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[Lazydocker]

I had a faulty RCD a couple of years ago. It had always been over-sensitive IMO but when it finally gave up it simply wouldn't hold in the on position at all!

Must admit that I replaced it myself because it was 9pm and we needed the power back on, but I was well aware (and very careful!) that there was nothing isolating the meter tails SWMBO was having a right old panic, but I just did it using a bit of the old common sense Don't touch any metal!

[Kevin Wood]

If you were to make a mistake while working in that area of the CU, then it would more than likely be your last as there is 100A sitting on the end of those tails and the only fuse in that scenario will be you (and you would fail at around 125mA).

And then some in a fault condition if you let them touch.

Whilst I'm quite comfortable working on most electrical stuff including, in the past, valve transmitters with 3kV of DC on the anode while sitting in a damp tent on top of a hill, I'd draw the line at replacing one of these live.

Faced with a similar predicament a few years ago (Wood and bakelite consumer unit that literally fell part in my hands as I was taking the cover off) I had no hesitation in cutting the seal and pulling the fuse out of the incomer.

I phoned up the leccy board and confessed and they didn't bat an eyelid. The seal was renewed at the next meter change a few years later without comment.

I'd probably be hung, drawn and quartered these days, of course.

[tigers_gonads]

If you were to make a mistake while working in that area of the CU, then it would more than likely be your last as there is 100A sitting on the end of those tails and the only fuse in that scenario will be you (and you would fail at around 125mA).

And then some in a fault condition if you let them touch.

Whilst I'm quite comfortable working on most electrical stuff including, in the past, valve transmitters with 3kV of DC on the anode while sitting in a damp tent on top of a hill, I'd draw the line at replacing one of these live.

Faced with a similar predicament a few years ago (Wood and bakelite consumer unit that literally fell part in my hands as I was taking the cover off) I had no hesitation in cutting the seal and pulling the fuse out of the incomer.

I phoned up the leccy board and confessed and they didn't bat an eyelid. The seal was renewed at the next meter change a few years later without comment.

I'd probably be hung, drawn and quartered these days, of course.

Not if your friendly electric board man gives you a bag of lead seals you don't 

As for the fault, start with the simple things first 

[Martian]

I had a faulty RCD a couple of years ago. It had always been over-sensitive IMO but when it finally gave up it simply wouldn't hold in the on position at all!

Must admit that I replaced it myself because it was 9pm and we needed the power back on, but I was well aware (and very careful!) that there was nothing isolating the meter tails SWMBO was having a right old panic, but I just did it using a bit of the old common sense Don't touch any metal!

That reminds me of an incident a couple of years ago when the other half watched me make a screwdriver completely disappear.

My partner in crime & I were on site in Farnham one day when the missus and her mate arrived to borrow the 4x4 so they could do whatever it was they were doing. I was connecting a lift to the 3 phase supply while it was still live (we couldn't kill the juice for various reasons) and I let my attention (plus the screwdriver I was holding) slip for a moment when the missus was asking me for the keys.
The uninsulated screwdriver I had chosen to use ended up shorting across 2 busbars, which resulted in an almighty bang accompanied with a flash of blinding light and a shed load of sparks as 200A @ 415V passed through the screwdriver blade.
While it certainly gave me a quick shot of fright, it made the missus (and her mate) properly crap themselves when it happened as they were only a few feet away 

The flash of light was so intense that everything I looked at for the next hour or so afterwards had that "Ready Brek" orange glow around it, and the only part of the screwdriver that could be found was the handle (at least it sort of looked like the handle).
The actual metal part of the screwdriver had been completely obliterated, save for the few small bits that were now welded to the busbars when the screwdriver first made contact.

My first mistake was using an uninsulated screwdriver, and my second mistake was allowing myself to be distracted with my pinkies inside a live board. As fortune would have it I was wearing rubber soled boots and stood on a fibreglass ladder at the time, if I hadn't then I suspect the outcome would have been quite different because 3 phase doesn't give you a chance like domestic 230 does.

Anyway, I digress.......the reason I put the word qualified in block caps is because I was unsure of your ability/confidence in playing with electricity.....and a simple oversight could quite easily result in early demise.

[Martian]

Faced with a similar predicament a few years ago (Wood and bakelite consumer unit that literally fell part in my hands as I was taking the cover off) I had no hesitation in cutting the seal and pulling the fuse out of the incomer.

I phoned up the leccy board and confessed and they didn't bat an eyelid. The seal was renewed at the next meter change a few years later without comment.

I'd probably be hung, drawn and quartered these days, of course.

Unbelievable as it sounds (for these days), the leccy board still don't raise an eyebrow when you phone them up and ask for a reseal because they know it is the ONLY way you can isolate the incoming supply in order to work on the meter tail side.

These days I tend to break the seal on the meter and drop the tails from there (always using an insulated screwdriver after my lesson at Farnham  ) as it's reasonably safe providing you don't take your eye off the ball. That method also removes the worry of someone sticking their pinkies in to the fuse carrier which has a live terminal exposed when the fuse is removed.

[tigers_gonads]

I had a faulty RCD a couple of years ago. It had always been over-sensitive IMO but when it finally gave up it simply wouldn't hold in the on position at all!

Must admit that I replaced it myself because it was 9pm and we needed the power back on, but I was well aware (and very careful!) that there was nothing isolating the meter tails SWMBO was having a right old panic, but I just did it using a bit of the old common sense Don't touch any metal!

That reminds me of an incident a couple of years ago when the other half watched me make a screwdriver completely disappear.

My partner in crime & I were on site in Farnham one day when the missus and her mate arrived to borrow the 4x4 so they could do whatever it was they were doing. I was connecting a lift to the 3 phase supply while it was still live (we couldn't kill the juice for various reasons) and I let my attention (plus the screwdriver I was holding) slip for a moment when the missus was asking me for the keys.
The uninsulated screwdriver I had chosen to use ended up shorting across 2 busbars, which resulted in an almighty bang accompanied with a flash of blinding light and a shed load of sparks as 200A @ 415V passed through the screwdriver blade.
While it certainly gave me a quick shot of fright, it made the missus (and her mate) properly crap themselves when it happened as they were only a few feet away 

The flash of light was so intense that everything I looked at for the next hour or so afterwards had that "Ready Brek" orange glow around it, and the only part of the screwdriver that could be found was the handle (at least it sort of looked like the handle).
The actual metal part of the screwdriver had been completely obliterated, save for the few small bits that were now welded to the busbars when the screwdriver first made contact.

My first mistake was using an uninsulated screwdriver, and my second mistake was allowing myself to be distracted with my pinkies inside a live board. As fortune would have it I was wearing rubber soled boots and stood on a fibreglass ladder at the time, if I hadn't then I suspect the outcome would have been quite different because 3 phase doesn't give you a chance like domestic 230 does.

Anyway, I digress.......the reason I put the word qualified in block caps is because I was unsure of your ability/confidence in playing with electricity.....and a simple oversight could quite easily result in early demise.

Memory lane moment 
Remember watching my dad working on a Hyster electric forklift one saturday morning when I was a kid.
He knocked a stilson off and it landed across the 2 main terminals 
First there was a spark ............... then like a low buzzing sound .............. then the tinker started to glow 
After one attempt at kicking it off, we ran away 

I knew he was the service manager there and they was nobody else working that day but don't know how he got away with that 

[Taxi_Driver]

I thought it may have been water getting into an outside light....doesnt seem so tho....ive disconnected them.....it still trips.
Went round and unplugged all the low energy bulbs.....it still trips.
Swapped the 5amp circuit breaker in the consumer unit with a spare i had......still trips

Out of ideas now.....so

Phoned a sparky....he's popping round to take a look....but if its not a quick fix.....he reckons he is free on Friday

[aaronjb]

Not if your friendly electric board man gives you a bag of lead seals you don't 

One of the things I noticed when I moved into my new place (1970 built, 1970 electrics, 1970 gas meter..) was that there were no seals on anything in the cupboard - not the fuse, not the gas meter, nothing. Still, at least it means nobody can tell..

[Taxi_Driver]

job jobbed 

Sparky has just left, cost me £100, but at least the lights stay on now....

Bet you carnt guess what the problem was.....the sparky reckons its a fairly common fault....

[aaronjb]

Bet you carnt guess what the problem was.....the sparky reckons its a fairly common fault....

Dog hair in a light switch?

[Taxi_Driver]

Bet you carnt guess what the problem was.....the sparky reckons its a fairly common fault....

Dog hair in a light switch?

Nope.....

He changed all lighting wiring in the loft above the kitchen that fed the downlighters......but the fault was still there.....

[aaronjb]

Spider in a downlight?

[Taxi_Driver]

Spider in a downlight?

Nope.....i gave you a clue in my last post.......he didnt replace the cable for fun.......and it was pvc type cable.

Then he moved onto the bathroom, which is downstairs next to the kitchen and has a flat roof of it.
So no easy access to the wiring.
However his mega, showed no fault in the bathroom wiring. tested at the switch for the bathroom light.........

[Gaffers]

Faulty light fitting caused by heat/sub-standard manufacturing?

[Lazydocker]

Rodent damage Sure you had furry visitors recently