What Did You Do Today (2016)

Clive, have you checked the suppression capacitors on the fridge and freezer motors and their thermostat switches?

The neons will have series resistors that may have burnt out. The neons might have been flashing over and protecting the circuits from the voltage spikes from the fridge but once they died the spikes found another way to cause trouble.

My electrical problem today was just the Tivo not giving sound when I wanted to listen to the test match. Good old 'turn it off and on again' sorted it.

Build a shed? Build? Do people make these things? Don't you just download an 'app'?

Hi, or you could use; 0.75, 1, 1.25 or 1.5, 2, 2.5 or 6, 8, 10 or 12, 16, 20 etc. depending on how big you want to build a shed.

Regards Nick.

Neons have a breakdown voltage of around 90Vdc (rather like a zener) and used to be used as voltage references in the days of valves etc. You wouldn't use them as transient suppressors, if only because their voltage threshold is too low to be of much use. The series resistors are very high value, as very little current is required to light them. Consequently, the presence of neons will have negligible effect on any transients.

Similarly, the Y caps used as RFI suppression from Live to ground are required to fail open circuit. Of course, they would soon clear if they didn't.

Clive - have you tried inserting an isolation transformer in the suspect circuits? You can buy them from Screwfix, Toolstation etc for peanuts and they have other uses eg for site and garage tools.

Bear in mind that a short from Neutral to Ground can cause an RCD trip. The voltage from Neutral to Ground may only be a volt or less but any current flow causes a net imbalance that can trip the RCD.

Nick just vary the units to suit eg metres, yards cubits.

Just to answer some questions about the state of things now, 1 New Kettle, 1 new socket 2 pole for the kettle point so I could reasonably eliminate those. Both ring mains check out with good earth leak figures , respectively, 999 M ohm and 544 M ohm.

The ring main in question has now been split with another trip (b) type so now what is in the kitchen and wash room is the cause.

All wall sockets are 2 pole, and that leaves the Boiler connected and am unable to check as hard wired and the boiler tank upstairs has a control circuit again hard wired. This leaves a small fridge which I can isolate and a Fridge/freezer which is hard wired with a wall neon on/off switch which again I cannot test. I would have to remove fridge/freezer out of it's unit to check which i believe is a socket and plug behind unit. I cannot see myself lifting this out alone.

All a bit of a puzzle and one which draws me back to the fridge/freezer and the boiler and tank c/unit.

Clive, John, I will replace the neon type switch blocks complete as and when I can get out to find some.

Edited By Clive Hartland on 03/01/2016 17:06:02

Does the Fridge Freezer not roll out, most do if you wind the leveling feet up clear of the floor. I pulled that big yanky job out before xmas no problem after doing the feet and it was jam packed.

If you get it out plug it into an extension lead from another circuit, if that then blows you know its the F/F

Edited By JasonB on 03/01/2016 17:24:10

Jason, it's all built in and sits about 8" above the floor in the cabinet with wood doors attached, i know how to get it out by undoing screws hidden under plates but would have to make a platform the same height to slide it out.

This is the same as the built in cooker and dishwasher etc.

At the moment it is pissing cats and dogs down here and no way aI m going to start cutting wood out in the cold with a wind blowing rain straight into the garage, i'm 78 ! It can all wait a day or so.

Clive

Clive... I've also seen first hand a problem similar to this - this time it turned out to be a small leak in the central heating boiler. The leak was dripping occasionally over the control circuit when the boiler was switch off as the heat was evaporating the water when running. This caused a temporary low insulation resistance to earth tripping the RCD.

John.

P.S. Will look for neon tomorrow.

I went to the hospital for final cancer check. All is clear with no sign of disease. I would like to thank everyone for their public and private messages wishing me well.

Regards David

That's good to hear David.... A good start to the new year!😊

John

Excellent News, David

MichaelG.

Good news David. Hope this year is better for you.

Russell.

Awesome news David. Now you can get on with some workshop projects. Have a great year.

Bruce

Brilliant news David, hope the rest of the year is great as well.

Edited out double posting.

Edited By V8Eng on 04/01/2016 21:03:34

Good to hear that David, great start to 2016.

Hi there thank you all. Still a bit weak for the workshop due to oxygen dropping. And I never smoked in my life. Hopefully a couple of weeks and I can get out there.

Great news David. Get well soon.

Mike

My 'Trip' saga, Last night at 2200 we had the fuse trip. Meanwhile Wifey had arranged a visit by an Engineer with a Seeward PAT tester. He apparently travels all around the country and came from Birmingham to us and then on to Sidcup for another job tomorrow.

He was badly delayed by traffic and the bad weather and arrived at 1630 and immediately started his testing of anything that plugged into a socket. All went quite well and then tested the Panasonic Microwave and it failed !

We will leave this unplugged and get a new one soonest. Hopefully this machine may be the culprit as it is left plugged in and switched on as it has a clock display. It's a bit of a faff to keep resetting the clock every time it goes off.

So everything with a plug has a label on it now confirming a test. Further to this it seems MK trips etc are no longer made or stocked and when I asked in the electrical supplier was told I would have to change the whole electric box for a new system. I have since found a place that stocks the Trip fuse of the number and type want as I may replace the fuse with a new one anyway.

Will report more as it happens.

Clive

Great news Dave, long may it last, hope 2016 is especially good for you.

Chris