Electricity tripping issue.

[PaulB_]

Hi all - was wondering if someone would be able to provide some insight as to what is going on.


I suspect our main distribution board is messed up, and as I am not a proper electrician, I would rather not tamper in there, unless I have some solid advice from someone who is.

We have an issue with our earth leakage tripping.

This seems to happen more in the evenings, although I can count one day it did trip in the day a few times.

We have also had issues with the breaker on the pole opposite the road, which feeds power to our house underneath the road tripping, or outright failing. That would put our house into darkness while the neighbours were uninterrupted. One instance the breaker on the pole actually caught fire. 4 Times there have been issues on the pole where I have had to contact the municipality, although this hasn't happened for quite some time.

There has also been a time where where have had flickering lights, and an electrician found a cable within the distribution board that had been smoldering. The insulation on the wire was in the process of melting away due to intense heat. Once he had removed the cable, the flickering immediately stopped, but more issues with the pole outside persisted.

This morning I decided to inspect the main distribution board in greater detail, and found that we have two breakers labeled "Mains" These are 60 Amps each If one of them is off we have no electricity. There is also another 35A breaker labeled "Plugs" which when down we have no electricity. No lights, nothing, so basically we have 3 main switches in series to each other. If one is down the circuit is broken, and also 60 Amps but the suspect the circuit is being bottlenecked by the 35A Plug breaker.

I did take the cover off our board, to take photos but again - won't change any configuration unless I am given specific instructions here by someone who knows what they are doing. I do have some electrical knowledge. I know how to install plugs, change plugs, fix loose where, but have had no need, so therefore no desire to work with distribution boards.


I have included some photos - please excuse photo quality. Using a temp phone while my main one is repaired, but it should at least give an indication if anything is amiss here.

Thanks

 

[itareanlnotani]

Those are *ancient* breakers. I'd replace those as a matter of course anyway.

I don't think thats your issue though. It's likely to be bad power from outside.

Have an electrician come in check the phases are correct from pole side if you have 3 phase, and/or check that the voltages are correct from the muni/eskom side. I'd also get them to rewire the DB with new breakers. Use proper coloured cables too, and the right sized cabling, some of that looks suspicious in there.

If you are in Cape Town, I have someone I can recommend.

Again I don't guarantee this is your current issue, but you need to do that anyway at some point, and while they're there they can also check your circuits, make sure things like geysers are ok, wiring is not melted etc.

 

[Steamy Tom]

because it happens both at your mains and outside, and is intermittent, my money is on either a bad EL, or more likely a loose connection either side

 

[PaulB_]

because it happens both at your mains and outside, and is intermittent, my money is on either a bad EL, or more likely a loose connection either side

Outside only happens a few times a year at the most.,

Thanks for the advice so far guys. Much appreciated.

 

[ijacobs3]

(echoing) I would honestly change the Earth leakage switch to start off with, they do age, they do wear over time, yours looks ancient

 

[Nod]

Get a surge protector while you are busy. It might just prevent damage to major appliances should a major surge come from the power issues outside.

Previous discussion here: https://mybroadband.co.za/forum/threads/distribution-board-db-surge-protection.1015574/

 

[deweyzeph]

You should get a qualified electrician to redo your DB board with more modern equipment in any case. If you still have issues then it's more than likely an issue with the municipality's supply.

 

[krieg]

If your earth leakage is tripping you have too many appliances on that earth leakage or the unit might be broken. The neutral wire coming from the earth leakage looks like it is touching the bus bar, if it is move it away. Your board is definitely due for an upgrade, those are Fuchs breakers.

 

["D"]

If you are in Cape Town, I have someone I can recommend.

Clearly he is.

 

[SauRoNZA]

Yup, willing to bet changing the earth leakage sorts the problem out.

But may as well get everything changed while you have a professional out.

 

[Geoff.D]

What is about CT that seems to have such a crazy mixed up way of wiring DB's?

That board seems to have been wired for some or other 2 phase set up at some stage?

Agree with posters so far - it is time for a complete re-wire and replacement of those Fuchs CBs with modern ones.

And for goodness sake, get the electrician to wire with some order, from left to right, power in, isolator, surge protectors, EL, High current draw circuits going down to light on the right.

Stove, (30 or 35A)
Geyser (30 or 35A)
Plugs, 20 A for each circuit (split per room if possible), and
Lights 10 A for each circuit.

The curveball may be if there is a pre-paid meter involved, in which case there may be more than one isolator involved, one before the meter and one after.