problems today

hunterczt · Jul 23, 2009

had a problem at a job today - we shutdown a hotel to change 2 16 way fuse boards supplying the kitchen and other section boards around the hotel. After getting the boards up and the power back onto them found that the a PCs and a fax machines and the chillers for the beer and all the LCD tvs and fans have all stopped working would this be down to the fact they have never been turned off or could this be down to a voltage spike any other answers would be a great help and who would be at fault in a case like this would it be us or would the hotel take response ability for not having surge protection

Modernelectric · Jul 23, 2009

Ive never known anything like this, was everything shut down properly before you isolated the power?
Did you remove all load from the circuits before testing?

all i could think to check was that the circuits supplying them have been connected because mistakes happen when swapping c.u's.

i wouldnt count on the hotel accepting liability though.

Hope all works out ok mate.

Darkwood · Jul 23, 2009

Hope you didnt just switch the board off at the main switch without at least tripping the breakers for the circuits as if the main switch didnt open with high tension spring and open too slow you would probably have spiked the power as it arced across the opening switch, always unplug electronics or your asking for trouble.
Most new boards have main switches 'a.c.22a' rated or 'a.c.23a' rated which can handle switching inductive loads but an old board under load could have fried all the electronic items as i fear has happened here.
If all worked before i fear its your responsibility not theirs.

ryanryan · Jul 23, 2009

may sound patronising, but have you checked all the obvious..
line and neutrels on the correct sides of the rcd

Darkwood · Jul 23, 2009

ryanryan said:
may sound patronising, but have you checked all the obvious..
line and neutrels on the correct sides of the rcd

To be honest the first thing i hope hes checked is power at the related socket points this is why i assume hes asking the question above otherwise hes at the bottom of a big learning curve.

hunterczt · Jul 24, 2009

yes check all power and even the correct frequency all ok at time of test not to say it was when it was turned on.

Modernelectric · Jul 24, 2009

let us know how you go on hunterczt.

hunterczt · Jul 24, 2009

been more stuff today going down had a phone call to say that a till has now stopped working all test carried out and found no explainable problems carried out ring continuity, earth loop, insulation resistance all ok no way word values never came across anything like this before had wayward hertz vales before but nothing like this

boatnik1 · Jul 24, 2009

Can see the I.T. stuff getting zapped but, the fans and chillers, I don't think so. Sounds more like a power fault somewhere. Are all these on the same circuit?. Presumably the sockets have been checked at least by plugging a drill or something into them. Plug fuses might pop before the fans and chillers got killed, much more likely than a power surge killing them, hopefully the same goes for the PC and fax.
Try everything plugged into an extension lead from a working socket after checking the plugtop fuses.

Darkwood · Jul 24, 2009

check you havent got any of the busbar links at the wrong side of the mcb clamps and same again with the main switch as this would cause these symptoms, you get a voltage when testing but under load you get problems.