Electricity surge damages equipment, is electricity supplier liable?

L

landmarkjohn

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There was electricity work going on in my estate last week (ESB vans all parked around the cabinet on the road and a nursing home being built close by and power cut for a whilst) Since then my subwoofer (€150) has stop working and a dimmer switch (€20).

Examination of subwoofer revealed burned components likely caused by a spike.

Do I have any claim from my supplier Airtricity or ESB networks? Maybe my house insurance though I don't think I would like to make a claim for such a small amount?

Anyone had experience of this? Thanks.
 
I find it hard to see how your subwoofer could burn out and the trip switch not kick in, but I'm not expert and perhaps this did happen?
 
If the subwoofer was in isolation maybe but the dimmer going as well added a bit of weight to my theory, tricky to prove though! The subwoofer is in an "on" state all the time but I guess so is the fridge.

I am curious to know if anyone has ever been reimbursed for this type of event.
 
I think you may need to state your case in the askaboutlaw forum.

Your problem seems to be causality i.e. the difficulty in proving it.
 
onq said:
I find it hard to see how your subwoofer could burn out and the trip switch not kick in, but I'm not expert and perhaps this did happen?
Click to expand...

MCB's will not trip on over voltage, but semiconductors in the subwoofer certainly can be damaged by a spike.

But as you have stated the big problem the OP has is trying to prove it.
 
Don't know if this is helpful but one of the German retailers is selling anti-surge protection which is very useful for devices such as this.
 
Good point Eithneangela, the manufacturers of sensitive electronics usually recommend the use of such protection. In some cases, the warranty may be dependant on it.
Leo
 
Why would the semiconductors go in the subwoofer, should the amplifier not have gone first?
 
I'm guessing it's an active sub-woofer, and so will have it's own power supply. It'll also have a low-pass filter circuit that could be sensitive as well.

Chances are the amp is of better quality, and so is less susceptible to surges.
 
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