main switch tripping

[woodsta]

I changed a consumer unit about 4 years ago now and the customer has now come back to me with a problem which happened while they were away. On their return the neighbour who was looking after the house had said that the electric had tripped out. I assumed they meant the rcd had tripped due to maybe a power cut and a surge. But the main switch on the board and a sub board were off as well. Now i would have thought anything that had caused this would have blown the main fuse but apparantly not. has anyone else come accross this. The only load being used in the house was the boiler. I think the neighbour has come in and tried switching anything to get power on.

 

[ezzzekiel]

go back with test equipment and your original installaton cert and check results

 

[Octopus]

You say "tripping" - are you saying the main switches keep tripping?

 

[woodsta]

the neighbour said the main switches were off on both boards, there have been no problems since they turned them back on. So they had tripped but no problems since switching back on.

 

[Electricalserv]

Sure they didn't switch everything off to save energy whilst they where away. If everything is fine now there can't be a fault!

 

[woodsta]

thats what im thinking power was left on just to keep the heating on half hour a day . i think the neighbour has come round and maybe an rcd had tripped and they turned the main switches off to try and get power on. Pensioners as well.

 

[Electricalserv]

thats what im thinking power was left on just to keep the heating on half hour a day . i think the neighbour has come round and maybe an rcd had tripped and they turned the main switches off to try and get power on. Pensioners as well.

Very, Very likely!

 

[sparc]

As I understand it there's no mechanism in a main switch to trip - unlike an MCB, or an RCD?

I thought they are straight forward DP switches - no springs like an MCB to power the trip in an overload situation.

 

[Deleted member 9648]

If it's a 60947-3/5419 main switch it cant trip....it can only be manually operated...

 

[telectrix]

sounds like a typical case of user error. probably was an RCD trip and they've been playing around switching things on and off without understanding what they were doing.

 

[nickblake]

Agree with wirepuller and sparc unless its a main switch RCD it will be as wirepuller has said a 60947/5419 which is an isolator not an overload or fault protective device

 

[pushrod]

A bulb blowing can take an mcb out. I suspect someone has perhaps had a little fiddle about and forgotten. What type of switches you talking about. Did the neighbours helpfully empty the freezer as well to stop the food rotting

 

[ezzzekiel]

which brings me back to my original post, if he installed it he would know the main switch cant trip so something else has caused the problem.

But the main switch on the board and a sub board were off as well. Now i would have thought anything that had caused this would have blown the main fuse but apparantly not. has anyone else come accross this.

would wonder how he expected the main switch to of tripped in the first place though?

 

[woodsta]

exactly what i thought its purely an isolator Thanks

 

[SirKit Breaker]

sounds like a typical case of user error. probably was an RCD trip and they've been playing around switching things on and off without understanding what they were doing.

sounds a bit like me then...........