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No power but trip switch not tripping?

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  • 05-01-2011 4:02pm
    #1
    iMADEtheBBC
    Registered Users Posts: 297 ✭✭


    I'm probably using the wrong terminology so please bear with me.

    All of the sockets in three rooms of our house are not working, plus the lights in one of those rooms.

    All three rooms are adjacent with 2 rooms on the ground floor and one on the top floor.

    I have had to go through the 17 switches on our 'board' and label most of them. Tedious but at least I can now narrow it down to two possible switches. I'm guessing that one of them protects the sockets for those 3 rooms and the other protects the lights in the 3rd room [ or might be un-used as the original builder put in cabling for external lights which were never installed ].

    There are 2 un-labelled switches on the board. At least one of them must have a problem. Neither physically trips and despite resetting the main ELCB trip switch I am still unable to get any power to the sockets in those 3 rooms (or the lights in 1 of them).

    I have unplugged everything in those rooms.

    The devices plugged in for those 3 rooms include an aquarium with a light & filter, a tortoise terranium with a couple of lights. These are usually on for most of the day. Other devices that are ocassionally on include lights and a computer.

    Is it possible for a trip switch to stay 'on' despite the fact that it has tripped? Or can they simply fail and need to be replaced ?

    House is ~10 years old and we've had no other electrical problems.


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    #2
    mchammer
    Registered Users Posts: 225 ✭✭mchammer


    i would think all of the rooms are wired on the same loop/circuit and possibly there is a loose wire in the back of one of the sockets causing the loop/circuit to fail. if thats not he case then there may be a bus bar loose in the fuse box - wouldn't go messin around with the fusebox tho..
    MC


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    #3
    iMADEtheBBC
    Registered Users Posts: 297 ✭✭iMADEtheBBC


    Thanks, sounds like I'll have to go through each of the sockets and look for a loose connection. Definitely won't be touching the MCB.

    I'll start with the most commonly used sockets where plugs are being unplugged most frequently.


    Thanks !


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    #4
    iMADEtheBBC
    Registered Users Posts: 297 ✭✭iMADEtheBBC


    Turns out it was a loose bus bar connection to one of the circuit breakers on the board. Fortunately the electrician I know was nearby and checked it out in 15 minutes.


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