HENthusiastic Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 Hiya. Omlet has been a wonderful source of advice, not only about chicken matters, but somebody also helped me to fix my lap top........ heres the latest quest....... Pleeeeeeease can anybody enLIGHTen me as to why half my house is in darkness??? None of my downstairs lights are working! Everything else is fine.... the sockets work and the upstairs lights work. I've looked at the fuse box and one of the switches is down instead of up..... but it wont be pushed back up. Now this used to be quite simple, you just pulled the little thingy out..... and changed the fuse. But the house was re-wired last year and the little thingys arent removable. So what am I to do? Is it an electrician job? Does anybody have any words of wisdom please. Luckily socket work, so I've pluged in a lamp downstairs. Heres hoping we have an electrically minded omleteer (or OH). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronze Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 Does sound like one of the fuses has tripped. Ours push back in again . Our old one had an overall reset button. Its hard to tell without looking at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 Here is what hubby says - need to switch off all MCB's (individual switches) then trip should reset then turn on MCB's 1 by 1 Good luck! Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 Most fuse boxes have now been replaced with MCB's (Miniature Circuit Breakers) The main advantage of these is that if there is a problem, then you don't have to pull out the fuse and replace the fuse wire and then plug it back in. Instead the fault on your circuit will just pop out a switch which can then be pushed back when the fault has been rectified. The whole purpose of a fuse or MCB is to provide a weak point in your electrical circuit, so if there is a fault, then that fuse/MCB will blow instead of your house burning down. However MCB's are very very sensitive and if one of your light bulbs blow, then that is enough for the MCB to pop out and kill the whole circuit that it is protecting. In your case all your downstairs lights. I believe that is what has happened in your case. Because your new fuse box and its MCB's have not had much use then I suspect that the switch that has popped is just very stiff. You should be able to reset that switch and have it in the same position just like the others. **IMPORTANT** If you reset the switch and it pops out again immediately, then you may have a more serious problem and you need to call out an electrician. Good luck Regards Dodge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronze Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 However MCB's are very very sensitive and if one of your light bulbs blow, then that is enough for the MCB to pop out and kill the whole circuit that it is protecting. In your case all your downstairs lights. Dodge Oh yes. Ours goes if you turn on the back left hob or if a bulb goes in the kitchen lights. Annoyingly they seem to go too often including energy saving ahhh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 That happens to us quite often too. We have weird wiring and there are too many things on the one circuit so it often overloads. We got those new circuit breakers too but the switch just flips back up relatively easily. I hope you've got it sorted? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Speckled Hen Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 Here is what hubby says - need to switch off all MCB's (individual switches) then trip should reset then turn on MCB's 1 by 1 Good luck! Emma.x Yes this one works for me too. Then switch on all the lights that have gone out to find your blown bulb. This used to happen all the time and as the circuit board is in the dark dark garage it was a pain to keep traipsing over there in the cold so we replaced all our bulbs with Halogen/Led/lightsavers and touch wood have had no problems since. Hope you're basking in light soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 If you have one which is tripping straight back then there is one item on that circuit that is dodgy. Your fuses should be labelled so read the label and turn off EVERY item on that circuit - trip the fuse back and it should stay on. Then go round turning on EVERY item again and see which one trips the fuse off. That is the appliance causing your problem so you will then need to try and work out what is wrong with that appliance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HENthusiastic Posted November 27, 2008 Author Share Posted November 27, 2008 Thanks so much for all your helpful advice and hints . SO far, I have: Turned all individual switches off and then slowly on one by one (it still wouldn't stay up). (And I cut my OHs phone call off! ). Then, I took all the light bulbs out and tried again..... it still wont stay up. (Its lights only, so no appliances). Its definitely not that its just stiff, because it will easily be pushed into the on position, but wont stay there when you let go. Anybody got any other suggestions please? This is such a cool place, who'd have thought that a hen keepers website would be helping me with my electric!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scramble Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 This is such a cool place, who'd have thought that a hen keepers website would be helping me with my electric!! ain't we brill x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 If you have checked each individual light switch and the MCB still pops out, then it could be a fault with the actual MCB. It's a given that nothing was changed or altered prior to this happening? Also are you sure that this circuit is only for your downstairs lights? The MCB should only be rated for 6 amps. I would suggest that you phisically check each lightbulb downstairs and remove any that seem to have blown. I would remove all bulbs downstairs and then try the MCB again, if it still blows then you have to call an electrician out. Regards Dodge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenlass Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 Just a thought...is the individual fuse that keeps tripping below a small yellow buttoon? [i think these are called RDC or something?] If so you need topress the yellow button and then push up the fuse switch. [WEll you do on ours anyhow ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkshire Pudding Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 I had one like that too. Any luck? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HENthusiastic Posted November 28, 2008 Author Share Posted November 28, 2008 Horray......... we now have LIGHT! Thank you all so much for your great advice and help. I took out all the light bulbs, turned all the electricity off and then back on slowly one by one. It worked. Well done omleteers What ever had happened, blew three bulbs! I replaced them and all is well. Omlet saves the day AGAIN! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkshire Pudding Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenlass Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 FANTASTIC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
