Electrics trippping out, tried everything I can!

[torqueischeap]

Hello, hoping someone can help on this forum!
I have a 170 yr old cottage, and last year the electrics started tripping out through the night, at multiple times and during the day. Strangely it sorted itself and didnt happen again, until today.
I woke up and the electric was off. The main switch is a pretty old looking thing with a yellow button beneath. I tried pushing the switch up to put the electric back on but it would just trip back to 'off' again, on the 5th attempt, it stayed on, but then went off 5 times in an hour. I even turned every electrical appliance off, even fridge, clock radio, I mean everything, including CH boiler even!
The consumer unit has those pull out block fuses with bare fuse wire inside, ie there arent individual trip switches on a circuit. Over the years it seems a shower circuit has been added (with separate trip switch x2, one old and one new).
Im not sure if this is linked to the problem, but 2 years ago I was up the ladder painting the house and I put my hand on the main electric cable just before it joins the house. I got an electric shock off it!
Im sure the cottage does really need a rewire but I cant afford it at the moment. Can anyone hazard a guess how old this trip switch/consumer unit type is? any advice greatly appreciated!

 

[securespark]

Need to post a piccy to be sure, but from what you've written it could be a Voltage Operated Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker on a TT (overhead) supply.

These are now considered dangerous and have been superceded by current-operated RCD's.

You must replace this unit with RCD protection if you have an overhead supply with no earth connection supplied by the DNO.

If the unit is tripping either it is faulty, or you installation is.

As you need to replace this obsolete unit anyway, do that, then if the RCD keeps tripping, remove all plugs from sockets and switch all switches off (like boiler, shower cooker, immersion, etcetera). If it still trips, you may have a wiring fault. You would need to start disconnecting the circuits by pulling out the fuses or switching off the MCB's.

If this cures the fault, you may have a LE short on that circuit which you have disconnected. If it doesn't, try removing all neutral wires. If you find the RCD resets, there may be a NE fault on that circuit which you have disconnected.

 

[flameport]

The main switch is a pretty old looking thing with a yellow button beneath.

Is it one of these:

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• flameport
• 2 Nov 2012
• 1

If so, then 35+ years old, and it should have been replaced years ago.

The only other thing you can try is to switch the power off, then remove ONE of the fuses, then try switching on again.
If it stays on, the fault is most likely on the circuit that you removed the fuse from.
If not, replace that fuse and remove the next one, repeat as required.

Ultimately, you will require someone to test the circuits and locate the fault, since even if you can identify which circuit is faulty, it will still need to be repaired.
There may be several faults, or those which removing fuses will not locate.

 

[securespark]

Turning appliances off may not be sufficient: unplug the plug from the socket or switch off at the wall switch (ie shower, cooker, boiler, immersion etcetera).

 

[torqueischeap]

securespark, many thanks for your reply, it is indeed the pictured circuit breaker

I tried taking individual fuses out to rule out a circuit when it was happening last year and it still tripped out whichever fuse was removed
Heres some pics of the dreaded wiring!

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• torqueischeap
• 2 Nov 2012
• 1

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• torqueischeap
• 2 Nov 2012
• 1

 

[studentspark]

Hard to tell from the photo but is the neutral fused rather than the live?

 

[torqueischeap]

Hard to tell from the photo but is the neutral fused rather than the live?

How would I be able to tell? My electrics are very weak indeed, are we looking at where the wires run into the bottom of the black switch?

 

[studentspark]

No I am more interested in the cut out fuse to the right of the VOELCB.



As said the VOELCB has served its time and it is recommended that they are replaced.

I can't see much green and yellow cable which is your earthing/CPC.

I do think you will need to call in an electrician.

 

[torqueischeap]

No I am more interested in the cut out fuse to the right of the VOELCB.



As said the VOELCB has served its time and it is recommended that they are replaced.

I can't see much green and yellow cable which is your earthing/CPC.

I do think you will need to call in an electrician.

Is this what we're talking about next to the VOELCB?

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• torqueischeap
• 2 Nov 2012
• 1

Heres a close up of consumer unit and spaghetti 'prince phillip' wiring

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• torqueischeap
• 2 Nov 2012
• 1

 

[JohnW2]

Hard to tell from the photo but is the neutral fused rather than the live?

Are you thinking that the incoming cable going to the bottom left of the cutout (the unfused side) is red? I think it's probably a brown sheath, with goodness-knows what colour insulation beneath it. The feed to the fuse side of the cutout (bottom right) has a black sheath - so, again, one doesn't know what the insulation colour is.

In any event, I don't think one can assume anything about the colour-coding of DNO conductors from overhead supplies (it seems to depend on 'what they have in their van'!). Per the piccie I've posted a few times in the past, my (overhead) neutral arrives in my house as a red-insulated and brown sheathed cable!

Kind Regards, John.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

torqueischeap

If only it were.

http://www.thetorqueproject.com

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[Maxatoria]

Given you got a shock from the overhead cable which sounds a bit suspect to me i'd give the DNO a call and while you're waiting trace the earth cable and see where it goes as well as it should go to a nice spike or two in the ground but could be to a gas/water pipe as was the way in the good old days

But i'd still get an electrician in to give it an EICR so you know what the current state is and from there you'll be able to proceed