Electricians Advice Please

wssb

Hi, can an electrician please tell me if lights that are turned off can trip electrics? We have the wrong type of light in our bathroom, it's not a light for a bathroom, but this has been switched off and not used for over a week. Could this be the cause of our lights tripping this morning?

Thanks.

macman

Are the lights that tripped this morning on the same circuit as the bathroom?
Yes, if the bathroom light or wiring is faulty then the MCB or RCD may trip and take out the circuit, which is what it's intended to do.
If you've fitted a light in a bathroom zone for which it is not rated, then moisture may have got in and be creating a short.

mattyspencer

The normal situation is when a light switch is turned on and theres a problem it will trip the RCD or MCB depending on the fault type, if the circuit still trips with the problematic light fitting off, the most likely problem is condensation build up within the fitting itself especially if its not an IP rated fitting, try the usual tactics of removing the lamp from the fitting first and try again, the best way to try and fing a problematic light is to turn all lights on the particular circuit off and then try the MCB or RCD, if it stays on then individually turn on every light fitting untils it pops that should help source roughly where the problem is.

wssb

Hi, thanks for the replies. The problem we are having is that lately all our lights have started tripping, and our combi boiler is on the same circuit.

I have tried turning each light on separately, but the problem is the circuit doesn't trip straight away, and the last two times the system has tripped this is what happened -

1st time - hubby got up for work and tried to put the bathroom light on but it wouldn't switch on at all, he tried other lights none of which came on and then checked boiler which was also off. The radiators were still warm so this had to have happened shortly before, or I wondered if it was because he tried to switch the bathrom light on.

We were then advised bathroom light wasn't suitable for use in there so my husband moved the cord out of reach until we could get a new one. Bathroom light has not been used since.

The other morning hubby got up for work again and the hall light wouldn't switch on, he tried other lights none if which would come on and the boiler too was off, and all radiators were cold so this couldn't have happened when he tried to switch the light on.

What I think is that it is the boiler causing the tripping, as any time I have had electrics trip it's when something has been switched on and it does the pop. We've got an engineer coming to look at the boiler on Friday.

Thanks for your help.

wssb

Just read your answers back again and see what your saying, hopefully it is the condensation build up and not the boiler. We will get bathroom light asap.

macman

You still haven't told us if the tripping lights are on the bathroom circuit or not? Go look at your CU.
It appears that you have only one lighting circuit, unusual except in a small flat.
An RGI is not going to be able to sort out the power supply to your boiler unless he is also competent to work on domestic electrical installs-most gas installers are not.

wssb

Yes, all lights are on the same circuit and also the boiler, but we are a three bedroom terrace.

macman

I find it very odd that a 3 b/r terrace has only one lighting circuit. Normally at least 2 (up and down) on such a property, unless the wiring is ancient.
Post a pic of the CU, hopefully the circuits are marked.

fluffpot

I think it might be the boiler.....

sparkieguy

Could be a number of things...mr ratty been chewing a cable, cable come loose, water in fitting etc etc. .

Turning lights on and off will not highlight the problem unfortunately.

Sounds like you need a spark to come and test.

Have you had a new consumer unit at some point? They may have put lights on 1 circuit due to a borrowed neutral

wssb

Thanks for all your replies. Sparkieguy, is a new consumer unit a new fuse box? We've just had a new fuse box put in from the old style copper wire one. Should he not have put all lights and boiler on the same circuit? He said the wiring was fine and did not need rewiring. Our house was built in 79, not sure if it is the original wiring.