fatchap Posted August 1, 2020 Report Share Posted August 1, 2020 Total power outage in my workshop, one minute all ok, next thing lights off nothing working. Then came the spine chilling shrill from indoors that the power was off in there as well. Isolated the workshop feed and tried the house power, all good came back on straight away, however tried the workshop again, loud click from the breaker and power off. Again isolated the workshop and power back on. So that the fault obviously at the workshop end. Rang my electrician, and he was as helpful as ever with his I can pop over Sunday afternoon not sure when but I will turn up. So that me waiting in all Sunday afternoon, I asked him what he could be and again he was bit economical in his reply, could be something simple or it could be your board. Have a board in the workshop its pretty much brand new and he fitted it, Seriously frustrated by this. got lots of work on cannot afford the time the workshop is out of action. So any sparks on here give me a more detailed and less sketchy response than my electrician as to what it could be, I know its a bit difficult without seeing it. But I have a large fluorescent double tube on all the time, a 550W bench grinder, battery charging station on all the time. A couple of belt sanders, a pedestal drill and two 500w pendant grinders, and 12 plug sockets, thats pretty much whats pulling power all the time. The forge fan pulls a hell of a lot but I don't have that plugged in until I need to use it. So can you conclude from that? Any help so I can get up and running again, can't really wait till Sunday, I know he will tell me whats wrong but can't fix it til next weekend or something like that and thats is not good for me. Cheers chaps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12gauge82 Posted August 1, 2020 Report Share Posted August 1, 2020 Don't know what size wire and breakers you've got but that's a huge load to pull if you had alot of machines on at once. I'm not a spark, but it could be alot of different things, a broken wire ect Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted August 1, 2020 Report Share Posted August 1, 2020 turn all the stuff off in the workshop turn the light and stuff on in the house tell the wife to stay in the house and shout when the lights go off one by one turn the stuff on in the workshop when she shouts that the lecky has gone...isolate that machine/ switch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellow Bear Posted August 1, 2020 Report Share Posted August 1, 2020 (edited) Start with everything unplugged/disconnected if you can, if not switched off and fuses drawn or breakers off on individual circuits. If it then goes it is wiring to board. If not reintroduce a circuit at a time and then appliance at a time to isolate area of fault. Like as not it is one of the motors or the charging station. Dang me --- beaten to it by ditchy Edited August 1, 2020 by Yellow Bear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnfromUK Posted August 1, 2020 Report Share Posted August 1, 2020 As the two post above; Disconnect (or where wired in - switch off) everything Switch off all switches at the board. Switch on one by one until you find the 'culprit'. When it happened to my garage - tried all that - and even with NOTHING on threw trip. Turned out to be water ingress in the (underground) cable to the garage, not anything in the garage itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Heron Posted August 1, 2020 Report Share Posted August 1, 2020 2 hours ago, ditchman said: turn all the stuff off in the workshop turn the light and stuff on in the house tell the wife to stay in the house and shout when the lights go off one by one turn the stuff on in the workshop when she shouts that the lecky has gone...isolate that machine/ switch +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatchap Posted August 1, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2020 Cheers sounds like a plan. I'll give it a go now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatchap Posted August 1, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2020 Looks like the board, nothing plugged in or powered in the workshop, house power on, turned on the workshop power from the isolator and off went the house power,. so could be the isolator itself or the board in the workshop. I believe it rhymes with clucking bell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted August 1, 2020 Report Share Posted August 1, 2020 Pay for a professional! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatchap Posted August 1, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2020 (edited) 6 minutes ago, TIGHTCHOKE said: Pay for a professional! Going to, she who must be obeyed won't let me touch electrics, changing a plugs ok but anything more than that she will go into meltdown If it is the board then to be honest unless its blatently obvious like a wire hanging out, I wouldn't have a clue. Edited August 1, 2020 by fatchap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted August 1, 2020 Report Share Posted August 1, 2020 14 minutes ago, fatchap said: Looks like the board, nothing plugged in or powered in the workshop, house power on, turned on the workshop power from the isolator and off went the house power,. so could be the isolator itself or the board in the workshop. I believe it rhymes with clucking bell. could be the cable that runs from the house to the workshop...............the cable i put in for mine was heavily armoured.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatchap Posted August 1, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2020 2 minutes ago, ditchman said: could be the cable that runs from the house to the workshop...............the cable i put in for mine was heavily armoured.......... Mines armored as well plus inside ally conduit, I'll leave it to Sparky Martin on Sunday to have a look. Seems to me to be a serious fault. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyefor Posted August 1, 2020 Report Share Posted August 1, 2020 (edited) Just a thought.....did you turn the power back on with all the breakers still in place? What about power off, remove all breakers. Power on - then see if it trips? If it does, it's the board? If not, feed one breaker in at a time (power off, one breaker in, power on) and then see what happens? If it trips with the first breaker, try same again with a different breaker. Edited August 1, 2020 by Eyefor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millrace Posted August 1, 2020 Report Share Posted August 1, 2020 As above power off "Breakers" off, then 1 by 1 back on,five mins will find problem!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatchap Posted August 1, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2020 12 minutes ago, Eyefor said: Just a thought.....did you turn the power back on with all the breakers still in place? What about power off, remove all breakers. Power on - then see if it trips? If it does, it's the board? If not, feed one breaker in at a time and then see what happens? Everything off, flick the isolator and it trips out the house Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyefor Posted August 1, 2020 Report Share Posted August 1, 2020 6 minutes ago, fatchap said: Everything off, flick the isolator and it trips out the house With breakers in or out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millrace Posted August 1, 2020 Report Share Posted August 1, 2020 Turn off house breakers so everything off then try workshop.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted August 1, 2020 Report Share Posted August 1, 2020 whilst you are fiddling with it dont produce any water sweating or otherwise stand on a rubber mat wear rubber gloves when using the broom tell the wife which switch to do and you will be fine..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bornfree Posted August 1, 2020 Report Share Posted August 1, 2020 If it's tripping the RCD it could be an earth neutral fault Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatchap Posted August 2, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2020 (edited) Well Sparky Martin has just left, got here about eleven, told him what you guys told me to do. and he went straight for the board, opened it up and the problem was obvious. corrosion facilitated by lots of dead spiders. It had been going for some time but had only just reached a point where its causing a problem. Moisture or water is getting in there somewhere and he suggested relocating the new board. old board has had it. Will price it up and can fit a new board and a thorough power check up Thursday this week. Some of the sockets I have fitted do not conform to the machine I am running off of them, bench grinder for instance, charging station should be plumbed direct with the on/off via spur if that makes any sense? not to me it don't. But I'll go among with it. My main lamp has an emergency power outage by pass, that should not be taken out of the circuit as it pulls more amps which I did, all in all plenty wrong. This is going to hurt. Edited August 2, 2020 by fatchap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnfromUK Posted August 2, 2020 Report Share Posted August 2, 2020 5 minutes ago, fatchap said: This is going to hurt. To be fair, you have been very open and honest about your own limitations on knowledge in this area - and you are doing the right thing by having it done professionally. MUCH better that than have a patch up job done - then find insurance won't cover it when the shed burns down! I know that is a bit extreme, but think of it along those terms and any expense now makes good sense. Water and electricity are not good mixers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatchap Posted August 2, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2020 Has anyone else who's workshop is temporally out of action found that the kitchen is an ideal replacement for small jobs such as polishing and electro etching. For some reason my wife does not share my beleif that I won't make a mess, and no that is not corrosive and what dust? in fact she felt so strongly about me using the kitchen which I have to say the kitchen table is the perfect height, coffee at arms reach and the big ceiling fan keeping me cool, that she promptly exploded, this was 4 hours ago and she is still at critical mass now. I really don't get what she's got so upset about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amateur Posted August 2, 2020 Report Share Posted August 2, 2020 20 minutes ago, fatchap said: Has anyone else who's workshop is temporally out of action found that the kitchen is an ideal replacement for small jobs such as polishing and electro etching. For some reason my wife does not share my beleif that I won't make a mess, and no that is not corrosive and what dust? in fact she felt so strongly about me using the kitchen which I have to say the kitchen table is the perfect height, coffee at arms reach and the big ceiling fan keeping me cool, that she promptly exploded, this was 4 hours ago and she is still at critical mass now. I really don't get what she's got so upset about. Sounds about right. I find that heating a perfectly clean crankcase in the oven to replace bearings, and, indeed, putting bearings in the freezer, causes a disproportionate reaction. It's not as though we don't change out of our greasy boots Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaymo Posted August 2, 2020 Report Share Posted August 2, 2020 14 minutes ago, amateur said: Sounds about right. I find that heating a perfectly clean crankcase in the oven to replace bearings, and, indeed, putting bearings in the freezer, causes a disproportionate reaction. It's not as though we don't change out of our greasy boots That’s having cleaned the cases in the dishwasher first 👍🏻 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amateur Posted August 2, 2020 Report Share Posted August 2, 2020 6 minutes ago, Jaymo said: That’s having cleaned the cases in the dishwasher first 👍🏻 Absolutely! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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