Help! Know anything about safety switches?

[HotI]

Hi

We have 4 safety switches on the house electricity board. Something in the house is switching one of the switches off (so no power coming from that fuse).

I have turned off all power points that are on that circuit, but still cant turn fuse back on (safety switch keeps flicking).

have i missed a power point somewhere? or is there an alternative explanation?

thanks,

kate

[HotI]

This may be completely not related but in the last month the washing machine broke (it was very old, electric pump stopped working), toaster broke (something electrical triggered the safety switch on different circuit to the one that's broke today).

may be totally not related... or is there an electrical gremlin?

all electrics were looked at 10 months ago when new power board was put in with the safety switches, and there is new powerboard down at shed.

anybody?

[Arimeh]

Replace the fuse ?

I know our safety switch goes if we have a funny fuse that needs replacing.

[Trillian]

There is obviously something setting it off. We recently had our power redone too and had a heap of safety switches installed and if we run too much at once, or if a light blows, it will throw the switch, but it sounds like you are shorting out somewhere. Are you sure it's not the fuse itself? have you checked the powerpoints for signs that something has shorted out (there will be black powdery like stuff around it and it may look a bit melted)

[HotI]

Thanks

Fuses all look good. They were all new when new board put in.

Found outside power point is triggering it. It has pump on it for our grey water system. Looks like we need new pump.

Power back on.

Thanks again

[~Amy~]

Ok, now i "should" know something about this, df is a sparky & i always set our safety switch & the other switches in the fuse box, unfortunately i never pay attention to what he's on about when he tells me what im doing wrong

We only have 1 safety switch in our fuse box, all the rest are for other things ie: lights, oven, air con etc... All of these switches should be labled. Have a look & see if its one of those other switches that has been set off, then u will know what to turn off or reset, change.
We used to have hallogeon light bulbs in our kitchen & everytime 1 blew all the lights in the house would go off.
Also, having to many appliances on at once, running off the same ciruit will set off the safety switch. I know when i try to have the washing machine, dryer & vacumme going at the same time its sets the safety switch off.
A dodgy appliance will also do it.

I cant really offer anymore advice, as i said when df talks about this stuff its 1 ear out the other

[HotI]

Thanks Amy, I understand the 'blah blah blah' that sometimes comes out of DH. I know some stuff, but other stuff i just don't need to know, doesn't interest me or stick in my head anyway.

The power still on, so i think it was just the grey water pump. bugger, another appliance to replace.

[Rouge]

Ok here goes... we have a similar problem...

Our switch goes off, but it won't even let us turn it back on even after I've turned all the switches off. We have to hold it a certain way and turn it on very slowly to allow the power to go back on. I've unplugged things like fridge/computers etc but it still happens, I've also turned off all the power switches and it still won't go back on. Any idea what it could be? We spoke to the RE to come out and have it checked, and the sparky that the RE uses said it sounds like an appliance and probably the fridge and they'd have to charge us to find out what it is. And at $100/half hr I would rather try and be 100% sure its not our fault before him coming out. It just seems weird to me that the switch won't turn back on.

[HotI]

That is what was happening here, you couldn't put switch back on- it would flick off again straight away.

But are you saying that if you do it slowly, the power will stay on?

[Rouge]

Yup thats it! Its weird. I hope its nothing major like the fridge as we can't afford a new one right now, but I also don't want an appliance to catch fire either.

[diva det]

if it just started happening today- it could be that there are power surges in your area due to the heat!
noticed you are both in melb!!!
So the problem could be coming from the main exchange rather than your house
HTH
A way to check your fridge Cai is to get a powerboard with safety cut off and put it on the fridge to see if that cuts in or out!

HTH- just an idea . .. .

odette

[HotI]

Niliac

I have been researching for you!

Is it a safety switch or a circuit breaker that is turning off? (circuit breakers are skinnier than safety switches. safety switch will have a test button on it) They work in different ways. A circut breaker turns off when too much current is passing through it, either due to an electrical fault, or too many items switched on at once eg toaster, kettle, iron, and fridge all at once. A safety switch, otherwise known as an earth leakage device or residual current device (RCD) detect fault in wiring and will shut off before someone gets electricuted.

If you turn every power point and appliance off in the house (maybe wait til its a bit cooler), and unplug them and then flick the switch normally- what happens?

If the switch flicks off again (won't stay on), then it is a house problem, so thus the real estate agents problem!

If the switch will stay on (with all appliances still switched off), then you have to investigate all your appliances on that switch circuit. Start by plugging in, then turning on at wall, then turning on item one at a time, you should eventually find something that will trip it off. If you find something then try a differant appliance in the same powerpoint to determine if it is the appliance or the powerpoint itself.

hope that helps,

kate