Am I liable to pay

[jean1289]

I rent a property in the UK. All of the sockets in my house were tripping, even when all sockets were switched off. An electrician came out, sent by the estate agent who manages the property. They determined it was an appliance of mine that tripped the power. He said something about why the socket was receiving power when the switch was off, but I'm not sure what it was he said as I am no electrician. Something to do with a neutral wire. I have received an invoice, from the estate agents, for me to pay the electrician as the fault was my appliance. I agree this would be my invoice to pay, however, I could have diagnosed the appliance as the fault myself had the landlords socket not been supplying power when switched off? Please could somebody advise me as to where I stand. Of course I am happy to pay if it is my responsibility. Thanks, Jean.

 

[telectrix]

I recently went to a house with and RCD tripping, it turned out to be the toaster. The occupier had dropped something metallic in the toaster, causing a N to E short. After tipping the metal object out, the toaster worked fine and nothing tripped.

funny. i was thinking along similar lines but my thoughts were water splashed or spilt on toaster. now dried out it's OK.

 

[Des 56]

The situation arose because of the Landlords installation being low cost

If the installation did not comprise cheap (and in this case) ineffective single pole sockets,the toaster would have not stopped the supply being reset
The Landlord relied on single pole devices when double pole are prefered and readily available,it not only smells of cheap and nasty but silliness and to a certain degree negligence on their part given the installation is being used for Rental


If they try and charge ask them for compensation for the time you had to endure power off for no good reason

 

[Midwest]

The situation arose because of the Landlords installation being low cost

If the installation did not comprise cheap (and in this case) ineffective single pole sockets,the toaster would have not stopped the supply being reset
The Landlord relied on single pole devices when double pole are prefered and readily available,it not only smells of cheap and nasty but silliness and to a certain degree negligence on their part given the installation is being used for Rental


If they try and charge ask them for compensation for the time you had to endure power off for no good reason

Thats a bit harsh, I bet most of the UK has SP sockets.

 

[Andy78]

Only time I have ever seen a fault caused by a toaster was when someone tried toasting a portion of baguette in one and the width of the bread forced parts of the bread carrier against the elements causing it to trip.

 

[Midwest]

Only time I have ever seen a fault caused by a toaster was when someone tried toasting a portion of baguette in one and the width of the bread forced parts of the bread carrier against the elements causing it to trip.

Or stuffing some cheesecake in it

 

[plugsandsparks]

Only ever had one toaster fault, cannot remember the make but i think it had a tray at the bottom to collect crumbs, anyway, I gave the toaster a good old shake and turned it upside down, loads of crumbs came out and all good again.

 

[GeorgeCooke]

It is not unusal for toasters to trip RCDs. A bit of curly toast touches the element and it trips. On loss of power the toast pops up removing the problem and further testing shows it to not be faulty.

 

[pirate]

If you are a student, it's common to turn the toaster on its side and slide in a slice with mac and cheese on it...an improvised George Foreman grill...
trust me, bad things happen!

 

[Andy78]

If you are a student, it's common to turn the toaster on its side and slide in a slice with mac and cheese on it...an improvised George Foreman grill...
trust me, bad things happen!

Gotta be sharp with the wicket keepers gloves when it ejects your tasty molten snack is all I will say.

 

[Bellendian]

A mate of mine came home to find the toaster smouldering outside the back door. Apparently his housemate had lost his lighter and was trying the old paper on the element trick to get a light! Things escalated rapidly and the flaming toaster was chucked out the door!

 

[Taylortwocities]

@jean1289
The last rogue toaster I looked at had the following "faults"

The crumb tray at the bottom had never been cleared out
A large sultana from a tea cake was wedged inside, shorting out the element to the metal earth of the device.

What I did (you can do this) UNPLUG the thing. Clean it out so there's no debris. That should sort it.

PS I charged my standard minimum of two hours. Easy money!!

 

[telectrix]

@jean1289
The last rogue toaster I looked at had the following "faults"

The crumb tray at the bottom had never been cleared out
A large sultana from a tea cake was wedged inside, shorting out the element to the metal earth of the device.

What I did (you can do this) UNPLUG the thing. Clean it out so there's no debris. That should sort it.

PS I charged my standard minimum of two hours. Easy money!!

did you get a piece of toast as a tip?

 

[Taylortwocities]

Croutons! That’s what we have here.

 

[telectrix]

Croutons! That’s what we have here.

i had them. surgeon fixed in a day.

 

[SparkyHarry]

I think its too hard to tell and it could be faulty electrics damaging your appliances rather than the other way around.