Help! Fuse board gone nuts - lights flickering on and off.

[drjarmin]

My electrician that wired up my house is on his hols so, although I helped, I am not a qualified electrician (which will become more than apparent) but hope someone can advise as I can't get hold of him. I think this is a simple issue to an expert.

First noticed an issue as the lights in the house started to flicker intermittently.

Went to the fuse box and can hear a noise coming from it. It seems when any significant amount of power is drawn, there is sparking on the newtral return bar (see picture).

The screws are tight so there should be a good connection. This set up is about 2 years old from installation.

I have shut down ALL circuits except for the fridge. Any advice please? Thanks.

Could it be down to oxidisation stopping a good connection? Something as simple as that?

 

[Octopus]

Was this a recent rewire?

I'd get somebody in to take a look - where are you? I'm certain that there are many sparkies here who would be willing to pay you a visit!

 

[hasel5]

Is this in the uk or europe ?

would say its a bad connection on the neutral bar you really need to think about replacing the whole board and the incoming tails as looks from the pictures a bit of a bodge

 

[drjarmin]

New fuseboard and complete rewire installed about 2 years ago by a UK qualified electrician.

I'm in a remote part of Hong Kong - hence the panic and difficulty getting hold of someone. I'm not putting the a/c on for fear of putting any load on the circuit and its a bit hot and sticky here at the moment.

The sparking under that (corroded looking) screwhead must indicate a bad connection? But the screw is tight or am I missing something here.

Thanks!

 

[ebow72]

Is that mold on the white cable? Is it MICC? Is the CCU in a Cellar or Damp?

 

[drjarmin]

Hello Hasel5

In what way would you say it was a bodge? What is the issue with the tails? They look dirty but that is just mould which gets on everything after a couple of high humidity summers.

I suppose the bigger question - is this safe to last the night? As mentioned, I have shut down all the fuses except for the fridge as nowhere to put the frozen stuff. Seems to have stopped sparking.

Thanks.

 

[topquark]

My electrician that wired up my house is on his hols so, although I helped, I am not a qualified electrician (which will become more than apparent) but hope someone can advise as I can't get hold of him. I think this is a simple issue to an expert.
Best advice would be to get another electrician in asap!

First noticed an issue as the lights in the house started to flicker intermittently.

Went to the fuse box and can hear a noise coming from it. It seems when any significant amount of power is drawn, there is sparking on the newtral return bar (see picture).

The screws are tight so there should be a good connection. This set up is about 2 years old from installation.

I have shut down ALL circuits except for the fridge. Any advice please? Thanks.
That's a good start.

Could it be down to oxidisation stopping a good connection? Something as simple as that?

Unlikely to be oxidisation, could be a number of other things. Don't do it yourself, get someone in who can test it! You never know what else they may find

 

[RWJ]

That's not a neutral bar... Someone's used the earth bar as neutral. The bit "buzzing" is where you test Ze if it was still an earth bar..

Where are the earths teminated? or are they all SWA and banjos etc?

 

[hasel5]

You need the neutral bar replaced and the cable lugged and redone at the minuim

 

[telectrix]

turn off main isolator. undo the suspect neutral connection. cut away the dicoloured end. and strip insulation about 10mm. reconnect in N bar ( if the one it came out of is "burnt", connect into a spare terminal. refit cover and re-energise.

 

[drjarmin]

Is that mold on the white cable? Is it MICC? Is the CCU in a Cellar or Damp?

Yes it is most probably mould on the MICC. CCU is in a ground floor room, not in a cellar but just in a very humid environment (although the room is usually air conditioned or dehumidified in the summer). I think it looks worse in the picture as is does otherwise. Besides, everything goes mouldy here in a few weeks in the summer.

 

[Hawk81]

Please make sure and have this board isolated when having the cover off as there is alot of exsposed live parts.

 

[drjarmin]

Unlikely to be oxidisation, could be a number of other things. Don't do it yourself, get someone in who can test it! You never know what else they may find

Yeah, I've reached the limit of my expertise killing the power and taking the cover off. Prefer not to have to switch off the freezer if it can wait until tomorrow or whenever I can get someone round.

Thanks

 

[Mark_Burgess]

That oxidised screw is the point of contact of the small bar that bridges the neutral termination to the neutral bar.

Turn it all off by the main switch, removed that screw and clean the screw and bridging bar and all suspect areas with a wire brush, wire wool or sandpaper and put it back together, power up and see what happens.

If the problem has gone get it replaced as once tarnished like that the conductivity is not that great.

 

[Des 56]

From the vague picture it looks to me to be a 3-phase board
The neutral bar seems to be just that a neutral bar not a converted earth bar

There is signs of overheating probably caused by a loose or poor connection at that point at the neutral link

As stated isolate,strip it down and clean
If it can be done,terminate into the load side connectors using one or more to suit the amount of strands
The tails also appear to be multi core and also the conductor of the neutral is oxidised,this would require re making to find clean copper

Cleaning and making sure everything is tight should get you along until your spark gets his rear off those golden sands

 

[drjarmin]

Thanks. I'll leave it to the professionals but what should I be looking to get replaced? The mould does look much worse in the picture. It's usually where the cable has been touched so I think the tails should be fine.

It is a 3 phase board. Is the picture coming up small? I can post a clearer one. I reduced the resolution to save space.

 

[Des 56]

but what should I be looking to get replaced


Replaced ?
Re conditioning only more likely, to get back to its original standard perhaps

 

[mickys86]

Haven't read any posts, initial thoughts as I'm reading the first post is lose connection on the neutral

 

[pushrod]

Think you have had the right answers already #10 and #15. If you are not confident or don't have the right kit to do it you either have to sit tight or get someone else in.

 

[kamkam]

the bolt will seem tight because the arcing has more likely welded the bolt to the nut but still leaving a poor connection