sockets tripping! help!

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dereko1969

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the last two nights just after 11pm the tripswitch tripped but only for our sockets, lights and everything else were okay. the system wasn't overloaded, think the only thing on was the freezer, a bedside lamp and the immersion switch oh and the pc. never had this problem before and can't seem to de-trip the switch straight away so have to leave it off overnight and then can do it in the morning. freezer seems okay so far. any suggestions?
 
If this keeps happening, then using a process of elimination you should be able to rule out the appliances and sockets until you get to the source of the problem.

Try leaving the immersion off for a night, plugging in the appliances in alternative sockets, leaving alternate ones unplugged, etc. With the power switched off, you could also remove the plate from the sockets and look for traces of burning where arcing may be occuring between terminals.
Leo
 
Had this problem before and it ran for almost a year before we figured it out. Sockets on the one fuse would trip. They could not be untripped until hours later. So some phenomenon was appearing for a few hours at a time, then disappearing.

Turned out to be water, leaking through a crack behind the sink, making wires to a kitchen socket damp. After a few hours the wires dried out and the electricity could go on again. Copped it one day when during a particularly vigorous washing up bout the power went. The obviousness of it (solutions always seem obvious once you find them) drove us demented.

So check for water sources, damp leaking behind sinks, baths, immersion or whatever. The tiniest amount of moisture near electricity wires will temporarily trip the supply, and the problem will right itself when things dry out..

But if you don't find out fast, get an electrician. Dodgy things happening with electricity at home aren't to be treated lightly. Though two electricians came and went without copping it in our case......
 
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Hi derek1969
Could you clarify 2 thing's
Is it the MCB for the circuit, or The ELCB(Usualy blue switch with "TEST" button) that's triping?

Deos anything happen at 11-timer's?(imersion?), night storage heating??
 
I had this problem last week (ELCB) tripping and all sockets out. turned out to be the dishwasher... although not in use at the time, there was a part at the back that controls interference to the machine & it was causing it until the dishwasher was unplugged.
So... check those appliances that are plugged in but may not be in use?

dillons
 
I am having the same problem, the sparks has checked all plugs and said nothing is wrong. I'm not living in house yet so trip the main switch everynight just to be on the safe side and when I come in the next day the plugs are tripped again eventhough there no power. This was happening before we had running water or any electrical devices were connected.

Any ideas?
 
Coleen44 said:
I am having the same problem, the sparks has checked all plugs and said nothing is wrong.
Click to expand...
Something must be wrong if things are tripping. Try another sparks!
when I come in the next day the plugs are tripped again eventhough there no power
Click to expand...
What do you mean by this? That the switch for sockets on the "fuse" board has tripped even though the main switch was off!?
 
Yep, the switch for sockets on the "fuse" board has tripped even though the main switch was off.
 
If it is the RCD (ELCB's as mentioned previously are mostly obsolete) that is tripping and it is consistent, I suggest that night by night you leave one associated MCB (20A breakers to left or right of RCD) turned down/off.

Find out which MCB being off eliminates the tripping of the RCD. Reconfirm this one more night and then turn it back on to verify that fault re-appears. You should then be able to isolate (stuff not functioning) all items on that circuit.

Remember when isolating circuit items afterwards, it is best to physically plug out and disconnect items as opposed to just switching off at socket or appliance. Switching usually only isolates live, whereby RCD's will alse react to a neutral fault.
 
Something very wrong there, get another sparks to check it asap! The main switch should isolate the entire installation, in this case it sounds like it isn't.

Do you get power to any sockets with the main switch turned off? How did the sparks check the sockets, was it just a visual inspection or did he use something like [broken link removed]?
 
I wasn't in the house so don't know what he used, I did try to isolate before but I didn't unplug everything so will try that and see what happens.

Thanks a mill for all your help.
 
If the RCD is tripping with the power turned off, I would suspect that the neutral wire is making some sort of contact with the earth, which would most likely be at the back of a socket where the insulation on the neutral may be pinched.
The RCD will trip with the power on also, so you will have to get to the bottom of the problem.
Your electrician is going to have to test the socket cables at the MCB board to verify no low resistance between neutral and earth.
 
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