by Dean Mance | Dec 9, 2014 | Common Repairs
If you have no power to your house, it could be due to a number of causes, but if yours is the only house in the street without power you may have a problem with your service fuse.
Your service fuse is usually mounted on the eaves where the overhead power cable attaches to your house. It is designed to protect the supply authority cables and neighbouring properties from major faults in your electrical installation.
In Tasmania the service fuse cartridge and holder is the property of Tas Networks, and therefore they are responsible for any repairs to this equipment.
Unfortunately, they usually require the problem to be diagnosed and confirmed by a qualified electrician before they will attend.
Once your electrician confirms it is a service fuse fault, Tas Networks will attend and repair it free of charge, but you will have to pay your electrician for their attendance. In the past, some clients have had success in recovering this cost, usually in cases where there is an obvious fault in the Tas Networks equipment.
Quite often, it is not possible to know the cause of a blown service fuse, as when the blown 80 amp or 100 amp cartridge is replaced, everything works fine and no electrical faults are found.
Other causes of total loss of power can include a faulty main switch or a burnt up mains box connection. A tripped safety switch (earth leakage circuit breaker) can also lead to loss of power and lights in those installations where the safety switch has been installed to protect both power and light circuits.
One easy test you can do yourself is to turn on your oven. If the oven still works then it’s not a service fuse or Tas Networks problem, unless you have 2-phase or 3-phase power connected to your home, in which case it still could be. The vast majority of homes are connected to single phase power.
So, when your power goes out …
– Check to see if the neighbours have power, if they don’t have power then it’s likely to be a supply issue not just confined to your property.
– Check your oven. If the oven works the problem is most likely on your switchboard or another part of your electrical installation.
– Check your switchboard for blown fuses and tripped circuit breakers. (For circuit breakers, UP is ON)
– If your oven doesn’t work and the neighbours still have power it may be a service fuse fault.
– In that case phone Tas Networks on 132 004 where you can hear the latest messages on power outages for your area and request a service call to check your service fuse.
– When Tas Networks tell you to get an electrician, call Mance Electrical on 6331 4711.
We have staff on standby for after hours emergencies and sometimes these problems can be sorted out over the phone without the need for an after hours callout.
by Dean Mance | Nov 16, 2014 | Common Repairs, Dodgy Installations, Keep Your Family Safe
Plug in power boards are a common source of electrical faults.
If you find that some of your power points or electronic equipment has stopped working, you should check any power boards that are in use.
They are commonly used behind TVs and computers, when there aren’t enough fixed power points available.
Power boards can cause a number of problems and in the worst cases can be a fire or electric shock hazard.
Simple problems like a plug top that is not plugged in correctly are easy to find and fix, however if the plug has fallen out because it is loose in the power board socket it’s time to replace the power board.
A loose connection can get hot enough to melt the plug top and maybe start a fire.
Some power boards have a safety cut out that will trip if the board is overloaded so check to see if your power board has some kind of reset button that can be pushed to restore power.
If the safety cut out has tripped you probably have too many appliances plugged into the power board and will need to find somewhere else to plug in one or two of those appliances.
If the cut out button won’t reset, even after you have unplugged all the appliances, then you will need to replace the power board.
The best solution to a lack of power points is to install more hard wired power points, or replace an existing double power point with a new 4-gang power point. For more info on this topic see our blog post “The Cheapest Way To Install More Power Points.”
If you do have to use a power board here are a few things to keep in mind:
Make sure all plugs fit firmly into the sockets.
Keep the cords tidy, not in a tangled mess.
Locate the power board in a place where it cannot be disturbed.
Check the power board regularly for signs of damage, especially heat damage.
Never use double adapters in a power board and don’t plug one power board into another.
So, any time you experience a power problem, remember to check all power boards you are using and you might just save yourself the cost of having an electrician attend just to push a rest button or tell you to buy you a new power board.
If your power fault is more than a simple power board issue please call Mance Electrical on 6331 4711 for fast response to your urgent electrical problems.
by Dean Mance | Nov 11, 2014 | Common Repairs, Keep Your Family Safe
It may seem an unlikely cause of electrical problems but Mance Electrical staff have seen a number of cases, where an ant infestation has caused power faults for Launceston residents.
Ants seem to be attracted to power points and switches and when large numbers gather on the back of a power point it can be enough to trip a safety switch.
Often the tripping is intermittent which can make the fault harder to find, but the standard testing methods for earth leakage faults will eventually locate the problem.
The remedy is to replace the affected power point fitting and possibly spray the area with an insecticide surface spray to deter further infestation.
Earth leakage circuit breakers (safety switches) are very sensitive – they have to be to save your life. This means that sometimes very minor faults can cause your safety switch to trip and cut the power to your home.
Common causes of a tripping safety switch include faulty kettles, irons. hair dryers and fridges. (Uncommon causes include ants). Any appliance with an element or a motor could be the culprit.
Water in a power point or outside light is also a common cause of a tripped safety switch.
Sometimes, when the fault is caused by a plug-in appliance, we may be able to diagnose the problem over the phone and save you the cost of having an electrician attend.
If your safety switch trips occasionally or has tripped and won’t reset, please give us a call on 6331 4711.
by Dean Mance | Jul 13, 2014 | Common Repairs, Keep Your Family Safe
There are still plenty of rewireable fuses in use today. Here’s how to safely locate and repair a blown fuse.
When you lose power to lights, power points, stove or hot water it’s time to check your fuses. Your switchboard will look something like the photo above, with a number of separate fuses and switches. Each individual fuse protects one circuit.
There are two parts to a porcelain fuse, the wedge and the base. The wedge is the removable part which carries the fuse wire. The wedge will have a number on the front showing the amp rating. The base is the part that’s attached to the switchboard. To repair a blown fuse you must remove the wedge from the base and replace the fuse wire.
If your switchboard is clearly labelled it will be a lot easier to find and repair a fault.
First Step, Turn Off The Main Switches
In the picture above there are three main switches. The switches are marked hot water, light and power and off-peak. Switchboard labels are not always accurate so the safest way is to turn off all the switches. Off is usually the up position, down is on.
Locate The Right Fuse
Test some light switches and then use a plug in appliance, such as a hair dryer or lamp in a few power points to ensure the power is off. Then start pulling out the fuse wedges one by one.
Test each fuse wire by pulling it with your fingernail as overloading can cause the wire to melt in the middle and it can look ok at first glance. When a fuse blows due to a fault such as a short circuit the wire can be completely gone and the fuse wedge is usually blackened in parts.
When you find the faulty fuse, replaced the wire with the appropriate size. Loosen the brass screws on the fuse wedge and curl the fuse wire in a clockwise direction around the first screw and tighten it again. Thread the wire through the hole in the middle of the wedge and wind the wire around the second screw and tighten again.
Make sure the wire is clipped off close to the screw. You don’t want any long tails of fuse wire hanging out. Push the fuse wedge back into the base and turn on the main switches.
Important Safety Tip
Don’t look at the fuses when you turn the switches back on. Fuses blow for a reason and if that reason is a short circuit then the fuse you just repaired will blow immediately and possibly with a blinding flash, as bright as a welder. Look away to prevent possible damage to your eyes.
If your fuse is blowing due to overloading you need to rearrange which power points you use for appliances (particularly heaters), to spread the load over different circuits.
If the fuse blows straight away when you turn on the main switch you probably have a fault that requires an electrician.
Rewireable fuses are no longer available as new parts and while the wedges can be replaced and rewired, a faulty fuse base must be replaced with a circuit breaker.
Your local electrician probably has a box of second hand fuse wedges in their workshop so it’s a good idea to get a couple of spare fuse wedges already loaded with the right sized wire and keep them in the fuse box for easy replacement if needed.
Take a sample of your existing fuse wedge with you as there are several different types and they are not interchangeable.
If your problem seems to be more than a simple blown fuse, if the fuse wedges are hot to touch, or if there are sparks or a burning smell, turn off the main switches and call us straight away on 6331 4711.
by Dean Mance | Jul 5, 2014 | Common Repairs, Dodgy Installations, Keep Your Family Safe
This is dangerous and could burn your house down.
Obviously someone was having trouble with a fuse repeatedly blowing so instead of putting in standard 16 amp fuse wire they used a doubled up strand of copper wire that is probably good for about 150 amps!
It may have stopped the fuse blowing, but could have caused much more serious problems.
The fuse is designed to be the weakest link in the circuit, at a known location. When a fuse blows it is an indication something is wrong.
If the problem is due to overloading, maybe from too many heaters on one circuit, the fuse wire will just quietly melt apart.
If the problem is caused by a short circuit fault the fuse will go off with a bang.
Either way, if you beef up the fuse wire so it can’t blow then another part of your wiring becomes the weakest link, but you won’t know which part.
If the fuse can’t blow then maybe the wiring in that dodgy old light fitting, or the loose connection in the wall cavity will overheat. Maybe get hot enough to start a fire.
Fuses blow for a reason and the reason needs to be discovered and the fault fixed.
If you are having fuse problems you can give us a call at the workshop on 6331 4711 for some helpful advice or arrange for one of our tradesmen to visit and fix the problem. This service is also available after hours, seven days a week.
Make sure you check our next blog post where we will discuss the safe way to deal with blown fuses.
