All electricity gone in apartment, blue flash prior...

N

NicolaM

Registered User
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762
Hi
Apparently all the electricity is gone in my apartment since yesterday, preceded by a blue flash...
My boyfriend has reset all the trip switches, no result, so has just removed the main fuse to try and get a replacement one at lunchtime.
He has said that the fuse doesn't look black or gray (I thought they did if they blow?)
I'm hoping that the main fuse is what the problem is (surely it must be?), but does anyone know if there is an external communal fuse box in apartment complexes? (which will involve calling management crowd to access it)
I'm out of Dublin at the moment so I can't do anything.

Any advise on above would be appreciated. I hope it won't be an emergency electrician job
Everything in the fridge/freezer now distroyed too, disaster

Nicola
 
It sounds like the main fuse is blown. This is the 63amp fuse behind the main trip switch. It woud take something fairly substantial to blow this so it would be best to get an electrician anyway.
 
I wonder what on earth could have blown it.

There is nothing in the apartment that uses electricity bar white goods, a computer, some lights, a kettle,toaster,telly, water pump and an iron!

His plan is just to replace the main fuse and see what happens..Is this unwise?

Nicola
 
Regardless of whether the new fuse works or not. I would strongly recommend getting an electrician to check out everything.
 
My old PC used to trip the switches until I replaced the fuse in it. It could be anything really. Through process of elimination, you'll find the culprit!
 
It looks like the actual main fuse has blown Smashbox, bit of a disaster.
I have absolutely no idea what might have caused it.
The blue flash came when he turned on the lights coming into the apartment...

Nicola
 
Oh! Well make sure you get professional help, electricity is a dangerous thing and ya need to know what you're doing!
 
There is a big difference between the main fuse blowing & a trip switch going down!
I would not recommend trying to find this problem by elimination. There are very few situations where any appliance would blow a main fuse.At best it will cost you a good few mains fuses. At worst it may be you do not find anything & everything will work. In which case you are leaving a potentially very dangerous fault unsolved.
For the sake of a few euros it would be best to get this checked bt a professional.
 
Yeah I read it wrong in my first post, seen white goods and assumed it was one of those as my PC always tripped switches. I then corrected myself Colm!
 
NPs.. hope it didn't sound like I was having a go at your post.I was just pointing out its a much more dangerous situation.
 
Have you asked any of your neighbours if their electricity is gone? This would rule out the main esb fuse for the building.

If your BF goes to an electrical wholesaler with the fuse they should have a continuity meter to tell if its blown or not.

I wouldn't replace a blown main fuse without at least opening the mcb board and checking everything is ok inside, doing some tests. Hence calling an electrician. There has to be a reason why the mcb didnt trip before the main fuse.
 
Turns out there is an external fuse box for all the apartments, going to get that checked.
I think it might have caused a problem before

Nicola
 
The external fuse had indeed tripped, and now electricity reigns supreme again

I've gotten my boyfriend to turn off the cooker fuse, pending an investigation by an electrician. I think that might be the culprit, it was newly installed in the last month.

Thanks for all the advise

Nicola
 

I very much doubt a cooker would blow a fuse outside of your apartment tbh. That would mean it didn't trip its own 32a mcb or the 63a fuse in your apartment, and tripped the 80a outside your apartment? Extremely unlikely..
 
Do you have any ideas what might have done it? (or what mechanism might have caused it..A large power surge from my apartment?)

I think there's somehting that should be earthing, but isn't.

This is the second time the outside fuse has tripped..It's very puzzling

Nicola
 
It is more likely to be a wiring problem between your apartment & the main landlord board.
Anything else should blow the main fuse at most.
 
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