tell them to do it themselves, its their fault. Tell them it is not your problem if they plug in appliances that are faulty, as the house wiring is spot on. offer to look around the house and try to spot old appliances or "suspect" looking things!
Consumer Unit question....
- Thread starter electricalkid
- Start date
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Mem !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can't get spares readily
As MEM love their customers they changed their ranges twice a few years ago and sold ALL the spares to a third company.
The seperate company now charge an arm and a leg for spares and MEM don't care- good customer service or what.
If the homeowner at the time had bought an old MK sentry unit (of same manufacturing date) they do an adaptor kit to make old consumer units take new MCB's. Different class.
Can't get spares readily
As MEM love their customers they changed their ranges twice a few years ago and sold ALL the spares to a third company.
The seperate company now charge an arm and a leg for spares and MEM don't care- good customer service or what.
If the homeowner at the time had bought an old MK sentry unit (of same manufacturing date) they do an adaptor kit to make old consumer units take new MCB's. Different class.
I'm interested in this as well!
I know someone that had a CU that kept tripping. It first happened when his wife put the kettle on. Poof, darkness. reset the switch. Kettle on, poof darkness. At that point only essentials were switched back on i.e. fridge, freezer ect.
He believes that its the fridge, as for some reason reason everytime it kicks in the circuit blew! Anyway he has put the fridge on a mini plug-in circuit breaker and all has been fine so far. I need to find out what his long term solution is going to be.
With regards to your tenants. They must be doing something to trip the switch. Ask them what was the last thing there were doing and try to build up a picture. If it comes to it, you might have to spend some time there to try and isolate the fault by yourself, by plugging things in to see of it trips again.
I would advise them that if I find the problem to be something of theirs which they have not told me about then I wont be happy (and they wont like me when I'm unhappy
) as I would have wasted a lot of time investigating this. Obviously you need to do this tactfully.
BTW, as long as you are seen to be fixing the problem. The tenants cannot bring any legals to you, or instruct someone to do the work and then get you to pay!
I know someone that had a CU that kept tripping. It first happened when his wife put the kettle on. Poof, darkness. reset the switch. Kettle on, poof darkness. At that point only essentials were switched back on i.e. fridge, freezer ect.
He believes that its the fridge, as for some reason reason everytime it kicks in the circuit blew! Anyway he has put the fridge on a mini plug-in circuit breaker and all has been fine so far. I need to find out what his long term solution is going to be.
With regards to your tenants. They must be doing something to trip the switch. Ask them what was the last thing there were doing and try to build up a picture. If it comes to it, you might have to spend some time there to try and isolate the fault by yourself, by plugging things in to see of it trips again.
I would advise them that if I find the problem to be something of theirs which they have not told me about then I wont be happy (and they wont like me when I'm unhappy
) as I would have wasted a lot of time investigating this. Obviously you need to do this tactfully.BTW, as long as you are seen to be fixing the problem. The tenants cannot bring any legals to you, or instruct someone to do the work and then get you to pay!
Well.......Im amazed...you learn something new every day.
The company I work for has been going for about 80 years so while poking round the stores today, guess what I found?
7 Memera 3 MCB`s with carriers...........I never realised they made them.
Unfortunately though they are all 15A lol
The company I work for has been going for about 80 years so while poking round the stores today, guess what I found?
7 Memera 3 MCB`s with carriers...........I never realised they made them.
Unfortunately though they are all 15A lol
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There you go then colport - glad you've been educated !!
If it was my place I would be changing the CU to a MCB type (probably with a split rcd - depending on condition of install)
Then the people renting can't shove a wire nail or fag paper to bypass fuse.
Helps prevent your property burning down.
If they are plugging in heaters then I would suggest a couple of 16/20 A radial circuits for heaters in new CU to bring down load on ring main.
Stewart
Then the people renting can't shove a wire nail or fag paper to bypass fuse.
Helps prevent your property burning down.
If they are plugging in heaters then I would suggest a couple of 16/20 A radial circuits for heaters in new CU to bring down load on ring main.
Stewart
B
Big_Spark
There is no point changing the CCU to one with MCB's UNTIL you have identified what is causing the fuses to blow.
Fuses are a lot more tolerant than MCB's, so it is likely that they will trip even more, that is not solving the problem as the tennants will simply keep resetting the breaker.
Should the breaker be internally damaged, as it will after being tripped regularly, then this could actually become a serious habit, you have a 50% chance that the breaker could fail on the closed (on) position, and if there is a fault on the circuit then this could be a serious fire hazard.
I am not convinced that a faulty appliance is the cause, they all have 13A HRC BS1361 fuses in the plugs, so these should blow long before a BS1361 fuse of 30 or 32 A rating as will be protecting the ring.
It is probable the circuit is being OVERLOADED and this should be investigated urgently. You need to work with the tennants and discover what they are running when the Fuse blows.
If the Kitchen and rest of the ring are common, then they may be using several high load devices at the same time and this is likely the problme. This situation should be addressed ASAP and it IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY as the Landlord.
You must invetsigate this to find out whicj ring is fusing, whther it is the only ring and what are the common factors when it fuses..
Then I would suggest you split any ring that also feeds the kitchen, the kitchen should have it's own ring, then I would suggest you replace the Consumer Unit for one utilising BS 60898 MCB's.
Fuses are a lot more tolerant than MCB's, so it is likely that they will trip even more, that is not solving the problem as the tennants will simply keep resetting the breaker.
Should the breaker be internally damaged, as it will after being tripped regularly, then this could actually become a serious habit, you have a 50% chance that the breaker could fail on the closed (on) position, and if there is a fault on the circuit then this could be a serious fire hazard.
I am not convinced that a faulty appliance is the cause, they all have 13A HRC BS1361 fuses in the plugs, so these should blow long before a BS1361 fuse of 30 or 32 A rating as will be protecting the ring.
It is probable the circuit is being OVERLOADED and this should be investigated urgently. You need to work with the tennants and discover what they are running when the Fuse blows.
If the Kitchen and rest of the ring are common, then they may be using several high load devices at the same time and this is likely the problme. This situation should be addressed ASAP and it IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY as the Landlord.
You must invetsigate this to find out whicj ring is fusing, whther it is the only ring and what are the common factors when it fuses..
Then I would suggest you split any ring that also feeds the kitchen, the kitchen should have it's own ring, then I would suggest you replace the Consumer Unit for one utilising BS 60898 MCB's.
b_S
thats why i suggested radials for the heaters.
A CU change would involve a check of all curcuits so any defects would be picked up at this time
As I already said extra circuits would reduce load on existing ones, thus making installation safer
Also s MCB's are tamper proof so will be safer.
Get someone in to use a clamp ammeter this will be invaluable.
thats why i suggested radials for the heaters.
A CU change would involve a check of all curcuits so any defects would be picked up at this time
As I already said extra circuits would reduce load on existing ones, thus making installation safer
Also s MCB's are tamper proof so will be safer.
Get someone in to use a clamp ammeter this will be invaluable.
B
Big_Spark
baldelectrician said:
Electric heaters should be on their own circuit if permanently fixed in position.
There is no guarantee that a spark changing the CU will test and inspect the circuits in a way that would highlight a fault of this type. This is a design and utilisation fault..and no amount of circuit testing in the world will identify this problem.
He needs to get ins reputable spark, ECPLAIN everything he has done here online and then let the spark sort the problem out..
I seem to be flogging a dead horse here.
I have already mentioned radials for heaters (seperate circuits)
I have already mentioned checking the installation
It's all about competence, Get someone in who is competent, preferably through recommendation and a member of a trade body / NICEIC.
These steps do not guarantee a good job but they are a method of seperating the worst from the rest.
As I indicated earlier, better to get someone in.
I have already mentioned radials for heaters (seperate circuits)
I have already mentioned checking the installation
It's all about competence, Get someone in who is competent, preferably through recommendation and a member of a trade body / NICEIC.
These steps do not guarantee a good job but they are a method of seperating the worst from the rest.
As I indicated earlier, better to get someone in.
Big_Spark said:
No problem with calling a sparks in. But personally I would at least try and find the fault first. If the problem cannot be re-produced then is there a problem! Remember one has been out already.
Find out whats tripping the fuse. I might not a sparks, but I am a good landlord.
B
Big_Spark
Bazdaa said:
Your not that good
..if you were then you would know that as the property is being used for commercial purposes then the Electricity at Work Regulations Act 1989 and several other pieces of legislation comes into force, as such only QUALIFIED electricians should work on the installation. Further a PIR should be done every 5 years. It may be a domestic unit, but it is used for Commercial Gain...It is one of those areas most people forget about...
Err no not forgotton, fully aware actually.
So your telling me that as a landlord\owner\tenant\ whatever that someone cannot try to investigate the fault, by putting a picture together of what was on ect, before the fuse tripped. Are you also trying to tell me that I would not be allowed to try and trip the fuse again, by switching on whatever it was that tripped the switch? Surely not.
BTW - He's already had an electrician in there!
So as I said. I'm not a sparks. But I am a good landlord, and thats not something you can take away from me.
So your telling me that as a landlord\owner\tenant\ whatever that someone cannot try to investigate the fault, by putting a picture together of what was on ect, before the fuse tripped. Are you also trying to tell me that I would not be allowed to try and trip the fuse again, by switching on whatever it was that tripped the switch? Surely not.
BTW - He's already had an electrician in there!
So as I said. I'm not a sparks. But I am a good landlord, and thats not something you can take away from me.
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