More electrical shenanigans - any thoughts?

[Lozz360]

Do you come across DIAZED fuses any more?

Never in domestic installations. Occasionally in utility company’s supply equipment. Circuit breakers have become generally preferred to any type of fuse in just about all applications nowadays.

 

[Noodle Legs]

Do you come across DIAZED fuses any more?

Are they those bottle shaped ones? If so I haven’t seen them in years, and certainly not in consumer units or dist boards. Last I saw of them was in a control panel for a machine I used to maintain in my apprentice days.

 

[Lozz360]

Are they those bottle shaped ones? If so I haven’t seen them in years, and certainly not in consumer units or dist boards. Last I saw of them was in a control panel for a machine I used to maintain in my apprentice days.

Yes. White porcelain bottle shaped fuses.

 

[Noodle Legs]

Well everyday’s a school day. Never knew they were called that! I’ve known them simply as bottle fuses

It’s possible we may have them in our control circuit panels at our primary substations but I’ve never seen them personally and I’m not a substation fitter, just someone who sticks live wires together……

 

[Ridgeway]

Yes. White porcelain bottle shaped fuses.

those are the type we have here,

coloured ends according to fuse rating that conveniently pop off to show that the fuse has blown

 

[Milkfloat]

@Reynard Did you ever get a resolution?

 

[Reynard]

I would if I could find a sparky... The ones listed in the parish magazine were a waste of time - job too small, says they.

In the mean time, I've just replaced as many bulbs as I can with ones of higher wattage.

Might just turn everything off myself and check the breaker. Wouldn't hurt to take it out, clean all the contacts and put it back...

 

[CXRAndy]

I would if I could find a sparky... The ones listed in the parish magazine were a waste of time - job too small, says they.

In the mean time, I've just replaced as many bulbs as I can with ones of higher wattage.

Might just turn everything off myself and check the breaker. Wouldn't hurt to take it out, clean all the contacts and put it back...

You don't need to take it out. Get a digital multi ( borrow one) measure across the breaker for voltage drop. This will tell you if poor connection is there without dismantling anything.

 

[BrumJim]

Surely even a humble mechanical engineer can work out how to install something like this:

Here.

 

[newfhouse]

Do the lights dim even further when you turn on high current appliances?

 

[Reynard]

A meter is on the shopping list.

And no, turning additional stuff on like oven / oil radiator / kettle etc makes no difference whatsoever.

 

[lazybloke]

There's a website where you put in your requirements and Trades-folk contact you if they're interested. Worth a go, maybe.
They'll probably say you need a new consumer unit, to bump up the price

 

[BrumJim]

A meter is on the shopping list.

And no, turning additional stuff on like oven / oil radiator / kettle etc makes no difference whatsoever.

Hmm - maybe just a problem with the lighting circuit, then. Ditch the plug-in meter, and bite the bullet and go for a proper multimeter with red and black wires. You know you want to!

 

[Reynard]

Hmm - maybe just a problem with the lighting circuit, then. Ditch the plug-in meter, and bite the bullet and go for a proper multimeter with red and black wires. You know you want to!

Not, as far as I can tell. Because some of the lights plug into wall sockets, which are on a different circuit. And I've taken the breakers out of the box individually, trying to ascertain whether one of the circuits in the house was causing the issue. But they're not.

Oddly though, it doesn't seem quite so bad now that a neighbour's xmas lights have been taken down...

But rest assured I will be buying a multi meter next time my path takes me to Screwfix.

 

[newfhouse]

A meter is on the shopping list.

And no, turning additional stuff on like oven / oil radiator / kettle etc makes no difference whatsoever.

Less likely to be high resistance in the main breaker in that case.

Another vote for a meter. Engineering is nothing without measurements.