Electrician recommendation for proper fault finding south dublin / north wicklow

MuffinsDa

We have an old house that has been extended over time in a hodge-podge way by previous owners and with a mix of new and some old wiring.

A few days ago, the trip switch for the circuit covering the gas boiler tripped (without boiler running, so probably nothing to do with the boiler). I inspected a few things (I have a degree in electrical engineering but I'm not an electrician) and couldn't see anything obvious. We have had issues with that section of wiring before and previous two electricians were not willing to spend time to properly figure what's wrong. I am not looking for someone willing to spend time to figure out what's wrong there and fix it properly without sucking air through his teeth while saying "I'll need to rewire your whole house for 10K" Although we might do that in the next couple of years as part of a revamping of the whole house but not just yet !

Any recommendation on someone that can help doing a bit of electrical detective work?

2011

MuffinsDa wrote: »

A few days ago, the trip switch for the circuit covering the gas boiler tripped (without boiler running, so probably nothing to do with the boiler).

MCBs provide over current protection, therefore you either have a phase to earth or phase to neutral fault. Assuming that the boiler has a dedicated circuit (they generally do) the fault is either within the boiler itself or on the circuit supplying the boiler.

An insulation resistance test on the circuit will determine whether the circuit is ok or not. A 10MΩ reading should be easily achieved on a healthy circuit. If the fault is within the boiler you will need a RGI technician to look at it.

Edit: The fault could be due to water shorting something out.

MuffinsDa

2011 thanks for valuable info, much appreciated.

I suspect water ingress might play a role, it happened after the heavy rain after the dry period. The boiler is a short distance from the circuit breaker so porbaby in worst case scenario they can run new cables across and kill the possibly shorting circuit.

2011

MuffinsDa wrote: »

I suspect water ingress might play a role, it happened after the heavy rain after the dry period.

This is often the cause of intermittent faults.

The boiler is a short distance from the circuit breaker so porbaby in worst case scenario they can run new cables across and kill the possibly shorting circuit.

Yes, remember other boiler related wiring is most likely on the same circuit such as stats, zone valves and the time clock.

Nicknamed

I’m also looking for a good detective electrician.
Can some one please PM me for South Dublin Dun Laoghaire area.
Will be very thankful.

2011

Nicknamed wrote: »

I’m also looking for a good detective electrician.
Can some one please PM me for South Dublin Dun Laoghaire area.
Will be very thankful.

What is the issue?
Please describe what is happening as best you can.

Nicknamed

2011 wrote: »

What is the issue?
Please describe what is happening as best you can.

One of The small circuit breaker trips. It seems many appliances are on the same line as two heaters fridge electrical kettle and dishwasher all trip together.

The dishwasher has now stopped working and just keeps on beeping.

Many thanks

2011

Nicknamed wrote: »

One of The small circuit breaker trips. It seems many appliances are on the same line as two heaters fridge electrical kettle and dishwasher all trip together.

The dishwasher has now stopped working and just keeps on beeping.

Many thanks

Is this an intermittent fault or is it continuously present?

Nicknamed

2011 wrote: »

Is this an intermittent fault or is it continuously present?

Intermittent. Now we have stopped using dishwasher

2011

Nicknamed wrote: »

Intermittent. Now we have stopped using dishwasher

This may be due to a leak in or around the dishwasher. Look around the dishwasher socket and see if it is wet or damp.

Unplug the dishwasher, see if the problem persists. The dishwasher could still cause this issue when it is plugged in even if switched off.

It could also be the circuit is simply overloaded. You could use an extension lead to supply the dishwasher from another circuit to see if that resolves the issue (as a temporary measure to diagnose the problem).

Nicknamed

Would an electrician be able to divide the appliances to different circuits?
Re dishwasher can I just pull it forward to have a look. Tried pulling one before and the water pipe behind burst with my handling

2011

Nicknamed wrote: »

Would an electrician be able to divide the appliances to different circuits?

Anything is possible, the question is how easy and expensive is it to do.
This may not be the issue at all. I am just stating a couple of things that it could be based on the information provided. It really needs to be looked at to assess the issue properly.

Re dishwasher can I just pull it forward to have a look. Tried pulling one before and the water pipe behind burst with my handling

The socket is often to the side of the dishwasher, not behind it. Try looking at the back of adjacent cupboards.