VM Cable tripping electrics?

StonedPenguin

StonedPenguin

StonedPenguin

Soldato
Joined
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Nottingham
Hi, For the last few months my electric has been tripping randomly on the main switch so it was hard to identify, With it getting more and more frequent I today went and got a mains tester screwdriver thingymabob.

Several hours later after testing many things/everything, I find the Virgin cable connection to the v+box flashes like hell, goes dim then bright on the screwdriver :mad:

Could the VM cable be tripping my electric?

Thanks :)

e2a: It's the white VM cable that comes form outdoors, not the actual vbox. cheers
 
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On every applicance the screw driver gave a contsant red light which to my (limited) knowledge indicates the circuit is fine, Yet the incoming vm cable is bright, dim, flashes a lot. Is that normal?
 
If I could pick your brains a little further Telescopi I'd appreciate it. :)

Yesterday when it tripped (The main switch trips, Not the smaller ones that are labled lights, sockets etc)
It wouldn't allow me to turn it back on, It instantly pushed my finger back down, 10 minutes later - same thing.
So I unplug the TV & vbox from the wall, Try it and viola it allows the electric back on.

Does that point the fault to tv/vbox? Both the tv and vbox are about 3 months old. When I tested the plugs with screwdriver they was fine, Is there any other tests I can do?

Thanks.
 
StonedPenguin said:
So I unplug the TV & vbox from the wall, Try it and viola it allows the electric back on.
Click to expand...
I would still say it's a coincidence (and where does the large violin come into it?)

If you really suspect your vbox, do as the gov says and leave it unplugged and see if the problem still happens. Yeah, no tv for a while...

Other than that, it's a case of systematically ruling out every other appliance.

Bet it's the kettle what done it.
 
Try using RCD plugs on each device? Assuming your plug-in RCD is as sensitive as the mains and it isn't a build up of earth leakage from several devices.

Check building earth? Council managed to cut ours with a mower, gave very random symptoms.
 
Update:

I put RCD plugs on a couple things I thought could be tripping it, It seems to have halfed the ammount of trips I was previously getting.

Anyhow after 3 days of no trips, The extension lead with Vbox and TV just tripped this afternoon (had rcd plug on it at the time)

Is it more likly to be the TV? (few months old samsung UE40D7000) or the Vbox?
I have an rcd plug on each of them now, Time should tell.. :confused:
 
My thought was that you could be drawing too much power from the sockets being used by the TV.

I had a weird one last night where and 4gang extension starting emmitting a very high pich noise, like someone drilling. Unplugged everything (although nothing was on) and it still happened. Unplugged the 4gang, checked this morning and it's working fine. Not going to risk it, I'll be getting a new one.
 
I've no idea tbh mate, I'm just renting it. It had a full refurb 2 yrs ago so I dunno if they did anything with the wiring then.

It was fine for the first 6 months of living here then the trips randomly started, Not long after we had VM installed and bought a new tv too. hmm.
 
StonedPenguin said:
It happened today when the TV was off, All thats plugged into the extension lead is a vbox which is ~1A and the TV which uses about 300w tops, No where near 13A.
Click to expand...

Fair enough. I have no idea.

Nightglow said:
Most unlikely.
Click to expand...

It depends how much stuff is also plugged in. For example out of the 2gang wall socket we can have all this on:
TV
DVD/surround sound
Blu ray
Floor light
House phone charger and mobile charger.
and other things plugged in but not in use.

Hardly a lot but if he'd over loaded it with every equipment in his living room :P


A random one: A high watt PC PSU causing some issue?
 
I had the 4gang extension lead plugged into the RCD plug > into the wall., It's the RCD plug that tripped pinpointing it to the TV/VBOX (Thats all thats there)

Now ive put RCD plugs on each the TV & Vbox, Each in different sockets on the wall (side by side) so in theory it should be a matter of time before I know 100% if its TV or cable box?
 
Any chance you could have mice?

Mine kept tripping then one day spotted a mouse. By the signs we had, had mice for a long time. Since killing them. It's only tripped obce rather than several times a week.
Left poison out, incase they decide to come back.
 
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