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Narrow escape last night

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  • 03-02-2013 11:35pm
    #1
    ThreeLineWhip
    Closed Accounts Posts: 473 ✭✭


    Had a narrow escape last night.

    Lights were flickering last evening, I thought nothing of it as the neighbours do weld from time to time. Was going to bed and the power went completely. Grabbed a torch and checked main board, all grand. Went outside to check the ESB meter and it was blank so that meant it was a problem on their side as neighbours still had power.

    I went inside and rang ESB networks who said someone would call at first light. Off to bed I goes. Woke up at 6am to find the electricity back on.

    Around 11 the ESB man shows up and I tells him we have power. He checks the meter box and discovers a loose connection and a red hot main fuse. ESB replaced the main fuse and put in new tails.

    A lucky escape as a fire could have resulted.

    Here is the culprit.
    2881r4n.jpg


Comments

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    #2
    Bruthal
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,422 ✭✭✭✭Bruthal


    The risk of fire from this type of loose connection is low anyway.


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    #3
    ThreeLineWhip
    Closed Accounts Posts: 473 ✭✭ThreeLineWhip


    The main fuse was red hot and had become visibly discoloured.


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    #4
    2011
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional East Moderators Posts: 12,593 Mod ✭✭✭✭2011


    ThreeLineWhip wrote: »
    The main fuse was red hot and had become visibly discoloured.
    Not an ideal situation, but fuses are designed to get hot.
    Fuses blow under overload conditions because the internal conductor gets so hot that it melts.


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    #5
    Bruthal
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,422 ✭✭✭✭Bruthal


    ThreeLineWhip wrote: »
    The main fuse was red hot and had become visibly discoloured.

    Seen a fair few fuse board main fuses melt the plastic in the board around them, and insulation burnt very badly etc. I wouldn`t say zero risk of fire, but it wouldn`t be high risk.

    If there was a high risk of fire, we would see a lot more fires. Badly burnt main connections and fuses are far more common than fires caused by them. Id say such fires are probably very rare.

    Still obviously good to get it sorted.


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    #6
    ThreeLineWhip
    Closed Accounts Posts: 473 ✭✭ThreeLineWhip


    Odd that it failed at the point of least load on the system i.e. at 2am. Would there be any reason for this?


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    #7
    Bruthal
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,422 ✭✭✭✭Bruthal


    2011 wrote: »
    Not an ideal situation, but fuses are designed to get hot.
    Fuses blow under overload conditions because the internal conductor gets so hot that it melts.

    In this case its not overloading that caused it by the look of it. Bad connection or loose fuse if it was the screw in type.


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    #8
    Bruthal
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,422 ✭✭✭✭Bruthal


    ThreeLineWhip wrote: »
    Odd that it failed at the point of least load on the system i.e. at 2am. Would there be any reason for this?

    If the bad connection failed, it was probably just because it was burned badly until it just failed. They often become intermittent and then just fail, sometimes coming back on again after a while.

    If fuse went, it would be because it was deteriorating from the continuous overheating.


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    #9
    2011
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional East Moderators Posts: 12,593 Mod ✭✭✭✭2011


    Bruthal wrote: »
    In this case its not overloading that caused it by the look of it.
    I did not suggest that it was.


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