what could be causing this!

[JohnW2]

I never said I was against speaking to neighbours or calling in a spark.

Maybe not as such, but you repeatedly seemed to be suggesting that you thought the first thing to be done should be to contact the DNO. Given the amount of time the DNO might well take to investigate an issue which only manifested itself for seconds once every few days, I still believe that it would be potentially dangerous to do that as the first step and then do nothing else until the DNO had reached some conclusion.

As stated, 2019 has started having frequent blips and this started recently. That's different to your issue where you have blips with gaps of several months between instances.

It's not 'my issue' (which only got mentioned in passing) that is the point.

Opinions clearly vary, and I can only offer my personal view. If I were experiencing the same as the OP, and if none of my neighbours (having questioned a good few, since some would be on different phases) were having similar experiences, then I would not be comfortable to just inform the DNO and wait for them to hopefully do something. As I said previously, I would consider the possibility that the problem could be due to a fault within my installation (e.g. a loose connection) which might represent an ongoing fire hazard if it went un-investigated, and hence not detected or remedied, for an appreciable period of time.

On the other hand, if one or more neighbours were having similar experiences, then I would be reasonably reassured that the problem (whether remedial or not) was outside of my property, and I therefore would probably be happy to wait for the DNO to deliberate.

Kind Regards, John

 

[Risteard]

As I alluded to, @2019 will not have a DNO but the DSO which is ESB Networks.

 

[JohnW2]

As I alluded to, @2019 will not have a DNO but the DSO which is ESB Networks.

True, and I suppose it could be argued that the whole of this thread is in the wrong forum, and should be moved to "Electrics outside the UK".

Kind Regards, John

 

[scousespark]

Regardless of it being an installation in Eire, the advice I offered still stands.
I did indeed say the supplier would be the first point of call. IME, the scenario described points at a supply problem.
I’ve not come across a loose connection in a CU popping in and out every couple of days. I’m not saying this can’t happen,
The problem with relying on neighbours is the reliability of their responses. The DSO will be able to monitor the network and their fault finding will be more reliable.

 

[JohnW2]

I did indeed say the supplier would be the first point of call. IME, the scenario described points at a supply problem. ... I’ve not come across a loose connection in a CU popping in and out every couple of days. I’m not saying this can’t happen, ...

It may, of course, be a supply problem, but there are definitely other possibilities. As I wrote above ....

... two or three years ago, a friend of mine experienced similar - a few weeks of periodic very brief 'glitches' in his electricity supply. However, his neighbours were not experiencing the same and, when an electrician inspected his installation, it transpired that there was a very loose connection in his CU (can't remember whether it was Main Switch, RCD or what) - which clearly represented an ongoing fire risk. Once that was sorted out, he had no problems. Had he waited for the DNO to investigate a possible very occasional issue with their network, he could have suffered a house fire whilst he was waiting!

... and if you don't believe that a loose/faulty connection in a CU can result in a house fire, I suggest you take that up with whoever in the LFB was responsible for the ('very questionable', in many people's minds) requirements we now have for 'non-combustible' domestic CUs!

The problem with relying on neighbours is the reliability of their responses.

I don't really understand your opposition to canvassing neighbours. As you say, such information is not necessarily reliable, but it is pretty 'fail safe' .... if neighbours are not aware of similar problems, then one is in the same position as if one hadn't asked them, and so takes whatever steps one would have taken (contacting DNO and/or whatever) had one not spoken to the neighbours. If, on the other hand, neighbours report similar issues, then that reinforces the belief that the problem is probably outside of one's property, which means that one might be more reassured that one was not at risk of a house fire if one's plan were to wait for the DNO to investigate.

To put it in personal terms, if I were experiencing the same as the OP, I would question my neighbours. If none of them had noticed any similar issues, I would immediately investigate (or have investigated) my own installation. If a cause were found in my installation, and was remedied, that would presumably be the end of the matter, but if nothing could be found in my installation, I would contact the DNO. If neighbours were experiencing very similar problems, I would probably be happy to just contact the DNO and see if that could find a remedial cause on their side of my cutout.

However, as I say, that's just the personal view of a non-electrician, and maybe I am over-cautious. Particularly if you believe that the probability is negligible that occasional power glitches could be due to a fault in an installation which could represent a fire risk, then you may think differently from me (and perhaps also the LFB!).

Kind Regards, John

 

[scousespark]

2019 has posted that the problem started recently and he experiences loss of power every few nights. He has also stated he has had work done on his lighting circuit.
Given this, my suspicion would be that the issue is in the supply. If 209 had said he had had some work done in his CU, my suspicion would be focused there.

I have therefore, advised to call his distributor who will be able to check the network.
I did not advise he does not speak to neighbours or to not call an electrician.

FYI, I have never posted that a loose connection is not a fire risk.

 

[JohnW2]

Given this, my suspicion would be that the issue is in the supply.

Your suspicion may well be correct and, if it is, I would think it is likely that it will be affecting at least some neighbouring properties.

I have therefore, advised to call his distributor who will be able to check the network.

You have - and you presumably agree that such checking could take an appreciable period of time, given that we are talking about an issue which apparently only manifests itself for a very brief period of time very occasionally.

I did not advise he does not speak to neighbours or to not call an electrician.

You didn't, although you mentioned the unreliability of information from neighbours a number of times.

However, what you don't seem to have taken into consideration is the fact that, faced with some problem, the majority of people do not put two or more lines of parallel responses to the problem into action simultaneously. Hence, when advised to respond to their problem by taking action A, the majority would wait until A had reached some conclusion before taking action B, C or whatever. In other words, when advised to contact the DNO, most people would interpret that as advice not to contact an electrician until after the DNO had undertaken all their investigations and reached a conclusion.

FYI, I have never posted that a loose connection is not a fire risk.

You haven't - so I presume that the fact that you have advised the OP to contact the DNO (in which case, as above, he would very probably wait for DNO investigation to be completed before he contacted anyone else) means that you must think that the probability of his issues being due to a 'loose connection' (which you now seem to acknowledged represents a risk of fire) is 'negligible'.

If that's your professional view, then fair enough. As I said, as a non-professional (in this field) I would be inclined to take a more cautious approach - but it would be a boring world if we all had the same opinions!

Kind Regards, John

 

[scousespark]

You advised to ask his neighbours. If your premise that people only take one cation at a time is correct, at what point would you expect him to take the next step.
It is not a given that his neighbours would be affected, or have noticed if they were.

 

[JohnW2]

You advised to ask his neighbours. If your premise that people only take one cation at a time is correct, at what point would you expect him to take the next step. It is not a given that his neighbours would be affected, or have noticed if they were.

As I wrote a few minutes ago ... if I found no neighbours who had experienced, or had noticed that they had experienced, very similar problems, then I would immediately take steps to have my installation inspected. If one or more neighbours were aware of very similar issues, then I would probably be happy to just contact the DNO and let their investigations 'take their course'.

... but, as I said, I tend to be fairly cautious and contemplate worst-case (even if improbable) scenarios!

Kind Regards, John

 

[scousespark]

I don't think we are far apart here. The difference being that step A for me would be to call the distributor and yours is to ask around. My advice just gets the ball rolling quicker.

 

[JohnW2]

I don't think we are far apart here. The difference being that step A for me would be to call the distributor and yours is to ask around. My advice just gets the ball rolling quicker.

As I've said, my concern would be that I think most people would only do one thing at a time - so, if they called the DNO as the first step, they would then probably wait until the DNO had concluded its investigations (which could be quite a long time) before considering doing anything else.

In other words, my fear that it would, indeed, 'get moving quicker' (although probably only by an hour or five - how long does it take to talk to neighbours!!) the ball that was likely to proceed the most slowly, whilst delaying, perhaps appreciably, getting moving the balls which could move more rapidly and which, in some situations, could be the ones most crucial to safety.

Kind Regards, John

 

[scousespark]

I cannot see us ever agreeing on anything. I am not the only person recommending 2019 contact his supplier, as they have access to their network.

 

[bernardgreen]

I cannot see us ever agreeing on anything.

Some people can never agree......they seem to be programmed to disagree with who-ever spoke last.

 

[JohnW2]

I cannot see us ever agreeing on anything. I am not the only person recommending 2019 contact his supplier, as they have access to their network.

Indeed - and, as I have said, I have no problem, per se, with the OP contacting the supplier - and, as you have said, that might possibly result in resolution of the issue..

As you know, my concern is that, in response to the advice he's received, the OP might only contact the DNO, and then wait (perhaps for an appreciable period of time) for them to undertake and complete their investigation etc.

In that respect, you are right - that I would never agree (with anyone) that that was a wise course, since (particularly in the absence of the 'reassurance' of knowing that neighbours were having similar experiences), there is an (albeit extremely small) possibility that such an approach could leave the OP living with an ongoing fire risk in his house for an appreciable, maybe even considerable, period of time.

As I said, maybe it's just that I'm over-cautious and over-safety-conscious.

Kind Regards, John