power surge wrecked Sky box or TV through HDMI splitter?

[viewer]

Might be worth going back to start. A single lamp failed and caused what else to fail? Why did you think that there was a power surge? Lamps will cause safety devices to operate due to the high current flow as they fail, but this event would drop the voltage to other devices on other circuits rather than increase it. How are the circuits linked? Did the RCD work or a MCB? Are you sure that the circuit{s} are all working properly and safely?


The lounge TV may be turning off due to a problem with TV settings, Sky box or a damaged joint in the power circuit which gets hot after a few minutes.
When you tried the TV combinations did you do it using one of the circuits which tripped out with the initial problem or on a completely different circuit?

 

[TheKeymeister]

I vote for bad caps in the TV, common occurrence nowadays it seems!

 

[Calvados]

I haven't got a clue when it ocmes to electrics but if it wasn't some kind of surge and it can't travel down HDMI then I'm stumped.

The problem started IMMEDIATELY after the elecrical blow-out which was a loud bang. I checked the circuits today and I'm pretty sure that the 'downstairs sockets' MCB and the RCD for that section both tripped.

Since then I've checked pretty much everything and the 3 things that don't seem to work are:

- Lounge TV
- SPlitter
- HDMI cable to Kitchen TV

As I said the Lounge TV, SKy, Amp and Splitter were all plugged into a Pure surge protector and that is still working fine!
Is there any insurance avenue open? eg make a claim against the splitter manufacturer for damage to the TV?

I don't want to claim on house insurance esp as something has failed somewhere along the line.

 

[TheKeymeister]

Can you prove the splitter caused it? It doesn't sound like it...

I still reckon there were bad capacitors in the TV that failed when the power tripped, possibly went bang when it got turned back on, and possibly sent a load of volts down the HDMI ground.

But that's obviously guessing, and nobody can tell you what went wrong short of taking everything apart, but even then nothing can be proved. Sounds like you'll have to chalk this one up to experience...

 

[viewer]

Are we OK here by assuming:
1. It was a lamp in a fixed light fitting which "went bang"?
2. When the lamp was replaced, it worked?
3. The MCB tripped on the GF ring final?
4. The RCD covers both lighting and sockets?
5. The MCB on the lighting circuit did not trip?

 

[Calvados]

Are we OK here by assuming:
1. It was a lamp in a fixed light fitting which "went bang"?
2. When the lamp was replaced, it worked?
3. The MCB tripped on the GF ring final?
4. The RCD covers both lighting and sockets?
5. The MCB on the lighting circuit did not trip?

it was a table lamp that went. there was an audible bang. the lamp/bulb blew as did the fuse - I haven't replaced the latter yet.
Not sure what a 'GF ring' is so cannot confirm
There are about 14 MCBs - lighting and other downstairs sockets were OK (there are 3 zones for downstairs sockets and kitchen in total).
I have 2 RCDs then another 2 'main' switches at the end. Only the RCD for the subset of 6/7 MCBs was tripped (in addition to the sockets' MCB).
The box is pretty new and tested so I'm assuming its not at fault.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I haven't got a clue when it ocmes to electrics but if it wasn't some kind of surge and it can't travel down HDMI then I'm stumped.

There is a problem at the moment with alot of bad capacitors in consumer electronics. Over a period of time, inside a nice warm box, they dry out and change in value. Some of these caps are in parts of the circuit which are not used all the time, but are only required during startup when the box is powering up. If these caps have gone bad the result can be that the unit works fine while powered but cannot restart after being powered down.

When you get a power cut, a tripped circuit, or other power loss, often items of equipment that have been working perfectly for weeks will suddenly decide not to work when the power is restored (in one way or another).

 

[viewer]

Ah, now it makes sense. When you originally said "lighting", then I wrongly assumed that this was a fixed light fitting on a lighting circuit. The table lamp would be plugged into the GF ring, i.e. the ground floor socket circuit , and it was this circuit which tripped out.
The good news is that it sounds as though there isn't a problem with the electrical supply and there wasn't a power surge. The bad news is that it sounds like the electronics have died and you need a TV repair specialist to make a diagnosis. This might not be too bad a scenario. As said by others, the capacitors do fail quite often; so often that a repair kit containing new capacitors is available off the shelf for many items such as TVs.

 

[Calvados]

Thanks guys.
And I can understand how the TV has issues follwoing the circuit tripping etc but does this also explain the Splitter not working AND the HDMI cable to our second TV ? I have tested both these items with a spare TVs.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Have you tested the HDMI cable with a known good item at each end?

 

[Calvados]

I have plugged the HDMI line (that tuns to the Kitchen TV) directly into the Sky box and there is nothing coming through.

I can't test with another cable because I'd need another 20m and the TV is mounted in a unit so its a pain to connect up to another local box.

The reason why I'm assuming the Kitchen TV is fine and that it is the HDMI cable that is defunct (and that it actually carried the surge to the splitter and Lounge TV in the first place) is becuase I can still get Freeview OK on the Kitchen TV.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Unless you can get two items to work over an HDMI cable, and then put those same two items at the ends of that suspect HDMI cable you cannot be sure that the cable is faulty.

 

[Calvados]

Re: the TV - given the chain of events here would repairs be covered by a fault warranty or would it be classed as 'accidental' damage (requiring house contents insurance)?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

You'd need to discuss that with the warranty provider.

In your shoes I'd be starting from the position that a TV which breaks if there's a power cut is not of merchantable quality.