Changed a light now sockets wont work

ih8smellies · 30-01-2015 7:58pm #1

Hi,

I changed a lightbulb in the house and as soon as i did that all the sockets in the house went off. There is a blue switch with E.L.C.B under it that has tripped. I have unplugged everything and tried to push the switch back up. It continues to trip back down.

Anyone got any ideas why this is happening ?

Thanks

triggermortis · 30-01-2015 8:01pm

Take out the lightbulb you replaced, and leave it out and see if the circuit breaker will reset now. Might be a problem with the light socket, loose wiring, damp or damaged insulation. Only look at this with the breaker open!!

ih8smellies · 30-01-2015 8:15pm

triggermortis wrote: »

Take out the lightbulb you replaced, and leave it out and see if the circuit breaker will reset now. Might be a problem with the light socket, loose wiring, damp or damaged insulation. Only look at this with the breaker open!!

Ok tried that. E.L.C.B is still tripping. This lightbulb was working until a day or 2 ago. Anything else i could do ?

foxy farmer · 30-01-2015 8:55pm

If you have a modern type fuseboard try the following.
Flick down all the MCBs to the off position. Leave the ELCB in On position.
Put the bulb back in.
Push up MCBs one by one until ELCB trips. This will identify circuit causing trouble. Leave this MCB down.
Push up the rest of the MCBs.
Sometimes a bit of persistence resetting ELCB sorts the problem.

ih8smellies · 30-01-2015 9:16pm

The ELCB won't actually stay up. I have even turned off the main fuse and tried to push the ELCB up still won't stay.

triggermortis · 30-01-2015 9:18pm

sounds like the ELCB itself is the problem

ih8smellies · 30-01-2015 9:21pm

Thanks for the advice, looks like i have to get an electrician in the morning so.

solargain · 30-01-2015 9:34pm

Neutral to earth fault

30-01-2015 9:55pm

triggermortis wrote: »

sounds like the ELCB itself is the problem

+1

If the ELCB will not stay on when the main switch is off the ELCB itself is faulty.

30-01-2015 9:57pm

Time to get an electrician.

BTW nowadays ELCBs are referred to as "RCDs".

Bruthal · 30-01-2015 10:13pm

2011 wrote: »

+1

If the ELCB will not stay on when the main switch is off the ELCB itself is faulty.

Likely alright, but not absolutely certain.

Had one case I remember, replaced fuse board with mcb board. Rcd tripping. Even with main switch off.

If rcd won't reset when it's disconnected from the db, then it is faulty.

foxy farmer · 30-01-2015 10:23pm

OP are you in an urban or rural area? If rural I've had 2 incidents where the same complaint was caused by a badly maintained neighbouring electric fence .

AnnaStezia · 30-01-2015 10:33pm

Fascinating. How did the fences cause the problem ?

ih8smellies · 30-01-2015 10:40pm

foxy farmer wrote: »

OP are you in an urban or rural area? If rural I've had 2 incidents where the same complaint was caused by a badly maintained neighbouring electric fence .

I live in a city centre so can't be a fence related problem. Landlord can pay for the call out fee on a Saturday.

foxy farmer · 30-01-2015 10:41pm

AnnaStezia wrote: »

Fascinating. How did the fences cause the problem ?

Electric fence earthing by being buried in vegetation. While testing for fault my meter readings were pulsing and i could actually hear it tick through the meter.

Risteard81 · 30-01-2015 11:16pm

Neutral/Earth fault by the sounds of it. Contact a competent Electrician (REC).

Bruthal · 31-01-2015 12:56am

Interesting that a house light tripped rcd all the same, although maybe it didn't.

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy · 31-01-2015 12:59am

Has the rcd tripped and you just need to reset it? Push it down first then all the way back up.

CJ Haughey · 31-01-2015 1:00am

Bruthal wrote: »

Interesting that a house light tripped rcd all the same, although maybe it didn't.

Maybe the lighting is going through the the rcd/elcb?

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy · 31-01-2015 1:00am

The Cunning Linguist wrote: »

Has the rcd tripped and you just need to reset it? Push it down first then all the way back up.

Just to clarify, when it's down push it down again, then up.

Bruthal · 31-01-2015 1:10am

CJ Haughey wrote: »

Maybe the lighting is going through the the rcd/elcb?

Of course, just not usual for internal lights besides bathroom ones. Also probably unusual for a light bulb to have an earth fault.

If a neutral/earth fault at light fitting which is through rcd, it would normally clear when circuit affected is switched off, or has no load on.

Although in my earlier mentioned one where rcd was tripping even with main switch off, it was neutral connected to earth at a socket causing it.

Bruthal · 31-01-2015 1:11am

The Cunning Linguist wrote: »

Just to clarify, when it's down push it down again, then up.

Yes op could try that.

CJ Haughey · 31-01-2015 1:15am

Bruthal wrote: »

Of course, just not usual for internal lights besides bathroom ones. Also probably unusual for a light bulb to have an earth fault.

If a neutral/earth fault at light fitting which is through rcd, it would normally clear when circuit affected is switched off.

Although in my earlier mentioned one where rcd was tripping even with main switch off, it was neutral connected to earth at a socket causing it.

That is one confusing post, using the words probably and unusual does not make definite your point. Can you make definite your points?

Bruthal · 31-01-2015 1:22am

CJ Haughey wrote: »

That is one confusing post, using the words probably and unusual does not make definite your point. Can you make definite your points?

Lights inside a house are not normally fed through an rcd. And even when they are, such as bathroom ones, they are not fed through the sockets rcd.

Is this a light connected to a socket in the original post?

And not everything is definite when on a forum talking about a problem. So I say "probably"

solargain · 31-01-2015 1:27am

If you only replaced a lamp it is unlikely the rcd is faulty , more likely there is still a neutral to earth fault in the installation.

I suggest you get a registered contractor to take a look.

ih8smellies · 31-01-2015 3:30am

Ok OP back again. Just to clarify. A bulb in the hall went a few days ago. Another bulb went yesterday. We replaced the bulb in the hall today. It somehow blew the ELCB as marked on the board.

The ELCB remains down even though the main fuse is off. Everything has been unplugged and main fuse tripped and put back on.

Even when the main fuse is off, the ELCB "again as marked" won't stay up.

This is not a simple fix for a simple man.
Thanks for the advice and help. I need a pro on a Saturday.

Bruthal · 31-01-2015 8:01am

ih8smellies wrote: »

I need a pro on a Saturday.

At the risk of upsetting train wreck Charlie, that's probably a good idea.

With rcd disconnected from it's 4 wires, if it still won't reset, it's faulty. If it does reset, then the neutral to earth fault is possible. In certain circumstances, that can trip rcd even with main switch off.

Getting the electrician in to check it like you said, is a good plan.

Gordon · 31-01-2015 8:24am

Deary me, good luck with it, OP - hope it gets fixed!

Hope this thread will be troll-free now, probably will.

Quazzie · 31-01-2015 8:31am

I had this problem before and it was caused by an outside socket that occasionally got damp when the weather conditions were very wet and very windy. This lead to water ingress where normally there was none.

Much like the conditions now actually.

Bruthal · 31-01-2015 8:39am

Quazzie wrote: »

I had this problem before and it was caused by an outside socket that occasionally got damp when the weather conditions were very wet and very windy. This lead to water ingress where normally there was none.

Much like the conditions now actually.

A possibility alright. But would need power on to trip from water ingress.

But still could have caused initial trip, or contributed, and now the rcd could be gone faulty.

Stoner · 31-01-2015 11:38am

can we keep this to the op's issue. Reported post noted thank you.
Please move on with it and be nice. No more taking this off topic please from anyone.

Risteard81 · 31-01-2015 12:35pm

Bruthal wrote: »

If a neutral/earth fault at light fitting which is through rcd, it would normally clear when circuit affected is switched off, or has no load on.

Not true. The Neutral/Earth fault will remain in situ and therefore will create an imbalance on other circuits connected to the same RCCB (or a similar problem if single pole RCBOs were used instead of RCBOs if say a Selective (time-delayed RCCB was used upstream) which switch the neutral - although single pole RCBOs are uncommon in the south of Ireland).

Bruthal · 31-01-2015 4:39pm

Quote

Risteard81 wrote: »

Not true. The Neutral/Earth fault will remain in situ and therefore will create an imbalance on other circuits connected to the same RCCB (or a similar problem if single pole RCBOs were used instead of RCBOs if say a Selective (time-delayed RCCB was used upstream) which switch the neutral - although single pole RCBOs are uncommon in the south of Ireland).

Lighting circuits in a house such as bathrooms, are usually on their own circuit.

I said plenty of of times in this forum how circuits with neutral earth faults on one circuit can trip an RCD when a different circuit is loaded. Also it can happen from circuits not on the same RCD, usually needing a higher load to cause problems.

But neutral earth faults are not always direct short circuits, so to say something is simply not true, is probably suggesting that no variables exist. But I would expect it possible for socket circuit A with an earth fault, to cause RCD trip from a load on socket circuit B. But its by no means certain like you say it is. Variables such as size of load on other circuit, and nature of neutral/earth fault make it far from certain. Bad wording on my part though in that post.

Also, you say earth fault on 1 circuit creates imbalance in other circuits on the same RCD. Not really. The only circuit with imbalance between live and neutral will be the one with the fault.

Changed a light now sockets wont work

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