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highspark

Lads odd fault.

Breaker trips 20 mins-1 hour after being switched back on. 32 amp ring, old wylex board with push fit circuit breaker. Wiring is a mess. Ring is for sockets. It has exterior lights, alarm, boiler , attic lights, pond pump and fountain - all from jb's in attic - thoughts definate overload. Problem is I've unplugged everything and it's still tripping. There's a load bang in the attic everytime it trips. Any thoughts?
 
Wiring is a rats nest. If it's happening after a certain period of time I'm thinking definate overload or maybe loose connection heating up!
 
I've done ir tests on it and both came back fine. There is far too much on the circuit as it so it needs to be rewired but the loud bang leaves me to believe the fault is up in the attic! I'm going to clamp it tomorrow never had my clamp today!
 
Hmmmm!! large bang in the attic!!! i wonder if the problem has anything to do with something shorting in the attic area??

Look around for black sooty deposits, and you will have found your problem me thinks!!!
 
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If its shorting it must be after the cables heated up and expands because it happens every half an hour or so and the ir tests where fine.
 
Well, ...if you go up in the attic, ad have a look around, open any accessories up there, your gonna see where the short is taking place. Could and probably is, on the upstairs lighting circuit that you say is fed from the RFC... The connections as such being poked thru ceiling into the attic ...
 
Hmmmm!! large bang in the attic!!! i wonder if the problem has anything to do with something shorting in the attic area??

Look around for black sooty deposits, and you will have found your problem me thinks!!!
Remember to safely to double pole isolate the supply at Main Switch or RCD, your safety when looking for the damage may depend on it.
Look for signs of thermal damage, rodent damage, water leaking on JB or accessory (from header tank or roof), e.t.c.
 
could also be squashed cable, where people have walked on the cable pressing it into the joists, or someome has put flooring in the loft with the cable between that and the joist! Would have expected that to show up on an IR test though! You say IR test were OK, what were the readings? Cant see how overload would occurr if you have unplugged everything?
 
large bang in the attic , insulations tests ok well its not water then other wise that woulsd show up could be a screw or nail though a cable just not quite touching had that fault which didnt show up on IR tests ,switch it on go in the loft in the dark and look out for the flash just make sure your not sitting on it , , na i would go in the loft and phisically check the cbales for damage let us know what it is mate
 
Got a cam corder? Safer than you being up there, and the footage of a nice big flash will probably get the customer to do anything you suggest to them!
 
Lads thIs one is doing my nut.

The property is a bungalow. The circuit is a ring. It's been added onto over time - badly. It has the boiler wired in directly from a jb in attic. It has a socket in the attic feeding an extension lead feeding the pond pump and shed sockets which can be unplugged - unqualified work! It also has attic lights and outside lights connected from jb's of ring to fused spurs. It also has aan alarm which again plugs into an extension lead from socket in attic. It also has undercupboard lights and a phone plugged in - and that's just the first half of the ring. The ring then goes down and under the floorboards feeding tv's lamps and computers. It's heavily overloaded. But i've unplugged everything & removed fuses from fused spurs. And still trips at intermittent times. It's been lasting 3 hours today and 30 mins the day before. I've IR'd all cables in the attic broke at jb's and tested from end to end and all have tested fine.

After putting it all back (not plugs bulbs and fuses) I did IR's at DB and got reading across the board of 0.01mohms. Anyway spent a full day there and left. Customer phoned before. Tripped after 3.5 hours everything unplugged!!


Absolute joke any thoughts - or rewire the circuit? Probably save money and time.
 
There's a load bang in the attic everytime it trips.

If you have done your best with the test meters and considering the state of the install,it may be that its time has expired,upsetting I know
Breaker tripping {filename} | ElectriciansForums.net
,but it may be time to rewire
Breaker tripping {filename} | ElectriciansForums.net


Perhaps splitting the ring into 2 radials will narrow the search and at least perhaps keep some sockets live continually
 
There must be something tripping it though. Just don't understand at all. It's a proper mess it NEEDS a rewire bur customer - old woman - "couldn't cope with it" it's an absolute joke!
 
It could turn unlikely that you may find the fault. :(
she may not be able to cope with a rewire but can she cope with the intermitent tripping??
heres a far fetched idea. A rodent has chewed through the cable (we all know how those little b#%&&ds love to) whilist chewing through it has died through an electric shock with the cable still in its mouth thus completing the curcuit. This is way fsr fetched but ive known it to happen. I like to think outside the box. :)

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
 
I'd like 2 split onto 2 radials but no spare ways in a board. It's an old wylex 4 way board
 
Why though lads if everything is unplugged is it tripping after 3 hours. There's no load on the circuit!!! And if there was a short circuit it would constantly trip instantaneously. The breaker has been changed 3 times so it's not a dodgy breaker. This is the ultimate puzzle. How about the 0.01mohm readings lads. A major fail somewhere.
 
0.01Mohm this could be the carbon trace. There is a way to help find the fault but not cheap, I suspect that some of the power anlyzers such as the Fluke 43 could indicate that the fault current has passed a certain location...! Split the circuit in half at the CU and then split it either side of the loft and test. If need be just run some t&e across the loft bypassing some of the problem and just divide again and again..
 

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