Socket turns all the power off

murphyxx

There is a double socket in my mums living room which over the past few days turns all the power off in the house except the lights if you plug something in.

It doesn't matter if you flick the switch at the socket on, the minute you plug something in - everything turns off!

Any ideas what this is? Obviously going to have to get someone out to look at it but just wondered if anyone knew?

Mankysteve

It'll be short of some description but why exactly is impossible to tell.

asbokid

murphyxx wrote: »

There is a double socket in my mums living room which over the past few days turns all the power off in the house except the lights if you plug something in.

It doesn't matter if you flick the switch at the socket on, the minute you plug something in - everything turns off!

Any ideas what this is? Obviously going to have to get someone out to look at it but just wondered if anyone knew?

A new socket will only cost a couple of quid.

Isolate the ring main that the socket is on, or to be extra safe, switch off the whole house, and swap over the faulty socket for a new one.

It's a 10 minute job, including the trip to B&Q.

jcr16

is it the same item your plugging in, or can it be a different item?

if it is it he same item, then it sounds like a fault with what your plugging in, but if it can be any item and it is the socket itself tripping out the rcd then it will be the socket with the fault.

keystone

murphyxx wrote: »

Any ideas what this is?

Yes you have a fault. First it may be the item that you are plugging in. Try it with something else. Second if it stilldoes it turn the power off at the consumer unit and check that the wiring in the back of the socket is correct and that the terminal screws are not loose. If thats OK change the switch. If its still not OK call someone out.

Cheers

PS and stop just resetting the breaker in the CU until the above has been done.

murphyxx

Well we have two double sockets right next to each other and so I plugged the laptop into the second one.

After about an hour.. it has just blown up, the wire has blown away from the battery part it was connected too and it's burnt the carpet. Had the lamp plugged into this socket and that's been working fine and after speaking to my mum again she says it was the laptop she's been trying to plug into the first socket that I wrote about in the first place.. so looks like it may have been a fault with the laptop charger.

ormus

aye. its so much easier to diagnose faults, when we are given all the facts first.

Dippypud

Does that mean that it was a faulty first post?...












Ohhhh....






I'll get my coat...

fluffpot

if only people realised that generally the power trips off for a reason...ie there's a problem. Thank goodness you were around - otherwise the faulty laptop could have caused a fire

LandyAndy

fluffpot wrote: »

if only people realised that generally the power trips off for a reason...ie there's a problem. Thank goodness you were around - otherwise the faulty laptop could have caused a fire

And.,.., if you'd been online at the time... you could have set fire to the internet:eek:. Your house insurance probably wouldn't have covered you for that.