Is this a power surge?

[biotechpete]

Hi Guys, I'm hoping someone can help me with a very strange problem. Here's the story:

The house in question is a cottage owned by a relative of mine who has just phoned me and said that on friday something had caused the master RCD to trip. I'm not sure of the rating of this switch but it was fitted a couple of years ago by an NICEIC spark who was checking the electrics as demanded by the insurer. It looks a lot like this as I recall. http://www.geolec.com/pics/FAQpics/MK5780_RCD_lg.jpg
The switch was reset and all was apparently normal.

A couple of hours later it was noticed the telephone had stopped working on any of the digital phones (all fed by mains electrics for chrging/answer machines etc) which are in the house and will only work on a very old 1950s rotary dial type phone (obviously with no plug). The line is however attrocious and very crackly and I'm not sure if this is as a result of the phone or the line. Could it be caused by electrical interference?

Since this has happened, the RCD for the lighting circuit in the house is continually tripping with any more than a couple of lights on. (The socket which services the phones works fine) and no other reported electrical problems.

No work or changes have been made to the house which might have caused the countinual tripping. The electrician is coming tomorrow but my question is what might have caused all this.

Is it likely a power surge could have damaged the lighting circuit and the phone and subsequently caused the main RCD to trip?

Cheers

 

[ColJack]

from description, my first port of call would be any outside lights..
sounds like water in one of them..

will not trip if less than a couple of amps are loaded onto the circuit..

 

[TicklyT]

Or could a failed power supply for the phones have left an earth leakage path that's just on the ragged edge for the RCD, and pushed over the top when using the lights?

As for the crackly old telephone - Smack the back of the mouthpiece end of the handset against the palm of your hand a few times to teach it better manners!
(the microphone uses a chamber filled with powdered carbon that tends to stick together. knocking it about a bit breaks up the lumps.)

 

[biotechpete]

Or could a failed power supply for the phones have left an earth leakage path that's just on the ragged edge for the RCD, and pushed over the top when using the lights?

As for the crackly old telephone - Smack the back of the mouthpiece end of the handset against the palm of your hand a few times to teach it better manners!
(the microphone uses a chamber filled with powdered carbon that tends to stick together. knocking it about a bit breaks up the lumps.)

Cheers,
What's an earth leakage path? The phone has been removed and the lights trip even when there is nothing in the socket.