DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Since yesterday, the electricity in my cellar keeps tripping. I've tried various things:
-disconnected all the appliances on that circuit
-checked all the switches and plugs - no loose wires, no signs of a short circuit, no signs of burning, no water leaking into the system
- changed the circuit breaker - didn't make any difference
- when the cellar circuit is connected, the switch stays on for anything from 5 seconds to one minute, then it trips. No sparks, no popping sound
-two days before this happened, I installed a smart meter next to the distribution board - simply plugged it into an existing outlet and then attached three clips to three wires between the meter and the fuse box. Could that have something to do with it? however, the smart meter worked fine for two days, so why did it suddenly cause a problem? and how come the problem continues even after I removed the smart meter?
- Is there anything else that could have caused the problem? what else can I do apart from calling in an electrician?

What exactly is "tripping" a picture would really help.
Also have you / any one else done anything in the property? (New light fitting, new switch to replace that old broken one, new washing machine etc)

[quote="russellmre"]I installed a smart meter next to the distribution board - simply plugged it into an existing outlet and then attached three clips to three wires between the meter and the fuse box. Could that have something to do with it? however, the smart meter worked fine for two days, so why did it suddenly cause a problem? and how come the problem continues even after I removed the smart meter?[/quote]
This does not sound like any of the so called Smart meters I have seen, we don't know if it's an overload or a RCD tripping and really there is very little we can do to help when we know so little.

I will guess it's an earth fault, but to find it you will likely need expensive test equipment, so likely best bet is to get an electrician to cure the fault as likely cheaper than buying the test equipment.

russellmre

i had a job this week where this sort of nusiance tripping was a corroded , rusted socket box in the wall of a face brick conservatory. It had also forced moisture into the socket itself over time.
Failing this , you need to get in an electrician