No power.. All mcbs RCD and main breaker dropped...

[unclebob1]

Evening... Got a call from my dad,

He has no power at home.

He went to plug in a 240v drill into a socket that has been used for many years.

He described sparks before all power going out.

He put all breakers back up, and the main breaker plus RCD... But no power.


He carefully removed the cover and checked to see if power at busbar and incoming to cu, neither showed power though he used a neon screwdriver (I have the multi meter at my place).


Anything else he can check? I've asked him to call power company (not bill company) to get a call logged.


Seems all neighbours have power (told him to look 3 doors each way and across the road.

 

[GaryGarden]

Probably main fuse blown network operator will replace foc normally within about 4 hours, don't tell them about the maybe dodgy drill or he could get charged. Tell him not to use a neon screwdriver to check for live they are lethal search youtube to see why. Get the drill checked or just replace.

 

[unclebob1]

Called them, apparently as the smart meter is lit, its not the main fuse... Call a local electrician...

So not sure what would be next. Going to go over with multimeter in a bit to check if power coming to main breaker. But not holding much hope... So maybe someone hacked the smart meter and turned it off?

 

[EFLImpudence]

He put all breakers back up, and the main breaker plus RCD...

Are you sure he hasn't put them all back down?

They wouldn't all have needed resetting.

 

[GaryGarden]

Is there a switch fuse between the meter and the cu main breaker? If the cu is over 3 mtrs from the meter you would normally expect that to be the case.

 

[Iggifer]

Or it's an RCD that needs pushing all the way down to reset, and then back up to re-energise?

 

[JohnD]

Let us know when you find out. It might be interesting. An MCB might trip faster than the cartridge fuse in the plug, but the main fuse would have been much slower.

Maybe a poor connection, just a whisker remaining, finally burned out?

 

[unclebob1]

From what he is saying he has pushed them up, RCD is only some of the circuits so if he got that wrong the rest should still come on. There is no breaker between meter and the main breaker in the cu.

And he has pushed the main breaker in the cu up.... Baffled....

 

[Iggifer]

Maybe a poor connection, just a whisker remaining, finally burned out?

On a main switch/RCD? I hope not! If it was just the drill/one socket not working then maybe, but no power anywhere suggests RCD/main fuse

 

[Iggifer]

From what he is saying he has pushed them up, RCD is only some of the circuits so if he got that wrong the rest should still come on. There is no breaker between meter and the main breaker in the cu.

And he has pushed the main breaker in the cu up.... Baffled....

The 'main breaker' in the CU isn't a breaker, it's just a switch, the only thing that makes that go off is fingers

 

[unclebob1]

All breakers are right... Only thing I can think is maybe he left the mains breaker up so incoming is covered, and he only measured outgoing...

 

[unclebob1]

From what he is saying he has pushed them up, RCD is only some of the circuits so if he got that wrong the rest should still come on. There is no breaker between meter and the main breaker in the cu.

And he has pushed the main breaker in the cu up.... Baffled....

The 'main breaker' in the CU isn't a breaker, it's just a switch, the only thing that makes that go off is fingers

Apologies!

 

[GaryGarden]

Not taking the p1ss here but has he just moved into the property and not realised he has a pre-payment meter has he? I've see it before. Apart from that I am baffled!!!

 

[unclebob1]

Defo not a prepay... Hes lived in the house 30 years next month... Was changed to a smart meter about 2 years ago... Other then that no changes on meter

 

[unclebob1]

Could the smart meter be knackered?