Lights tripping and buzzing at DB and lighting

[JONNY BRIGGS]

Hi Guys,

Need some advice please.

I'm an electricians mate and my boss is sending me to a shop this afternoon as the client has said they had a small flood and now there lights are buzzing, flickering and tripping. At the 3 phase board the DB is buzzing to.

As im not that experienced does anyone has any suggestions what the most common cause could be?

Any help would be great.

Many thanks

 

[telectrix]

water ingress. isolate the circuit/s that are affected. wear insulated gloves or flick off with an insulated driver when isolating MCBs as you don't know what contaminents there are in that water that may be conductive. dry out affected components. MCBs may be knackered.

 

[JONNY BRIGGS]

Thanks a lot, I will do that.

 

[Guest111]

As Tel said,water ingress can cause this just be careful and dont touch anything with bare hands till you know whats what.At the end of the day if you haven,t got the proper gloves a pair of marigolds is better than nothing,at least they will save you getting a belt.

 

[markc123]

Not having a dig at all Jonny, but if you're out of your depth speak to your boss and get him to explain abit more, and do abit more 1on1 work with him. He'll probably appretciate you speaking up and asking questions - as this shows willingness to learn, instead of turning up to the job in a slight panick.

tel's got it spot on though, theres obviouslly water in some fitting somewhere and depending on the size of the shop, good luck finding it - i hope its not a tesco's megastore you're going too

Good luck though buddy and Happy New Year

 

[MDJ]

As im not that experienced does anyone has any suggestions what the most common cause could be?

I'm an electricians mate

the 3 phase board the DB is buzzing to.

Good advise By the guys, I would switch the DB off and ask your boss to get you some help fella and try to stay safe,

Kind Regards

Mike

 

[telectrix]

16 serious posts now .

 

[Sparkyphill]

Don't wish to sound disrespectful but this doesn't sound like a job for a sparkies mate, I'd ask for help

 

[telectrix]

it may just be that his boss wants him to have a quick look see what's involved. as the lads have said, be careful, stay safe, make the installation safe, and don't try and do anything that you feel is outside your scope of competence. don't let the customer bully you into energising a circuit that you feel is unsafe for use.

 

[Guest111]

Well said Tel,as we all know last man on it cops the bullet if it all goes wrong,better to have an angry shop manager than dead customers.

 

[thekingiam]

tread carefully if db in cellar is it still flooded?
get your rubber soled wellies out in case, if you don't like the look of it step away and call your boss.
you will probably encounter a shop keeper still trying to earn a living and with very little patience, the buzzing may of cleared by the time you get there.
depending on experiance i recomend not touching anything unless imediate danger then disconect supply as stated above otherwise phone your boss and describe what you are seeing.
look for main fuse if anything serious it would of been on fire by now.

 

[JONNY BRIGGS]

Thanks for all the advice, yes my boss has said to have a look and if its obvious fix it if not he will come and fix it.

 

[markc123]

Thanks for all the advice, yes my boss has said to have a look and if its obvious fix it if not he will come and fix it.

Ahh, well good luck then buddy - and if you need anything else don't hesitate to ask.

Just remember, if you don't feel comfortable don't do it. Do not feel pressured into anything, certain bosses can be quite pushy.

Good luck and all the best, Mark.

 

[Guest111]

As others have said good luck and good hunting, above all be careful best wishes phil.

 

[thekingiam]

visual inspection first,look for imediate dangers obvious faults ,ask if water reached cu, look at heights of sockets whats connected if water could of reached them, isolate each circuit in turn if still buzzing could indicate where fault is. Keep your boss in the loop tell him what you have found how you want to rectify it and does he want you to do it.
i would probably thought your boss would want it all tested as well but he may intend on doing this later.
remember your boss has to charge them for this so know your limitations and keep your mouth shut, if asked you are an electrician but need aproval from boss.