Caroline Henn | Practical Women

Help, I have no electricity

by Caroline Henn | Apr 14, 2020 | Electrical, Useful Advice & Tips

So, this is quite a common scenario and there can be a number of reasons for it.

The first thing most of us would do, would be to look out of the window and check if the street lights are on, or our neighbours’ lights are on. In these days of easy communication, there’s a quick text/whatApp to the rest of the street/neighbourhood to find out if they are in the same boat. If they are, then its very likely that there is a local issue with your Electricity Supplier.
In the Bristol area, we are supplied by Western Power Distribution. They have a Power Cut Map, so you can check whether they are aware of it and what they are doing about it. You can also contact them to report it, if they are not aware.

The problem only seems to be in my house

A much more common scenario is for the issue to be in your house. If that is the case, then it may not be anything serious, and is quite likely to be some thing that you are able to identify yourself.
If you have absolutely no power at all, anywhere in your house, it may be that your whole supplied is covered by a single RCD.

You may have a separate switch on its own, which may look something like this, or be labelled RCD:

Alternatively, you may have a Consumer Unit, which is controlled by a single RCD main switch. If that is the case then, it may look a bit like this. Instead of a Main Switch, it has a module marked as RCD. This means that if one of your circuits develops a fault, your whole supply will be switched off until you have resolved the fault.

Don’t panic. This is quite likely to be something that you can resolve yourself, without needing to bring in an electrician. To find out whether this is the case, follow the procedure below.

What is an RCD?

A Residual Current Device is a safety device which is now, fortunately, pretty common in most domestic electrical supplies.

If you’re not sure whether you have one, it should look something like one of the images below. There will usually be a small reset button on it, sometimes red or yellow.

It will either have RCD, RCCB or RCBO written on it.

How does an RCD work?

An RCD measures the current in the circuits that it controls. It measures the current leaving and returning. If there is an imbalance, it assumes that some of the current has leaked out and is causing a danger. The current is immediately (or, at least within 300 milliseconds) switched off and there is no longer any power.

How do I reset an RCD?

RCDs are designed to be reset. Sometimes they trip for no apparent reason. They can be tripped by a lightbulb blowing. It isn’t always an indication of a problem.

If the lever on an RCD is in the DOWN position, it is off. To reset it, the lever simply needs to be pushed back UP. For some RCDs, it is necessary to push the lever fully downwards before it will let you push it back UP and reset.

In many cases, this will be fine. The RCD will reset and all will be well. However, if there is a fault on your system somewhere, the RCD may not reset, or may reset temporarily, only to trip again a few seconds/minutes/hours later. If this happens, then you may well have a problem which needs to be addressed. The RCD is telling you that something is not right and you need to investigate.

To work out whether this is something which you can resolve yourself, or whether you need to call in an electrician, there is a simple procedure to follow.

My RCD won’t reset. What should I do?

If you were in the house when the RCD tripped, ask yourself what happened just before the RCD tripped. If you had just turned the Kettle on, or switched on the Iron, there’s a possibility that this may be the cause of the problem. Fully unplug the Kettle/Iron and reset the RCD. If the RCD resets and stays reset, then you have probably found your culprit.

If you just drilled through a wall and the RCD tripped, there may be a strong link between the two events. It is quite possible that you may have drilled through, or otherwise damaged a cable. If you didn’t check the positions of cables prior to drilling, you have just learnt a useful, but possibly quite expensive lesson. Its time to call in an electrician to repair the damaged cable as soon as possible. It is quite likely that the RCD will not reset until the damage has been repaired.

Next time you get the drill out, it would be worth checking out one of our other posts on the inappropriately named Safe Zones. Contrary to their name, these are areas where it is actually dangerous to drill, as they could legitimately hide cables.

If you look at the Safe Zones post and realise that you did, in fact, drill straight into one of these safe zones, please call an electrician as soon as possible. There may be some brown scorch marks, or even a bit of smoke coming out of the hole – all signs that things are not well.

How to identify the cause of a fault

If neither of these scenarios applies and the RCD seems to have tripped for no reason at all, there is a straightforward procedure to follow, which in most cases will identify where the problem lies.

The principle is that one thing on one circuit is probbaly causing the problem. First you need to identify the circuit, then you need to identify the “thing” on that circuit which is causing you a problem.

Stage 1

Your Consumer Unit should be properly labelled. The RCD will be labelled and the fuses (or MCBs) controlled by it, also labelled. Hopefully it will look something like this:

Make a note of the names of the circuits which are covered by the RCD.

Firstly switch off the RCD and all the fuses (MCBs) controlled by it. All the levers should be pointing DOWN

In this case, lets imagine that RCD 2 is the problem. The circuits covered by RCD 2 are:

Downstairs Sockets
Water Heater (Probably the Boiler)
Upstairs Lights

Turn off all those fuses (Lever pointing DOWN). Then unplug everything that is plugged into the Downstairs Sockets.

If the Boiler is also not working, and you don’t have an immersion heater in your house, it is quite likely that the “Water Heater” circuit applies to the Boiler. If it is plugged in, pull the plug out. If it has a fused spur, then pull the fuse out of the fuse holder on the fused spur.

At this point, still with all the fuses turned off, try to reset the RCD. If the RCD stays in the ON position, then you have successfully completed Stage 1.

Stage 2

Now, we need to identify which circuit is causing the problems.

Start with one circuit. In this case we’ll start with the Downstairs Sockets.

First turn on the fuse (MCB) for the downstairs sockets, and see if the RCD also stays on.

If it doesn’t stay on, check that you have definitely unplugged everything on that circuit.

Might there be something plugged in in a cupboard that you had forgotten about?
Is there an outside socket?
Are the lights under the kitchen cabinets run from a fused spur in the Kitchen?

It is very easy to miss something at this stage, so you may have to really rack your brains. Cooker Hoods are an easy one to miss.

If you are pretty sure that everything has been unplugged and you still can’t reset the RCD, it is time to call an electrician. This scenario (which is pretty unlikely) would suggest that there may be a problem with the wiring or something on the circuit.

If the RCD remains on, then go round and plug in each of the appliances that you previously unplugged. Switch each one on. If at any stage, the RCD trips, you have found your culprit.

If the RCD remains on while you plug everything back in, it appears that the problem isn’t on this particular circuit.

Stage 3

Move on to the next circuit and do the same thing.

In this case, it is the boiler circuit, so it will just be a case of putting the fuse back in and switching the boiler on.

If the RCD trips at this point, there could be an issue with the boiler. Take a look to see if there are any signs of water under the boiler. A leak from a boiler onto the controls is a common cause of this kind of problem. If you suspect that this is the case, you need to call a Gas or Boiler Engineer.

Stage 4

Finally turn on the third circuit. In this case, it is the Upstairs lighting Circuit. To save time, you have left all the light bulbs in their fittings. If the RCD trips when you turn the fuse (MCB) for the lights back on, take all the lightbulbs out, just in case one of them is causing a problem, and switch the Fuse back on.

If the RCD stays on, put each light bulb back into its fitting in turn. For safety’s sake, make sure that you turn the fuse (MCB) off each time that you put a bulb in, and turn it on once the bulb is in position. If the RCD trips when you put one of the bulbs back in, then that will be your culprit.

Hopefully you will have resolved the problem. However, if you have any worries, or need a bit more advice, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Consumer Units – an introduction

by Caroline Henn | Apr 12, 2020 | Electrical, Useful Advice & Tips

What is a Consumer Unit?

A Consumer Unit may be aclled many things; a Distribution Board ot a Fuse Box. Just for consistency (and ease), we will call it a Consumer Unit, or CU for short.

Whatever you decide to call it, it is the means by which electricity is distributed throughout your house.

At its most basic level, it should have a Main Switch, (to allow you to turn off the whole electrical supply to your house), and a number of different size fuses, or MCBs, which control the indiviudal circuits within your house.

Consumer Units come in many different shapes, sizes and levels of safety. We will highlight some of these below.

Types of Consumer Units

CU with Re-wireable Ceramic Fuses

This CU has ceramic rewireable fuses, housed in a wooden box. If a fuse blows (stops working), it needs to be removed and the fuse wire running through it replaced. It is quite a fiddly operation, particularly in the dark, when you can’t find the fuse wire.

This type of CU will protect your circuits against overloading. The fuse wire should break if the demand is too high. It will not protect you against electrocution/serious injury or death, if a fault occurs and you come into contact with an electrical current.

These are very beautiful to look at, but belong in a museum. If you have one of these, we would recommend that you call an electrician in as soon as possible. It needs to be upgraded to something a lot safer.

CU with re-wireable Fuses

These are still pretty common. We see them in many houses. As with the first CU, these only provide you with protection against overloading a circuit.

Both of these CUs allow you to reset the fuses by either pushing a button or moving a lever, rather than re-wiring the fuses, which makes them slightly easier to operate.

If you have one of these, and you want any electrical work carried out in your house, some form of upgrading will have to be carried out before that happens. Current safety regulations will not allow electrical work to be carried out without RCD protection.

These CUs will not protect you against electrocution, if a fault occurs.

CU with Main Switch & RCBOs

This CU has a Main Switch and a mixture of individual fuses (MCBs) and RCBOs.

The circuits protected only by an MCB are protected against overloading. Under current regulations, the lighting circuits, which are only protected by an MCB will need their protection upgraded to an RCBO, if any work is carried out.

The circuits protected by RCBOs, are protected against overloading and electrocution.

CU with RCD as a Main Switch

This CU has an RCD which operates as a main switch.

The benefit of this CU, is that you have RCD protection. This will protect you against being electrocuted if a fault occurs.

The downside is that all your circuits are controlled by that single RCD. If a fault occurs on one of your circuits, then none of your circuits will operate until that fault is repaired. This can be a bit of a nuisance.

CU with RCD as a Main Switch

Until recently most old CUs were upgraded to this kind of Dual RCD CU. Initially they were made of plastic, but in the past few years they have been made of metal, and greater emphasis has been placed on fire-proofing them.

The circuits in the house are divided into two parts, each controlled by an RCD. If a fault occurs on one RCD, then all the circuits covered by that RCD will be switched off, but the other RCD continues to operate, as do the other circuits.

This is a lot more convenient arrangement.

CU with Individual RCBOs

This newer style CU complies with the most recent regulations.

It has a fire-proof metal enclosure.

Each circuit is controlled by an individual RCBO, which gives RCD protection. If one circuit develops a fault, all the other circuits continue to operate.

In addition, the CU has a Surge Protection Device.

This type of CU is more expensive than the previous CUs, but it offers a higher level of protection and conveneince than all the previous CUs

Labelling

As you will see in many of the above pictures, much of the labelling on Consumer Units can be a bit patchy. It is really useful to know which fuse (MCB) covers which circuit. In the event of an emergency, this may be something you need to know in a hurry.

If your Consumer Unit is not well labelled, this something that you can improve yourself, with the use of some clean white labels and an hour of your time.

Go through each MCB in turn. Switch it off, and identify which sockets/switches/lights etc are no longer working. Make a careful note of what these are and keep the recorn with your Consumer Unit.

You can then update the label on the outside of your Consumer Unit.

Electrical – Safe Zones

by Caroline Henn | Apr 12, 2020 | Electrical, Useful Advice & Tips

Where is safe to drill in a wall?

This is, understandably, a very important thing to know. There are 4 main areas where you can definitely expect cables to have been run:

At the top of walls

An area 150mm (6 inches) wide along the top of the wall where it meets the ceiling.

Where the two walls meet

An area 150mm (6 inches) wide where one wall meets the next wall

Horizontally either side of a switch/socket

In a straight line either side of a socket/switch/fused spur etc. The line is the height of the socket/switch. It runs all the way to the adjoining walls, or an obstacle, such as door or window.

Vertically above and below a socket/switch

In a straight line above and below a socket/switch/fused spur etc. The line is the width of the socket/switch. It runs all the way to the floor and ceiling.

Important

If the wall is less than 100mm (4 inches) thick, then the safe zones operate on both sides of the wall. Bear this in mind when you are drilling from a different room!

Very very important

Electricians in the past did not have these rules. Cables could be, and were run in all sorts of odd places.

We have found cables run diagonally across walls, doing sudden 90 degree bends and all sorts, so beware.

If you suspect that someone in the past has carried out some electrical DIY in your house, it is quite possible that they did not know about Safe zones. They may have run cables wherever was most convenient for them, not always in the safest place.

If your current consumer unit does not have a functioning, healthy RCD,

In fact, if you have any doubts at all,

TURN OFF THE CONSUMER UNIT BEFORE YOU DRILL

Where is it safe to drill in a ceiling?

The rule that electricians should follow is to run the cables through the joists, as close to the centre of the joist as possible, at a depth of at least 50mm from the top and bottom of the joist. i.e 50mm from the ceiling/floor.

It is not always possible to follow this rule. There are often existing holes and notches in a joist. It is extremely likely that in times past, cables have been run all over the place.

It is also quite possible that cables can be lying on top of plasterboard ceilings.

Because it is not always possible to run cables this way, the current electrical regulations allow cables to be run outside the zones, provided they are protected by an RCD.

If the wiring in your house is old and you have a Consumer Unit which does not have an RCD, then you should be even more cautious. If you have any doubt,

TURN OFF THE CONSUMER UNIT BEFORE YOU DRILL

Where is it safe to drill in a floor?

As with ceilings, the rule that electricians should follow is to run the cables through the joists, as close to the centre of the joist as possible, at a depth of at least 50mm from the top and bottom of the joist. i.e 50mm from the floor.

It is not always possible to follow this rule. There are often existing holes and notches in joist, and it is extremely likely that in times past, cables have been run all over the place. It is also extremely likely that gas & water pipes have also been run under the floorboards through notches in the joists, (in which case, it is worth checking very very carefully first)

Because it is not always possible to run cables this way, the current electrical regulations allow cables to be run outside the zones, provided they are protected by an RCD.

If the wiring in your house is old and you have a Consumer Unit which does not have an RCD, then you should be even more cautious.

If you have any doubt,

TURN OFF THE CONSUMER UNIT BEFORE YOU DRILL

How to reset an RCD

by Caroline Henn | Apr 11, 2020 | Electrical, Useful Advice & Tips

What is an RCD?

A Residual Current Device is a safety device which is now, fortunately, pretty common in most domestic electrical supplies.

If you’re not sure whether you have one, it should look something like this:

There will usually be a small reset button on it, sometimes red or yellow.

It will either have RCD, RCCB or RCBO written on it.

How does an RCD work?

How do I reset an RCD?

RCDs are designed to be reset. Sometimes they trip for no apparent reason. They can be tripped by a lightbulb blowing. It isn’t always an indication of a problem.

To work out whether this is something which you can resolve yourself, or whether you need to call in an electrician, there is a simple procedure to follow.

My RCD won’t reset. What should I do?

If you were in the house when the RCD tripped, ask yourself what happened just before the RCD tripped. If you had just turned the Kettle on, or switched on the Iron, there’s a possibility that this may be the cause of the problem. Fully unplug the Kettle/Iron and reset the RCD. If the RCD resets and stays reset, then you have probably found your culprit.

If you just drilled through a wall and the RCD tripped, there may be a strong link between the two events. It is quite possible that you may have drilled through, or otherwise damaged a cable. If you didn’t check the positions of cables prior to drilling, you have just learnt a useful, but possibly quite expensive lesson. Its time to call in an electrician to repair the damaged cable as soon as possible. It is quite likely that the RCD will not reset until the damage has been repaired.

How to identify the cause of a fault

If neither of these scenarios applies and the RCD seems to have tripped for no reason at all, there is a straightforward procedure to follow, which in most cases will identify where the problem lies.

Stage 1

Your Consumer Unit should be properly labelled. The RCD will be labelled and the fuses (or MCBs) controlled by it, also labelled. Hopefully it will look something like this:

Make a note of the names of the circuits which are covered by the RCD.

Firstly switch off the RCD and all the fuses (MCBs) controlled by it. All the levers should be pointing DOWN

In this case, lets imagine that RCD 2 is the problem. The circuits covered by RCD 2 are:

Downstairs Sockets
Water Heater (Probably the Boiler)
Upstairs Lights

Turn off all those fuses (Lever pointing DOWN). Then unplug everything that is plugged into the Downstairs Sockets.

At this point, still with all the fuses turned off, try to reset the RCD. If the RCD stays in the ON position, then you have successfully completed Stage 1.

Stage 2

Now, we need to identify which circuit is causing the problems.

Start with the Downstairs Sockets.

First turn on the fuse (MCB) for the downstairs sockets, and see if the RCD also stays on.

If it doesn’t stay on, check that you have definitely unplugged everything on that circuit.

Might there be something plugged in in a cupboard that you had forgotten about?
Is there an outside socket?
Are the lights under the kitchen cabinets run from a fused spur in the Kitchen?

It is very easy to miss something at this stage, so you may have to really rack your brains. Cooker Hoods are an easy one to miss.

If the RCD remains on, then go round and plug in each of the appliances that you previously unplugged. Switch each one on. If at any stage, the RCD trips, you have found your culprit.

If the RCD remains on while you plug everything back in, it appears that the problem isn’t on this particular circuit.

Stage 3

Move on to the next circuit and do the same thing.

In this case, it is the boiler circuit, so it will just be a case of putting the fuse back in and switching the boiler on.

Stage 4

How do I turn my water off?

by Caroline Henn | Apr 8, 2020 | Plumbing, Useful Advice & Tips

We have lost count of the number of houses we have been to where the customer has no idea how to turn their water off in an emergency. This is one of those life skills it is much easier to learn before you actually need it. Learning it, just as water is pouring out of a broken pipe, can often feel a lot harder.
If you do know exactly where your stop cock is, can turn it on and off easily, and, in fact, regularly practice for just such a scenario, give yourself a congratulatory pat on the back and move onto another topic. (Actually, if you are that kind of person, you may just need to skip this whole blog post. The basics are not for you).
If you’re not sure, or only have a vague idea, it might be worth reading a little bit further.

External Stop Tap

If you’re lucky, your water may turn off in the street outside your house. There will be a little metal or plastic manhole cover on the pavement looking much like this. There is a often a clue stamped on the top. (If the word “GAS” is stamped on the top, you are not looking at your Water Stop tap):

You may need a flat-headed screwdriver or other improvised tool to prise the top up. (Its quite common for the top to have been glued down during a pavement resurfacing. You don’t want to find this out in an emergency).

Very occasionally, you may come across a style which turns, rather than lifts. If attempts to prise the lid off fail, you may have one of these. They can be a bit awkward to get the lid off, and thankfully, they don’t seem to be installed these days. Just try twisting the lid, anti-cllockwise (in the direction you would turn a tap on), using the blade of the screwdriver, and hopefully it will move.

Once you have the lid off, you will see either an old style brass tap, or a newer plastic tap. If you’re unlucky, the Brass Tap may have seized up and won’t move. Sometimes it helps to try to open the tap rather than turn it off. This allows it to move, and then you can close it.

If you have a plastic tap, there should be a plastic key to operate it, under the lid. If you can’t see one, open up one of your neighbours’ Stop Tap covers and borrow theirs. (That maybe why you don’t have one). For some reason, the plastic taps are often quite hard to turn off completely. It might feel that you’re about to break the plastic key before it actually stops the final dribble.

If the stop tap is a long way down, you may need a Stopcock Key to turn it. That’s something else you may not be able to get hold of in a hurry.

Useful Tip 1: When turning any brass tap on, always turn it to its fullest extent and then turn it back about a 1/4 turn. This gives the tap somewhere to move to, if it seizes up.

At this point you should give yourself a pat on the back.

If you’re in the middle of an emergency, you have prevented any more damage being caused.
If you’re being proactive and preparing yourself for an emergency situation, you now know that your External Stop tap does (or doesn’t) turn off.

Your local Water supplier is responsible for the External Stop Tap. If it isn’t working, or is leaking, it is their responsibility to come out and repair it. Bristol Water have some useful information on their site about what do in this eventuality.

Internal Stop Tap

Some people have some idea about where their Stop Tap is inside their house. A good place to start looking is under the Kitchen Sink. Usually, in my experience, this means pulling out an odd assortment of cleaning products, congealed packets of washing powder and cleaning cloths in order to actually reach it. However, when you get there, it may look as this:

If it isn’t there, these are some of the other places worth looking:

Just inside your front door – how lucky you are – in a box marked “Water Stop Tap” – Ok, we can all dream.
Maybe in an outhouse, the old lean-to toilet in the back garden, in the garage…..
Under the floorboards – I’m not joking. I have found many stop taps hidden away under the floor – what were they thinking? Wobbly floorboards, not screwed down can be a bit of a giveaway for this particular scenario. (Our original Stop Tap was just out of reach if you took up the loose floorboards in the porch, laid on your front and stretched as far as possible. I can only assume they sent small children down there in the old days.)

If it isn’t in one of these places, then you can assume that either you don’t have one (not unusual), or that you may have one in an obscure position which nobody has know about for decades. If that is the case, the chances of it still being able to turn are pretty obscure.

Useful Tip 2: At the next available opportunity, employ a Plumber to install an internal Stop tap for you in a sensible, accessible position.

Do I need an Internal Stop-tap?

In a word, no. There is no requirement for you to have an internal stop tap. If your external stop tap works well and is easily accessible, then you may not need to have one.

In the event of an emergency, for instance a plumbing fitting failing in the first floor bathroom, the time it takes for you to run down the stairs, find a flat-headed implement (to prise off the cover), locate a headtorch, put your slippers on and get out to the external stop tap, several litres of water may have flooded through your Kitchen ceiling (and light fittings).

There are alternatives to the traditional Tap-like Stop-tap, which can be awkward and stiff to use. They require a degree of force and dexterity, and as we have discussed can be in inaccessible places.

One option is a Lever-style tap, such as this. They have a very definite action, are easy to operate and are less likely to seize up.

Another alternative is the Surestop Stopcock. This can be installed at a distance from the pipework. It is operated by what looks like a large Lightswitch. It employs a pressure switch, which means there is a very slight delay between pressing the switch, and the water flow stopping, but is still very quick and is extremely easy to operate.
It is recommended that this is installed as an additional means of isolating the water supply, so it is ideal if you have an external Stop-tap. It really should not be your only means of turning off the supply.

Whether you decide to have an internal stop-tap installed, or rely on an external stop-tap, we strongly urge you to go and check that one or other, or (in a perfect world, both of them) work and that you know how to access and operate them in a hurry. Please don’t wait until you need to do this in an emergency.

Watersafe have published a useful video to hunt out your internal Stop Tap:

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