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I have been having some major electrical problems that @kezo has been very kindly advising me on, so I’ve opened a new thread here as I’m conscious that it was dominating my ‘The Search Begins’ thread and was completely off topic.
@kezo The Wylex MCB tripped off yet again last night and that was with the underfloor heating, towel rail, washing machine, tumble drier, shed and security light all switched off. Presumably this means that we can now eliminate all of those things as being the cause? Hope so as I’ve switched them all back on. Is that OK?The only other things powered from sockets in the extension are now our bedroom (bedside lamps, clock radio, phone, hairdryer) and the rear living room (TV, Sky, BluRay, Soundbar, 2 x electric armchairs and a multi point extension lead that we use to charge our mobiles, iPads etc). I might switch all of them off when I go to bed tonight, on the basis that the last two nights the trip has happened overnight / very early morning. I am assuming that the bedroom is unlikely to be the cause?
That then leaves me with the final test where I switch off all 4 MCBs on the extension consumer unit (but leave the main switch on). As I understand it, if it still trips in that scenario then we have completely ruled out any appliance or device being the cause and it has to be either the Wylex unit or the main cable linking that with the extension consumer unit. Am I correct so far?
Can all these trips be damaging / weakening the new 80a main incoming fuse that the chap from Western Power Distribution fitted last week? I know that it won’t be doing the Wylex Unit or MCB any good, but we are going to replace that regardless.
I’ll let you respond to this post first, but I’ve written out all the things you suggested I talk to my electrician about and I’d be grateful if I could play them back to you as I have a few questions about some of them? Many thanks as always.
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@Glos Guy At what plan will the “Blowing up the house” Be? Will you be hiring @Kezo for demolition?
If the house blows up there will be demolishing involved as the gas supply will finish what the electrics started and the mains water wll put out any fire by the time the firebrigade arrived 🤣🤣
I shall leave on a positive note by saying, the house will not blow up and that I have acted proffesionally to prevent Glos Guy from being frazzled or sent on a joy ride across the the room by not encouraging him to touch any live conductors ⚡😉
Indeed Glos Guy, I think I would save demolishing for myself to. I have been following the thread for a while now. Home electrics can be a real PITA. It looks like your close to a solution so Good luck with it.
Joss
Current car: Peugeot 308 GT Premium 1.2 Pure tech Petrol.
Coming soon...BMW X2 sDrive 20i M Sport 5dr Step Auto In November 2025Morning Glos-Guy I am intrigued to kow whether it tripped over night?
Change of plan @kezo
Electrician came yesterday and before fitting the replacement box for the Wylex he tested the RCD in the extension. Something wasn’t right so he did more tests and checking behind a socket in the extension something was lighting up on his testing device that shouldn’t (don’t ask me to explain what). Further tests on the supply to the extension consumer box showed the insulation (?) test that was 0.18 last week is now down to 0.06. More tests showed that the problem was between the two boxes, rather than in the extension. He says he’s about 95% certain that the problem is the cable between the main supply and the extension.
I’ve therefore told him not to mess around with setting up a temporary cable between the two, but to go straight to plan C which is to re-wire that link between the two. He’s going to do it on Tuesday, and connect the new box at the same time, so we are still without power in the extension but my workarounds aren’t making this too problematic. It seems that both of these things are best done, regardless of whether that cures the tripping problem or not. Hopefully it will but, if it doesn’t, then at least those two aspects are eliminated.
Insulation Resitance test (IR) of 0.06M Ohmes, would be near darn accurate, as the optimal temperature to carry out the test is 20c, which would be near to the temperature it was yesterday morning!
Obviously he will do a full RCD test on completion, to check its working as should.
Replacing the cable now, will hopefully future proof you for many years, so not a waste either way. The other advantage, you get it all done in one go, rather than in bits and bobs 🙂
It might be worthwile asking your electrician to run some 4 core cat 5 cable alongside the power, leaving it coiled up in the void in the porch and in the trunking that goes up the wall to the extension consumer unit. In the future if your were to have a charger fitted or chose on to charge a PHEV, the cat 5 is already in situ, for use with a CT clamp.
It might be worthwile asking your electrician to run some 4 core cat 5 cable alongside the power, leaving it coiled up in the void in the porch and in the trunking that goes up the wall to the extension consumer unit. In the future if your were to have a charger fitted or chose on to charge a PHEV, the cat 5 is already in situ, for use with a CT clamp.
I’m not going to go back to him yet again, as I think my questioning and ‘suggestions’ are possibly getting close to the limit of his tolerance 😂 . He’s using a power cable that he says will make an EV charger easier to install, including in the garage, but as I don’t intend to get one in a hurry anyway then that’s enough for now. We might get a PHEV but will just charge off a 3 pin plug. As Motability only pay for chargers for full EVs, I wouldn’t pay for one for a PHEV as that would wipe out any saving, and I’m already a little sceptical about whether a PHEV is going to save enough to warrant the hassle of charging every time I use the car!
I just want to leave him to get the new setup sorted ASAP. He seems confident that will solve our problems, but knowing our luck I’m not as confident!
He has more patience than me mate! I would have handed you the tools by now and told you to get on with it 😂
Given two of us have come to the same area’s of conclusion, you have got to confident, otherwise you will be loosing sleep 😊
Hi @kezo I haven’t wanted to post before now for fear of tempting fate 🫣
Anyway, update as follows. The new supply to the extension went live last Thursday. It ended up taking him just over 2 days to do it (thankfully his hourly rate is very reasonable). I am pleased and relieved to report that we haven’t had any power trips since. The external thick black cable on a rendered wall looks awful, but I need to get the house painted next year (we have it done every 10 years) so painting the cable will be part of it 😂
We aren’t 100% confident that the problem is resolved yet as we haven’t had any rain since and some of the previous trips had been during or after rainfall, but there is rain due from Wednesday onwards so it will have a test before we go on holiday. Then, of course, it will be interesting to see if the power holds during the 2 weeks we are away.
Once again, sincere thanks for all your advice and assistance. My stress levels have now eased!
Hi @kezo I haven’t wanted to post before now for fear of tempting fate
Anyway, update as follows. The new supply to the extension went live last Thursday. It ended up taking him just over 2 days to do it (thankfully his hourly rate is very reasonable). I am pleased and relieved to report that we haven’t had any power trips since. The external thick black cable on a rendered wall looks awful, but I need to get the house painted next year (we have it done every 10 years) so painting the cable will be part of it 
We aren’t 100% confident that the problem is resolved yet as we haven’t had any rain since and some of the previous trips had been during or after rainfall, but there is rain due from Wednesday onwards so it will have a test before we go on holiday. Then, of course, it will be interesting to see if the power holds during the 2 weeks we are away. Once again, sincere thanks for all your advice and assistance. My stress levels have now eased!I honestly think you can put your mind a ease and just go away and enjoy yourself 🙂
Going forward, the Type C MCB in the meter box replacement consumer will protect the new supply cable as should and help with any surge’s coming from the transformer, leaving the MCB’s in the extension unit to do their job protecting the individul. circuits they supply.
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