Calling electricians , 240v sockets glitch
I have a 2006 elddis avante 556 caravan which i have owned for 9 yrs . this year when on site connected to the mains intermitantly the 240v sockets wont work , they are not tripping out on the rcb . I fix this by turning the mcb socket switch on and off
a couple of times then they come on again . i have had the breaker board cover off (disconnected) and checked connections which look fine . i would be gratefull of any sugestions
Comments
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im no electrician but we can at least identify the extent of the issue.....
for instance, when the 'sockets' go off, does the fridge (presumable running on ehu) also go off or try to switch to gas..?
if the water/heater was also on ehu, what happens to this, does it also turn off at the same time....
just trying to narrow down the extent of the issue....ie a total 240v shut down or just the sockets (and/or other items)....
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Thanks for the replys ,
its just the sockets that go off ,
secondly the cable connections are clean plus it has happened on 2 diferent sites ,
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Replace the MCB. Easier said than done because there's no manufacturing standard sizing for MCBs. Look for the panel make, search on Google and replace accordingly. I'm a retired research scientist, not an electrician by the way. But engineering logic crosses
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hi jennyc , yes i was thinking that myself i think that will be my next move thanks
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What are you testing the sockets with?
A plug in tester?, multimeter? table lamp?
Are you sure your tesing device isn't duff?
I would check all the connections and measure the voltages with a multimeter , When the external power lead is disconnected give all the connector screws a nip , copper goes soft over time,
I would waggle the wires when its live , but if your not a spark I wouldn't suggest you do it, might be best to get a spark to look at it.
I have had the odd duff MCB over the years but it has been fairly rare , ususally a loose connection.
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Test with something which imposes a load, like a light. Loads reveal high resistance outputs which a meter will miss. Copper goes harder, not softer, with age, it's called "age hardening". Interestingly, tinning the end of wires with solder isn't done in aviation because over time the louder 'flows', maybe at the pace of a slow glacier, but it flows under pressure nonetheless.
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I had an intermittent mains problem on my van. In my case to the heater. I traced it to the multiway plugs on the back of the mains control module. one pin had not been properly inserted in the plug body. The resistance had created heat which had melted
part of the plug so I replaced the 12pin plug body and put a new pin on the problem wire to the heater. (You need a thin tube to remove the pins from the body - this can be obtained from a good model shop)0 -
As a spark (retired) i would replace the MCB supplying the sockets and then see how it goes.They are not expencive and it would eliminate one possability.
v9
The only fly in the ointment, is that they are not all easily accessable, the PSU on my Lunar is all pop riveted up and not intended for Joe blogs to get inside it ....... not everyone has a pop rivet gun (I do
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Your description that turning the MCB on and off again cures the issue, would suggest that the fault lies in the trip or consumer unit. However, if there are other appliances supplied by the 'socket' MCB and they always work, it can't possibly be the source
of the problem. Have you had the socket face plate off and checked the wiring at the back?(with van unplugged, of course!)0
