Air Dry, (NOT TURPS OR THINNERS! ), Make sure it is totally dry before trying again.
If you have a megger then test for earth fault first before re-connecting.

 

[studentdoc]

Tried again this morning and the same thing is happening. Will try cleaning as suggested.

The unit is not close to the sink. It got splashed when I was cleaning the tiles!

Thanks for your help

 

[JohnD]

plain water or a chemical cleaner?

Do you consider yourself capable of safely disconnecting, removing and replacing the switch(es)? If so, post a photo here. If not, start asking round for a recommended local electrician and verifying that he is a member of a competent person scheme.