Need help/advice, insure of what the problem is and think I’m being ripped off

[Sam010201]

hi all,

Today I had an electrician come around a rental property of mine and swap the faces of a few double sockets and light switches, he done this and everything was fine the sockets worked and light switches worked fine, as he was finishing up he was changing the lightbulb as he unscrewed the bulb the electric tripped and now every time I switch the consumer unit on the RCD trips so no power is going to the onsumner unit it is all a very old system and needs upgrading but he seemed stumped and clues less as of what has happened and why this problem had emerged and the property is now left with no lights or sockets, ill attach some photos of the set up, but as I can describe it the mains power goes to a rcd then from the rcd to an very old consumer unit with wire fuse, power is going in and back out of the rcd and into the consumer unit but when the consumer unit is then switched on the rcd trips


In the picture the top white metal box of the consumer unit

The guy I had to do the work is now explaining to me that because the switches are new and pull more power it has caused the cable to heat up and I need a complete re-wire, I just feel that I’m being ripped off.

 

[SJD]

Sam, are you still training to be an electrician (your Oct 2018 post)?

 

[Sam010201]

Maybe a complete coincidence that the RCD tripped whilst he was there but he should not have left leaving you with no power.

Are there any outside lights or garage supplies that water has gotten into. Have you tried unplugging all appliances, switching off the cooker switch, boiler spur and any other spurs. Then try to reset the RCD.

The rcd is only connected to the old consumer unit which in that consumer unit is the lights and sockets only pictures have been uploaded to explain the situation

 

[Sam010201]

Maybe a complete coincidence that the RCD tripped whilst he was there but he should not have left leaving you with no power.

Are there any outside lights or garage supplies that water has gotten into. Have you tried unplugging all appliances, switching off the cooker switch, boiler spur and any other spurs. Then try to reset the RCD.

The rcd is only connected to the old consumer unit which in that consumer unit is the lights and sockets only pictures have been uploaded to explain the situation

 

[The Ghost]

Of course it could be a faulty RCD. It does happen. Need to test the current flow on the earth to check and do some ramp tests to rule that out.

 

[streamer]

Hi Sam. Regardless of the problem you have now, you should have an EICR carried out before letting a property. In Scotland you can't legally let a property without one, don't know about England. But regardless of the laws your conscience should tell you it is necessary. The first thing I noticed from your photos is the RCD with no enclosure and nice big exposed terminals. Nice and easy for someone to get a shock from there and I don't think the courts would look favourably on you as the landlord.

 

[Toneyz]

And still no mention of the ??? or electrician with test kit out.
If he has taken out each fuse/protective device off and no joy then at least he could take out a neutral one at a time until the tripping stops identifying the faulty circuit and get the other circuits on.

 

[freddo]

That poor RCD! For goodness sake, power off then insulation test the circuits to narrow the fault to one circuit. Then split it down from there. If I reset an MCB or RCD and it immediately trips I don't attempt to reset it again until I have located and cleared the fault.

 

[Sam010201]

UPDATE

It is the old ring main which is causing it to trip, when the ring main is disconnected from the consumer unit power comes back on fine

 

[Toneyz]

UPDATE

It is the old ring main which is causing it to trip, when the ring main is disconnected from the consumer unit power comes back on fine

At least it has been narrowed down so that the other circuits can be switched on. Now the electrician needs to get his insulation resistance tester out ( he has got one hasn't he?).
Was socket front plates been changed on this circuit?

 

[telectrix]

UPDATE

It is the old ring main which is causing it to trip, when the ring main is disconnected from the consumer unit power comes back on fine

when you say disconnected, do you mean both L and N, or is it just the breaker/fuse off/out?

 

[Sam010201]

At least it has been narrowed down so that the other circuits can be switched on. Now the electrician needs to get his insulation resistance tester out ( he has got one hasn't he?).
Was socket front plates been changed on this circuit?

No idea if he has one? The socket face plates was replaced on this circuit and one was upgraded from a single to a double socket? Do you think that could have been the problem?

 

[Sam010201]

when you say disconnected, do you mean both L and N, or is it just the breaker/fuse off/out?

Both line and neutral was pulled out of the consumer unit

 

[telectrix]

if it wasn't tripping before, and it's tripping now, he's made a cock-up. we all do it sometime, but finding it and fixing it should not take any spark with more than 2 brain cells more than an hour or so. ( less if the pub's about to open.

 

[Andy78]

No idea if he has one? The socket face plates was replaced on this circuit and one was upgraded from a single to a double socket? Do you think that could have been the problem?

Possible, but inspection and testing will verify this one way or the other.

 

[telectrix]

time this thread has been running, i could have drove down to wilting land, fixed the fault, had a skinful, spent the night with a gorgeous blonde, and still been back for @er indoors' full english brekky.