Electricity supply sensitive to storms, what can I do about it?

[kathykate]

Our electricity seems really sensitive to Thunderstorms, well, the lightning actually. When we have a Thunderstorm with lightning nearby it trips the safety switch. We've been here nearly five years and up until now it hasn't been much of a problem, but the last few weeks it's happening a lot due to the weather!

Usually I can just flick the switch back down once the storm has passed. But sometimes it's more problematic. For instance, yesterday the switch wouldn't go back down until I'd taken out the Ring Main fuse. Then it would. I then experimented a bit to find where the problem was and found that if I unplugged the TV, sky box, video (which were all plugged into the same plug) I could put the ring main fuse back in. This morning I've plugged the tv etc back in and all is good.

My question is: is this something the electricity board should do something about? Or is it a case of getting an electrician to do something. I want to get it sorted as in this heat if the leccy goes off and we are out for the day the Freezer will defrost very quickly and all that food goes to waste.

If there is anyone who knows about such things, I'd be glad to hear.

PS The other day it happened and our neighbours lights were still on, so the storm didn't affect their power.

[heathfield]

You have a problem here, and there could be a number of reasons, some of which could be hard to pin down, or costly to put right.
It would seem you have an RCD switch on your incoming supply that's tripping out each time. (Maybe your neighbour just has a main fuse - that means he wouldn't be affected). If it's the freezer that's your main concern, perhaps one answer would be to have an electrician install an individual connection for it, taken through its own small fusebox from the mains supply before it enters your RCD switch. It shouldn't be hard to do. The rest of the house could be without power, but your freezer would be OK.

[buildersmate]

Agree with Heathfield on his diagnosis. The reason why your neighbour is impacted with power going off but not lights is because his RCD is only connected through the RCD. This is quite normal (split load Customer Unit fitted) and perfectly safe. There is no obligation to have an RCD fitted (in dwellings) except in special locations - but they are safer, because they break the circuit before you could be subjected to a lethal electric shock. The downside is that are sensitive to small currents flowing around the place during electrical storms.
Locations where RCDs must be fitted any power that is supplied outdoors or in detached garages. This is why downstairs ring mains are put on an RCD - because you can plug an extension lead into a socket and trail the lead outside

[raysparx]

AS buildersmate says it is only the rcd doing it's job,nothing to worry about, but as suggested by heathfield the way round this for your fridge?freezer to stay on if it does happen while you are away is to have them put onto a seperate circuit and connected to the supply via a switched spur unit, or a 20 amp dp switch and unswitched spur, it would entail riunning a wire from the consumers unit to supply them,but it isn't a difficult job, Ray

[tony1941]

It may not be safe to go the route suggested above. You need a professional to advise you on the type of earth connection on your mains incomer. If it's "TT" (generally via overhead wires) then it will not usually be safe to connect sockets without an RCD. A measurement of the earth loop impedance must be made to check for adequate fault disconnection times. Good luck.

[raysparx]

Well obviously this work could only be carried out by a competant person anyway, as it is likely to involve a new circuit or be in a special location, I am just suggesting a possible way round the problem, if it is a TT system the whole installation will be covered by an rcd and there is no way round it,but this system is pretty rare nowadays, I live in a very rural area and only know of a block of 8 bungalows with a TT system

[kathykate]

Cheers all for answers - very informative. Guess what, we live in a very rural area, only about 10 houses and our leccy definitely comes in via overhead cables (we have one of the poles in our front garden) but don't worry, would get a prof. to do any work, would not mess with electricity myself (although will attempt most other things).

Interestingly, yesterday the RCD switch tripped and there wasn't a storm... again it was the ring main, and again, more precisely the tv socket causing the problem. This plug had four things plugged in via a 4 socket extension lead. Got me thinking as to whether the lead is faulty? Or all this stuff is overheating in the heat? So I've plugged the video (not used much) into a separate socket which will be kept off unless we need it, and plugged the remaining three things into a different extension lead. Will see if that helps.

[raysparx]

Hi kathy,

The rcd that trips are very sensitive,if it is only the ring main that trips you are very unlikely to be on a TT system,cos the whole lot would trip out if the rcd covered the whole unit, good luck, Ray

[kathykate]

Ah, perhaps I didn't explain well, yes, the whole system trips. Then, when I try and flick the switch to on, it won't always go back on, I have to remove the ring main fuse in order for the switch to go back on and it seems to be the tv socket which is the culprit on the ring main. ie if I turn the tv socket to off, then put in the ring main fuse I can put the switch to on. Interestingly if I then later put the tv socket switch back on everything is fine, until the next time it trips!

[raysparx]

Hi kathy,

give a local electrician a ring,he will soon be able to give the rcd a test,he will also tell you if it is possible for fridge/freezer, not to be controlled via the rcd, good luck, Ray