HELP!!! Strange problem with upstairs lights & consumer

[Matty1977]

Hi all, first time on the site!

A couple of months ago we had an upstairs light bulb literally blow up, i traced this to a loose earth wire in the ceiling rose......

A week ago my upstairs lights didn't work. I checked the bulbs - ok, ceiling roses - connections ok, fuse on the consumer unit - wasn't blown.

The next morning I switched the lights on and everything worked fine.

The same thing happened a couple of days later so i took the fuse out of the consumer unit to be on the safe side.

As i can't get an electrician out for 3 WEEKS!!! locally, i wondered if anyone had had a similar problem / could explain it so i don't get stitched up when they come to do the work.

I think it might be a bad connection in the consumer unit because it's the last fuse on the board, farthest from the incoming supply.

Could it be linked to the earlier incident?

Any help would be appreciated!!

Best regards, Matt

 

[JohnD]

Bulbs sometimes burst. A loose earth wire would not cause it.

Quite likely you have a loose connection in one of the ceiling roses or junction box, if you are cursed with them. A loose connection in the CU is less common. It might even be cable damage from a nail or mouse.

If you are confident with ladders and screwdrivers you could turn off all the electricity and examine them. Do not remove more than one wire at a time from any terminal. If you do disconnect anything, make a diagram first, and number each wire with sticky tape and a permanent pen so you can reassemble them in exactly the same way. Ceiling roses have several wires of the same colour used for different purposes, and if you pull then out and come back asking for advice on how to reconnect them you will be mocked.

You mention "fuse". How old is your electrical installation?

If you can post some pics of the fusebox and a typical ceiling rose and light switch that may help.