Some sockets not working?

[blackcloud]

Hello all

I am hoping to get an understanding of what the problem could be rather than advise on anything I should do as I am not going to attempt to fix it.

Basically, I moved into a new property a couple of months ago, renting. I was told they had fitted a new PCB board? or something like that as the last tenant complained she could plug almost nothing in without the switching and all the electrics going off. The landlord said he had put new PCB board in (not sure if its called a PCB board) and fixed the issue.

Anyhow, the boiler broke and someone came to fix it yesterday. 1 hour later I was just sitting down, not plugging anything in and all of a sudden all the sockets went off, the lights were fine. I checked the fuse box and 2 of the switches were down (PLEASE SEE PIC LINK AS I HAVE PUT AN ARROW NEXT TO WHICH ONES) and I pressed up the one on the left and it stayed up and then tried to press the one on the right up but when I did the switch on the left I just pressed up switched down again.

So I turned all sockets off and then both switches did stay up. So I slowly started to turn everything back on and until I got to the boiler and when I pugged that back in the switch went down again and all the sockets turned off again.

So I unplugged everything again and put the 2 switches back up again and they stayed up, so then started to turn plugs back on and back came on the comuter etc etc until I got to a wall socket which had an extension cable plugged into it which had my laptop and a few other things plugged in the same two switches on the electric board turned off again. So I turned off that said plug and put the two switches back up again and turned everything back on again and it didn't trip again. But I noticed that 2 hall wall sockets, 4 sockets in the living room, 2 in the bedroom, 2 in the 2nd bedroom were not working, but all the other sockets in the house were ok. The boiler was not working as the socket it was plugged into was not working so I used an extension cable and plugged the boiler into a socket that was working and thankfully the electric switches didn't flip again and the boiler has been working fine for 6 hours now.

All the switches on the fuse box are on now and in the picture even though half the sockets in the house are not working. Ofcourse I informed the letting agents who have not responded to my calls/texts/emails. I actually told them I had no electric, no heating, hot water at 1pm and they think I am living in darkness right now and didnt respond. I didnt update them with what has happened since I managed to get things working again to some extent as I was going to tell them when they got in touch.

I had a problem before with something else and they never responded at all(they dont have a office to walk into, they are just a virtual office and only contact is via email/phone/text but seldom do they reply), so I am thinking I am going to have to get in a electrician to sort this. However, I would like peoples thoughts on this as I would like to understand what could be the problem or what it sounds like as I am curious to understand more.

Any info appreciated.

https://postimg.org/gallery/2uoeyixb6/

https://postimg.org/image/3vy10j6v1/

 

[Echo the husky]

It's likely you have an insulation fault somewhere, as well as a loose connection. You will probably need an electrician to locate it. The first photo raises some concerns about the quality of the work, the second photo confirms it, the cheapest possible consumer unit you can buy, and no labels to identify what does what, it seems to be missing all the other required labelling too. The lack of a date tested label suggests it hasn't been tested either. I dread to think what the wiring is like inside the consumer unit.

 

[Edddd]

Remember to send a copy of the electrician's invoice to the letting agents with details of your attempts to contact them. Deduct the amount you paid from your next rent payment.

 

[blackcloud]

UPDATE

Thanks for all your replies.

yESTERDAY i Had an electrician in who said there is a break somewhere but couldn't find where the break was, he said would be a big job and means getting an electrical company in, probably involve pulling up the carpets etc...So he couldn't fix the issue sadly. He said it could be that the wiring is suspect as when whoever installed the writing they may have matched up the wrong cables, he said something to that effect. He checked the sockets and the fuse box and the appliances plugged in and couldn't find the fault. He did say who ever has done the electric work in this house has done a disgraceful job and aN Electrician needs to totally reconfigure wiring since it is all over the place.

Its just a small flat I live in but its an top floor flat that I have also a loft too.
Well at 3pm today the switch went again as usual which it does every few hours. I tried to turn it on but it would not stay on, so had no heating, hot water, no plugs working (still had lights).
I called an emergency electrician and he came out and and said "who installed this RCCB?!! its put in like an amature!" It was installed by the letting agents (thats another issue about the letting agents not helping and dont really want to go into that but they are not helping and I am having to get things done myself, but thats another issue)

Also he said there was a wiring fault somewhere and would mean a whole day of going though all the electric in the house to find out where it was and needs to totally reconfigure wiring since it is all over the place and that he has somehow bypassed the issue which means we will continue to get electric like we did before (ie everything working except 6 wall sockets). He assured me it would not fail (although not sure how he can assure me it wont fail) but it was only a temporary fix and it had to be fully repaired asap. I had to pay £120.00 for him to come out and fix it.

He checked the appliances like the other guy and the sockets and couldn't find any faults with them.

ANyhow, he said "Well the letting agents have a duty to repair this as its hazardous and needs fixing" I explained the letting agents are not helping and asked if he could do what needs to be done and he said he could be it would be around £400- £500 pounds and a whole day.

 

[DaveHerns]

Can you withhold payment of your rent until they sort the electrics?

 

[jj4091]

Don't withhold your rent. Ask the electrician for a written report & present it to the letting agent or landlord with a demand that the unsafe electrical installation is repaired within seven days. You won't have a leg to stand on as far as recovering costs if you pay yourself without everything in writing & giving them the opportunity to resolve the problem. Approach trading standards or local council environmental health dept. if they mess you about.

 

[WabbitPoo]

With-holding rent is a natural reaction, but a really bad idea. Getting into rent arrears can really screw up your situation. Go to CAB to start with, and/or get a solicitor to draft a letter to your agents AND to your landlord (you are legally allowed to know their contact details too). Keep us informed.

 

[Risteard]

It is very disconcerting that an "Electrician" thought it appropriate to bypass a safety device, even as a temporary measure.

 

[deadshort]

It is very disconcerting that an "Electrician" thought it appropriate to bypass a safety device, even as a temporary measure.

I thought he disconnected 6 sockets to 'bypass' the fault causing the issue ?

DS

 

[Echo the husky]

I thought he had disconnected a circuit to stop the tripping.

 

[Risteard]

I thought he disconnected 6 sockets to 'bypass' the fault causing the issue ?

DS

No. If you read the thread on MoneySavingExpert you will see that that simply isn't the case.

 

[Risteard]

I thought he had disconnected a circuit to stop the tripping.

No. Read the thread on MoneySavingExpert.

 

[Echo the husky]

Interesting.

 

[JohnW2]

No. If you read the thread on MoneySavingExpert you will see that that simply isn't the case.

where do we find that thread?

Kind Regards, John

 

[Echo the husky]

Here.