Fuse carrier

[Mavisg]

Hi, I am Mavis, a new member. I am not an electrician, hope that is okay, but want to ask a question. Twice in the last three weeks we have had the 5 amp fuse blow and would like to know if it is possible to buy a fuse carrier that could be just plugged in alongside the others in the fusebox, when and if this happens again, allowing the replacement wire to be put in without the hassle of doing it in the dark with a torch! I am waiting for our electrician to come and fit a new element in our cooker but cannot get him on the telephone to ask him. I will also be asking him to check the wiring to see why this is happening.

The bulbs were long life ones, a 15w and 20w and most probably had come to the end of their life, as they had been in a long time. Do you know if the large wattage would cause this to happen? Many thanks for your help. Regards to all Mavis

 

[Eggster71]

Firstly, energy saving lamps are unlikely to be the problem. I'm guessing you have a Wylex fuse box, flatish fronted fuse carriers with red yellow blue or white "inserts" fo the blades to fit through? If these ae the ones it is possible to buy retrofit circuit breakers which give you the convenience of modern breakers without having to change your whole fuse box.
HOWEVER, depending on how good your sparkie is I would ask him to give your wiring a thorough check, if not a full periodic test and inspection. OK, this is going to cost you a few quid but there is a distinct possibility there may be a fault with your lighting circuit and it would be daft to spent £10 each on some MCBs if you need a fusebox change (likely if your wiring is out of date). This probably isn't what you want to hear but a periodic is recommended at the very least every ten years, with more frequent "checks". I bet your wiring's not been looked at for years and years, especially given the type of fuses you have and with the best will will in the world connections will ALWAYS work loose eventually as a result of the cable's natural expansion & contraction due to heat changes. Loose connectiona are probably the single biggest cause of fires!
Good luck!

 

[patricklondon]

hello mavis it sounds like you might be looking for one of these Wylex | Electrical Installation | Consumer Units | MCB's Consumer Unit | Wylex NH Insulated Range - Wylex Standard |RS/B6

i do agree with eggster in that you would be better off getting a full Periodic Inspection and Test preferably by a registered electrician, ask them to show you who they are registered with eg NICEIC or Elecsa. They are the equivalent to corgi or gas safe as its now called. This will let you know how safe your installation is and how much if any needs to be improved or replaced.

You can find an electrician here Contractor Search - NICEIC Group

 

[Mavisg]

Firstly, energy saving lamps are unlikely to be the problem. I'm guessing you have a Wylex fuse box, flatish fronted fuse carriers with red yellow blue or white "inserts" fo the blades to fit through? If these ae the ones it is possible to buy retrofit circuit breakers which give you the convenience of modern breakers without having to change your whole fuse box.
HOWEVER, depending on how good your sparkie is I would ask him to give your wiring a thorough check, if not a full periodic test and inspection. OK, this is going to cost you a few quid but there is a distinct possibility there may be a fault with your lighting circuit and it would be daft to spent £10 each on some MCBs if you need a fusebox change (likely if your wiring is out of date). This probably isn't what you want to hear but a periodic is recommended at the very least every ten years, with more frequent "checks". I bet your wiring's not been looked at for years and years, especially given the type of fuses you have and with the best will will in the world connections will ALWAYS work loose eventually as a result of the cable's natural expansion & contraction due to heat changes. Loose connectiona are probably the single biggest cause of fires!
Good luck!

Hello Eggster, Yes it is a Wylex fusebox. I will take yuour advice and get our sparkie to give the wiring a thorough check, or the full periodic test. You are quite right the wiring will be out of date, we have been in this house since it was new in 1966, and seeing that it has not had a check in all that time it has done very well, so it really is time to get everything checked. So, once again many thanks for your excellent advice. I think our sparkie is okay, I do know that he does general house electrics and rewiring etc. and works as a service engineer a few days a week, so it is hard to get him. Best regards Mavis