no power to random sockets.

[DeanoRN]

Hi all,

my mate rang me and said some of his sockets stopped working so i went to have a quick look and for someone inexperienced like me it's got me stumped, so i was wondering if someone with some expertise could help.

all the sockets are working except 1 downstairs and 2 upstairs, one in the living room, one in the upstairs landing and one in a bedroom, nothing has tripped on the consumer unit and there is no power going to the sockets but all the other sockets are working fine, he has had some new carpets fitted don't know if that makes any difference.

I was only there for 5 mins so didnt get a good chance to have a look but to me its a bit of a strange one as they was all working fine a few weeks ago.

any suggestions?

regards
Deano

 

[MFS Electrical]

Is there RCDs in the consumer unit? It’s possible the carpet fitters spiked a cable with the joining bar things that go across doorways and if there isn’t an RCD it might not trip....

 

[DeanoRN]

Is there RCDs in the consumer unit? It’s possible the carpet fitters spiked a cable with the joining bar things that go across doorways and if there isn’t an RCD it might not trip....

Hi mate, yes there is rcd's nothing tripped it's just a confusing one for me.

 

[MFS Electrical]

what have you used to confirm there is no power and how....

 

[MFS Electrical]

I’m thinking: lost line or lost nuetral from bad connections at one or more of the sockets, possibly a junction box that may have been disturbed under the floor somehow or maybe even a lucky shot with one of the carpet gripper things screws like it’s managed to completely break either the line or the nuetral and miss everything else. Have you got test gear? - maybe bell out the terminals on the back of the socket to prove continuity to the line nuetral and cpc. If it’s a ring do the RFC continuity tests.

 

[DeanoRN]

what have you used to confirm there is no power and how....

first i used my kewtech socket tester i had in my tool bag in the car but noting then i took the socket plate off and used a kewtech voltage tester on the incoming cables and there is no power coming in. but i left it at that as i was rushing.

 

[MFS Electrical]

first i used my kewtech socket tester i had in my tool bag in the car but noting then i took the socket plate off and used a kewtech voltage tester on the incoming cables and there is no power coming in. but i left it at that as i was rushing.

Was that just at one socket? I’d be inclined to try them all. Isolate first though as there may be something hanging out in one of them and you don’t want a nasty surprise.

 

[telectrix]

you need to go back. do all the dead tests from socket to socket, find the break.

 

[DeanoRN]

Was that just at one socket? I’d be inclined to try them all. Isolate first though as there may be something handing out in one of them and you don’t want a nasty surprise.

yes just one socket as i didnt have time, he changed some of his sockets to new chrome ones a while back but they are all working fine he said, could this be a cause of it?

 

[telectrix]

Was that just at one socket? I’d be inclined to try them all. Isolate first though as there may be something handing out in one of them and you don’t want a nasty surprise.

agree.ther may be a fault on the N which could give OP a surprise

 

[MFS Electrical]

yes just one socket as i didnt have time, he changed some of his sockets to new chrome ones a while back but they are all working fine he said, could this be a cause of it?

I’d put money on bad connections on one (or more)of the ones he’d changed

 

[telectrix]

I’d put money on bad connections on one (or more)of the ones he’d changed

red to red, black to black, blue to bits?

 

[curly]

Were there ever storage heaters in the property ? That could explain why there are 3 random sockets dead.

You really need to do some dead testing.

If there are two sets of cables atthe dead sockets if so do end to ends( r1 , r2, rn) I'm guessing it won't be a ring but there's other one way to find out.

If it's not a ring do the following
R1+R2 to find exactly what circuit it's on. If you don't get a reading try an R2+Rn remember to remove both conductors from the bars
Hopefully you get a readingand can narrow down the brake

Now that I think about it make sure the mcb's are all working test between the loadside and earth, I have had a bad beaker before.

Hope that helps!