FabSwingers.com forum: Electricians

By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago

Hi does anyone have a suggestions where i can get advice on tracing an electrical fault in my house.

The lights on my lighting ring main stopped working when i seemed to blow the crcuiot taking out a broken bulb from the fitting in the ceiling.

I have changed the fuse for the lighting ring main ( it had blown) and the bulbs for the 3 lights in the circuit - but nothing is working.

Is it a switch, is it a break in the cable on the ring main -

what could i do next? - e.g. buy a meter to test if the cable is live to trace the fault ?

Or am i stuck with calling out an electrician?

any advice would be much appreciated

Walker

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Im not an electrican but have a look at the circuit breakers and see if one of them as tripped and just needs flicking back on.

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By *easing_twoCouple
over a year ago

Bristol, Thornbury

It could be a host of issues you could have a break in the cable some where. It could be a faulty light fitting. It could be a breaker issue. How old is the house? How old is the fuse box? Does the house have any leekd?

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By *regboy49Man
over a year ago

Sandhurst

Hi, im a retired sparks and it sounds as if you've got a damaged cable at the light fitting either a broken neutral (blk/blu) or a broken feed/live (red/brown) colours depend on the age of your wiring (old/new) my bet would be a neutral fault as the feeds/lives on a 3 plate system are connected separately and are looped to every light on that circuit. The light fitting would be the first away from consumer unit. Inspect the light fitting at the ceiling.WITH THE FUSE OUT good luck

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By *easing_twoCouple
over a year ago

Bristol, Thornbury

"Hi, im a retired sparks and it sounds as if you've got a damaged cable at the light fitting either a broken neutral (blk/blu) or a broken feed/live (red/brown) colours depend on the age of your wiring (old/new) my bet would be a neutral fault as the feeds/lives on a 3 plate system are connected separately and are looped to every light on that circuit. The light fitting would be the first away from consumer unit. Inspect the light fitting at the ceiling.WITH THE FUSE OUT good luck"

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By *heScotandthegirlCouple
over a year ago

London & Edinburgh

Do you have an RCD protecting that circuit? Are there any other circuits dead? Take a picture of your distribution board upload it and send me it if you like.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

i would add. If you not entirely confident in tracing this fault then leave it alone. electricity can kill.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Hi does anyone have a suggestions where i can get advice on tracing an electrical fault in my house.

The lights on my lighting ring main stopped working when i seemed to blow the crcuiot taking out a broken bulb from the fitting in the ceiling.

I have changed the fuse for the lighting ring main ( it had blown) and the bulbs for the 3 lights in the circuit - but nothing is working.

Is it a switch, is it a break in the cable on the ring main -

what could i do next? - e.g. buy a meter to test if the cable is live to trace the fault ?

Or am i stuck with calling out an electrician?

any advice would be much appreciated

Walker "

Firstly the Lighting circuit is not a ring main circuit. You are confusing it with your 30A ring main circuit for your socket outlets.

Just to recap - you removed a blown lamp from a light fitting and now the other lights on that circuit do not work. If it was a GLS lamp are you sure you removed everything from the lamp holder? Usually such faults are down to something simple....

You say you changed the fuse - so what type of fuse was that - was it a re-wirable fuse and if so what size fuse wire did you use?

If you replaced the fuse correctly and your lights still don't work, it's possible that you've disrupted one of the connections in the ceiling rose.

There are so many things it could be and from your description it would seem that you know nothing about domestic electrical installations. I guess that is one of the reasons that electrical work is covered by Part P of the Building Regulations. Personally I would either contact an Electrician or maybe a friend of yours with knowledge of electrical installations can assist. I see little merit in you buying a continuity tester etc as you are unlikely to know how to use it and what to look for.

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By *Ryan-Man
over a year ago

In Your Bush

It's times like this when the only course of action is to smoke a Hamlet cigar.

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By *ezebelWoman
over a year ago

North of The Wall - youll need your vest

"It's times like this when the only course of action is to smoke a Hamlet cigar. "

Showing your age now

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By *eMontresMan
over a year ago

Halesowen

confusing post - you say you blew a fuse, which implies a fusebox and probably no RCD. If so I would get the whole thing changed professionally to a modern consumer unit with circuit breakers and RCD protection

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"i would add. If you not entirely confident in tracing this fault then leave it alone. electricity can kill. "

a big

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