Circuit breaker keeps popping

[D-Angle]

Right.

I currently have no lights in my flat. All of my outlets are working but the house lights are out, as the circuit breaker keeps popping.

It first popped with no lights on at all. When I put it back in, the light in the hallway came on, and wouldn't switch off. This light has 2 switches, and flicking them just caused the light to turn more or less bright, not on or off. The circuit breaker then popped again after about 5 minutes.

So, problem with the switches, I thought. I took both apart to try and avoid any dodgy contacts which might be providing current to the light, and effectively remove that light from the circuit, so I could at least get some lights on until I could replace the switches. This stopped the light coming on, but the circuit breaker still popped after a few minutes. Thoughts?

[DrDeAtH]

1. the breaker could be faultly.
2. have you any water dripping from the flat above through a light fitting?
3. i dont reccommend taking light switches apart. best to replace them
does the breaker pop when you turn on any of the lights? or does it just trip out on its own?

[cpas]

D-Angle said:

Right.

I currently have no lights in my flat. All of my outlets are working but the house lights are out, as the circuit breaker keeps popping.

It first popped with no lights on at all. When I put it back in, the light in the hallway came on, and wouldn't switch off. This light has 2 switches, and flicking them just caused the light to turn more or less bright, not on or off. The circuit breaker then popped again after about 5 minutes.

So, problem with the switches, I thought. I took both apart to try and avoid any dodgy contacts which might be providing current to the light, and effectively remove that light from the circuit, so I could at least get some lights on until I could replace the switches. This stopped the light coming on, but the circuit breaker still popped after a few minutes. Thoughts?

Are you talking about the individual circuit breaker for the lighting circuit, or the main switch for all the circuits? If it's tha main switch and it's an RCD type, then any slight foult will cause it to blow. Look for water leakage in showers etc. They basically detect earth leakage and can detect the difference between earth and neutral.

[jagracer]

Have you checked you haven't got a blown bulb?

[lewes]

Sorry to high-jack the thread but I have similar.

New consumer unit 3 years ago and the RCCB keeps tripping and I think we have established its the MCB for the kitchen circuit.

The kitchen circuit has the fridge\freezer, dish washer, range style cooker and gas boiler.

All the appliances work (even defrosted the freezer today incase it was working overtime) but the consumer unit keeps tripping at all times of the day with no defined pattern.

Any suggestions ??

[D-Angle]

Thanks for all the advice.

Yes there was a small drip from the ceiling in an adjoining room a couple of weeks ago. I checked with the flat above and they had no leaks, and the drip wasn't underneath their kitchen or bathroom. I assumed that the moisture in the ceiling cavity had iced up in the winter (this area was one of the worst during the cold snap) and had melted when the weather improved. It seemed to dry up completely.

It's just the circuit breaker for the lighting circuit, all of my outlets are fine. And all the other lights work fine when the circuit breaker is in. The breaker pops out whether the lights are on or not, the hall light was staying on whether the switches were flicked to on or off.

My current thinking is to replace the switches and the breaker and see what difference that makes.

[Deva Link]

D-Angle said:

My current thinking is to replace the switches and the breaker and see what difference that makes.

If they're just ordinary light switches then it's extremely unlikely there's anything wrong with them. It's also fairly unlikely there's anything wrong with the breaker.

The fact that the light varies in brightness but doesn't go off when switched would indicate a wiring problem.

If you don't know what you're doing then call an electrician. If you do have some level of confidence, then what sort of light fitting(s) are used? If they're pendants (wires danngling from a ceiling rose) then turn the power off an unscrew the rose - it might have water in it.

[DrDeAtH]

i would recommend getting a local electrician in to test the lighting circuit which will highlight any potential problems. lights that stay on regardless, indicates a fault somewhere along the line, and can normally be sorted fairly easily.

[DrDeAtH]

Lewes.

try checking that the connections inside the consumer unit are all tight. TURN OFF MAIN SWITCH FIRST.

a loose connection csan give rise to nusiance tripping.

other than that the RCCB is buggered and will need replacing.

[Solitude]

Don't touch anything mate, for god's sake call a sparks.

[cpas]

It won't be a problem soon - it will all be solved by the FIRE!!!

[dilbert]

You can encourage the fire, with a nail (used in place of the circuit breaker). I think a 4" nail is about 400 Amps or so.

At least you won't be getting cold, it's just that the fuel is expensive.

[smifffymoto]

loose neutral