Keep getting little electric popping sounds all over the flat under the
floor where the wiring goes. Each time it happens the lights flicker for a
second. Its like little "puch" noises like you get when a light bulb dies
but its not in the same place and may not even be to do with my flat because
my gf heard it in the close too?

The places I have heard it does indeed follow a trail of the ring mains but
why at all different parts of it?

Its not coming from sockets it could only be coming from the middle of the
wires.

I dont know if its coincidence or not but it has happened quite a few times
when the updstairs neighbour switches on her washing machine.

Recently (in case this is any clue) I had to repair the light socket in the
lounge after knocking cobwebs away from the lightshade. I must have hit it
and one of the wires broke in the lampholder and it was a real struggle to
try to get it fixed while up a pair of ladders(tall ceiling).

If I didnt get it quite right would it cause this? I doubted it becuase the
light circuit is def on its own ring but then I know nowt about electrics.

If I do lift the floorboards(which would have to be cut) what do I look for?

I live on the ground floor by the way.

Any ideas anyone?

"Lazarus" wrote
| Keep getting little electric popping sounds all over the flat
| under the floor where the wiring goes. Each time it happens
| the lights flicker for a second. Its like little "puch" noises
| like you get when a light bulb dies but its not in the same
| place and may not even be to do with my flat because
| my gf heard it in the close too?

It is possible that both your flat and the close wiring are completely and
utterly shagged out and imminently about to burst into flames ...

| If I do lift the floorboards (which would have to be cut) what
| do I look for?

Rather than lifting floorboards, you could start with the consumer unit and
then check a few fittings.
- How old is the flat? How long have you had it, and was any electrical
report done at the time of purchase/tenancy?
- Is the consumer unit modern and in good condition (do you have fuses, or
MCBs that look like little switches)?
- Do you have modern light switches and sockets flushed into the wall?
- Do you have any signs of earth bonding (green and yellow single core cable
attached to clamps on the water pipes) in the bathroom?
- Do any of the switches or sockets get warm in use?

If the flat is rented, your landlord has responsibility for ensuring that
the electrical installation is safe. In Scotland, if the flat is registered
as a House of Multiple Occupation, an electrical inspection certificate is
usually required as part of the licence.

If the flat is wired in old rubber-insulated cable then it is overdue for
rewiring. The rubber perishes and any movement of the cable can cause it to
crack and create short circuits. You should be very cautious of this if you
decide to (switch off at the mains first) loosen any of the switches and
sockets and peer behind, which is the simplest way of visually checking the
general wiring. You should see clean, fairly newish-looking, red and black
PVC insulated cores, usually in a white or grey sheath, with
green-and-yellow sleeving on the bare earth core. Any sign of braided or
rubberised insulation or lack of an earth wire, indicates rewiring required.
Light switches and sockets will be wired in single-core cable; stranded
cores on these size cables suggest old work.

Owain

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Lazarus wrote:

Keep getting little electric popping sounds all over the flat under
the floor where the wiring goes. Each time it happens the lights
flicker for a second. Its like little "puch" noises like you get when
a light bulb dies but its not in the same place and may not even be
to do with my flat because my gf heard it in the close too?

The places I have heard it does indeed follow a trail of the ring
mains but why at all different parts of it?

Its not coming from sockets it could only be coming from the middle
of the wires.

I dont know if its coincidence or not but it has happened quite a few
times when the updstairs neighbour switches on her washing machine.

Recently (in case this is any clue) I had to repair the light socket
in the lounge after knocking cobwebs away from the lightshade. I must
have hit it and one of the wires broke in the lampholder and it was a
real struggle to try to get it fixed while up a pair of ladders(tall
ceiling).

If I didnt get it quite right would it cause this? I doubted it
becuase the light circuit is def on its own ring but then I know nowt
about electrics.

If I do lift the floorboards(which would have to be cut) what do I
look for?

I live on the ground floor by the way.

Any ideas anyone?


How about rats gnawing through the wires - with each pop and flicker being
associated with a rodent being electrocuted?
--
Cheers,
Set Square
______
Please reply to newsgroup. Reply address is invalid.

I own the flat and have lived here 25 years
Its wired with 2.5 standard twin & earth which is modern
No earthing clamps in bathroom
No rats
It happens every few hours and although I`ve heard it other places its one
place in particular which is about 3 ft away from the nearest outlet

It is an old meter with wired ceramic fuses and no RCD`s etc

No sockets getting hot
All the sockets were replaced by me with very high quality ones about 6
years ago

LSC fittings on the lights

The movement thing might be a clue.....someone in the building is running
some sort of machinery which causes a vibration all over my home.......its
very low density but really annoying and going by the poweferful vibration
its almost as though someone is running some sort of industrial machinery?

Do you think this vibration is causing this? Its already caused a pipe under
the floor to come loose and i had a leak but that was fixed professionally
and was nowhere near where this noise is coming from.

"Owain" wrote in message
t...
"Lazarus" wrote
| Keep getting little electric popping sounds all over the flat
| under the floor where the wiring goes. Each time it happens
| the lights flicker for a second. Its like little "puch" noises
| like you get when a light bulb dies but its not in the same
| place and may not even be to do with my flat because
| my gf heard it in the close too?

It is possible that both your flat and the close wiring are completely and
utterly shagged out and imminently about to burst into flames ...

| If I do lift the floorboards (which would have to be cut) what
| do I look for?

Rather than lifting floorboards, you could start with the consumer unit
and
then check a few fittings.
- How old is the flat? How long have you had it, and was any electrical
report done at the time of purchase/tenancy?
- Is the consumer unit modern and in good condition (do you have fuses, or
MCBs that look like little switches)?
- Do you have modern light switches and sockets flushed into the wall?
- Do you have any signs of earth bonding (green and yellow single core
cable
attached to clamps on the water pipes) in the bathroom?
- Do any of the switches or sockets get warm in use?

If the flat is rented, your landlord has responsibility for ensuring that
the electrical installation is safe. In Scotland, if the flat is
registered
as a House of Multiple Occupation, an electrical inspection certificate is
usually required as part of the licence.

If the flat is wired in old rubber-insulated cable then it is overdue for
rewiring. The rubber perishes and any movement of the cable can cause it
to
crack and create short circuits. You should be very cautious of this if
you
decide to (switch off at the mains first) loosen any of the switches and
sockets and peer behind, which is the simplest way of visually checking
the
general wiring. You should see clean, fairly newish-looking, red and black
PVC insulated cores, usually in a white or grey sheath, with
green-and-yellow sleeving on the bare earth core. Any sign of braided or
rubberised insulation or lack of an earth wire, indicates rewiring
required.
Light switches and sockets will be wired in single-core cable; stranded
cores on these size cables suggest old work.

Owain

"Bargain Hunter" wrote in message ...
I own the flat and have lived here 25 years
Its wired with 2.5 standard twin & earth which is modern

thats a good sign. You're sure its pvc and not lead covered?

No earthing clamps in bathroom
No rats
It happens every few hours and although I`ve heard it other places its one
place in particular which is about 3 ft away from the nearest outlet

It is an old meter with wired ceramic fuses and no RCD`s etc
No sockets getting hot
All the sockets were replaced by me with very high quality ones about 6
years ago

what kind of skts were there before? square/rectangular, or with
curved edges? White or brown/black? Why did you replace them all?


Anyhow, youve got bad connections probably, and theyre likely to catch
fire. Fix pronto.


NT

In message , N. Thornton
writes

Anyhow, youve got bad connections probably, and theyre likely to catch
fire. Fix pronto.

I'll second that, no electrical problem should be allowed to go
unchecked. A couple of days back a friend of mine complained that a
single 13A socket in her kitchen had not worked for a while. I found
that the screw holding the neutral wires was loose, not just slightly
loose but it took 2 or 3 turns to tighten it! As there was a spur fed
from this it a) broke the neutral ring and b) had removed the neutral
from the spur too. Not a nice situation as what ever was plugged in had
a live feed to it and was therefore live but apparently powered off.
What had caused this I have no idea but I have found similar situations
before. She lost a house some years ago due to an electrical fire and
was not amused at the latest fault, a minor problem with a microwave in
the kitchen had burnt the house down.
If you are sure the sounds are coming from under the floor I would very
quickly lift the floor and check NOW.
Good luck and take care.

Totally different topic but my dad, who is 84, recently hung a picture
in the hall way, very nicely centred above the 3 gang light switch, one
of the lights no longer worked! Ho Humm!!!!!!!! Problem is now sorted
by the way.

--
Bill

Yes its def moderm t&e as I have replaced sections of it before when a cable
got ruined due to water damage.

The sockets were replaced for cosmetic reasons and fitted with expenisve
"gold trim" ones. I also changed them all to dbl sockets.

So what yoiu are saying is that it could be just one socket with loose
wire/s and if I check them all one at a time I might find it?

I will do this !

Thanks for the help guys!


"N. Thornton" wrote in message
m...
"Bargain Hunter" wrote in message
...
I own the flat and have lived here 25 years
Its wired with 2.5 standard twin & earth which is modern

thats a good sign. You're sure its pvc and not lead covered?

No earthing clamps in bathroom
No rats
It happens every few hours and although I`ve heard it other places its
one
place in particular which is about 3 ft away from the nearest outlet

It is an old meter with wired ceramic fuses and no RCD`s etc
No sockets getting hot
All the sockets were replaced by me with very high quality ones about 6
years ago

what kind of skts were there before? square/rectangular, or with
curved edges? White or brown/black? Why did you replace them all?


Anyhow, youve got bad connections probably, and theyre likely to catch
fire. Fix pronto.


NT

I'll second that, no electrical problem should be allowed to go
unchecked. A couple of days back a friend of mine complained that a
single 13A socket in her kitchen had not worked for a while. I found
that the screw holding the neutral wires was loose, not just slightly
loose but it took 2 or 3 turns to tighten it!

We had the same problem in our flat, only it was the neutral meter tail
which wasn't actually attached to the main RCD in the consumer unit. Only
noticed it by chance - having just moved in, checked the electrics as a
matter of course. There were char marks all around the terminal screw on
the RCD - was quite shocked to find it was only held in by the tension of
the cable itself!

In a previous house, the main earth cable for the entire property went from
the consumer unit to a location behind the meter board. I always assumed it
was attached to the shield of the incoming supply. Wasn't until I replaced
the consumer unit that I found it was just dangling in mid air behind the
meter.

Needless to say the electric board didn't pick up on either of these when
they initially came out to re-fit the main fuse. In fact, it's frightening
how blasé the electric board are in general about this sort of stuff. If
there's a gas leak, Transco are out within minutes. If there's an
electrical fault nobody seems to give a damn, IMHO.

Andy

Pecanfan wrote:
I'll second that, no electrical problem should be allowed to go
unchecked. A couple of days back a friend of mine complained that a
single 13A socket in her kitchen had not worked for a while. I found
that the screw holding the neutral wires was loose, not just slightly
loose but it took 2 or 3 turns to tighten it!


We had the same problem in our flat, only it was the neutral meter tail
which wasn't actually attached to the main RCD in the consumer unit. Only
noticed it by chance - having just moved in, checked the electrics as a
matter of course. There were char marks all around the terminal screw on
the RCD - was quite shocked to find it was only held in by the tension of
the cable itself!


In a hoilday house in dongeal we had for a while the Consumer unit had a
single pole incommer switch disconnector on the live and the netural
went straight to the busbar. But this connection wasn't tightened so
the wire and busbar was very chared.

This was a large CU. It was a hagar din rail unit with three rows / ~14
modules wide, with lots of large ugly screw in ceramic fuses. The house
was wired with 5! lighting radials (6a each), 5 socket radials (almost
ramdom sizes 16 - 32a), cooker, hot water, boiler etc..

The sockets were on a rcd but some of the sockets had there netural
wired to the wrong side of the rcd and of course triped when ever they
were used. Before I learnt the MO of an rcd it just didn't make sense!


Needless to say the electric board didn't pick up on either of these when
they initially came out to re-fit the main fuse. In fact, it's frightening
how blasé the electric board are in general about this sort of stuff. If
there's a gas leak, Transco are out within minutes. If there's an
electrical fault nobody seems to give a damn, IMHO.


The NIE guy who came out to remove the off peak service at my mums home
used a plug in 3 neon type tester (all three neons on, then it must be
wired up correctly), to check out the instalation!

He also reckoned that MK sentry were rubbish and 'you should have bought
a protous (sp?) CU' ...

hmm
--
Peter D

The information contained in this post may not be published
in, or used by http://www.diyprojects.info

In article ,
Peter writes:

He also reckoned that MK sentry were rubbish and 'you should have bought
a protous (sp?) CU' ...

They have varied in quality with redesigns.
I think these parts are mostly bought in so MK can present a
complete range. The current plastic cases are nowhere near is
nice or solid as the previous range with the perspex cover.
However their RCBO's are now much better than the ones they
had ~10 years ago which needed DIN rail extenders and different
bus bar connections and where clearly designed for some other
consumer unit. A couple of years ago, I fitted one of these
earlier CU's but with current MCB's/RCBO's, and that made for
the best combination of MK CU bits.

MK's best quality stuff is the stuff they make themselves IMO,
switch plates, socket outlets, etc.

--
Andrew Gabriel