News1 min ago
Intermittent Power Cuts
15 Answers
Hi, hope someone can help please...
I have had power cuts at home for the last 3 days. Each has been around lunchtime and lasted for about 2 hours.
My neighbours aren't affected and we haven't had any rewiring done recently or anything like that.
I have a call open with my energy supplier but just wondering if anybody thinks it may be something in my property that's causing the problem, or something external.
Many Thanks.
I have had power cuts at home for the last 3 days. Each has been around lunchtime and lasted for about 2 hours.
My neighbours aren't affected and we haven't had any rewiring done recently or anything like that.
I have a call open with my energy supplier but just wondering if anybody thinks it may be something in my property that's causing the problem, or something external.
Many Thanks.
Answers
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.My first thought would always be a simple bad connection in the Consumer Unit. But, because of the "regularity" of the fault, that looks extremely unlikely. With a loose connection, it should happen at any time. Also, the resultant arcing is likely to cause a circuit breaker to open (not the RCD).
Again, because of the regular times, it suggests a timeclock operating when it shouldn't. Is it a modern digital meter, or an old-type mechanical one?
Again, because of the regular times, it suggests a timeclock operating when it shouldn't. Is it a modern digital meter, or an old-type mechanical one?
Thanks to everyone for their comments so far...
A quick update - got home last night and no power. In the garage where all the trip switches are, turned the big red one at the end off and on again and the power came back. So far today it's been fine.
My only theory is related to the cooker as that's normally in use about lunchtime so was wondering whether a dodgy element or something was causing it.
Have had an electrician out this morning and they can't find anything yet.
A quick update - got home last night and no power. In the garage where all the trip switches are, turned the big red one at the end off and on again and the power came back. So far today it's been fine.
My only theory is related to the cooker as that's normally in use about lunchtime so was wondering whether a dodgy element or something was causing it.
Have had an electrician out this morning and they can't find anything yet.
-- answer removed --
Sounds like it's an ordinary mainswitch or isolator. I guess it's possible that the contacts have become faulty. Switching on and off would kind of "reset" them again.
Other than that, it could be as His Brightness has suggested... work going on somewhere.
I had something similar recently, but that was an RCD that kept tripping. The usual earth leakage tests revealed no problem. It turned out to be a neutral fault in the supply. It does happen.
Other than that, it could be as His Brightness has suggested... work going on somewhere.
I had something similar recently, but that was an RCD that kept tripping. The usual earth leakage tests revealed no problem. It turned out to be a neutral fault in the supply. It does happen.