Blown fuse

[Ric.ror]

My son changed the light in my mothers flat only to blow the fuse
As she is not there at this time he left it and has now gone back to press the fuse back in - only for it to blow again - this time sparking too.
What will an elx have to do and approx how much will it cost

[Old_Geezer]

They'd have to find out what is blowing the fuse rather than keep replacing it and watching it blow.

Turn everything off and unplug it. Then replace the fuse and see it doesn't blow. Start connecting things again until something blows the fuse, and you have the source of the problem.

If the fuse blows without anything connected then that's a probem with the house cabling or sockets, and you may want to get someone in at that point.

[Ric.ror]

Its only effecting the lights though all the sockets are working ok

Sorry - many thanks for the answer

[The Builder]

With great respect to OG.......... unplugging things won't help. The lighting circuit is quite separate from a ring (socket) circuit. (Well, usually anyway, though there are exceptions.)

Do you mean a light fitting? Not just the bulb?

[Baldric]

You say "changed a LIGHT" did he change a bulb, or has he changed a light fitting involving rewiring?
Could give a clue as to where to look.

[Baldric]

^^ snap ^^

[Ric.ror]

Sorry - yes he changed the bulb

[The Builder]

First thing to try would be a loose wire in the holder, or ceiling rose. It would be quite a coincidence if a fault developed somewhere else simultaneously.

[Old_Geezer]

Fair enough. Given that the fuse blew twice, I assumed it was plugged into a mains socket rather than the ceiling. So directly on to checking the light sockets and switches then.

[The Builder]

What you could do before calling someone in, is to remove all the bulbs on that circuit, and make sure every switch is in the OFF position. If the fault is still there......... then a fault must have developed in the circuit........... somewhere!

[Ric.ror]

Thank you for your replies
Just out of interest does anyone have a rough idea if it needed re-wiring
Its a one bedroom flat with a box room and seperate stairs

[The Builder]

Something to think about, Ric, would be having the system inspected. It's called a "periodic test", and it's usually carried out every 10 years.
The electrician would test all circuits, including the problem one. By the time you've paid for call-out and the rest, it would be better value for money to have the peace of mind of a full inspection. Test results would decide if a complete re-wire is necessary.

I'm loathe to give an idea of cost since labour rates vary considerably. If I say around £200, then I'll probably be shot down by someone.

[Ric.ror]

Oh thank you so much for your help
The flat is ex council but I insisted she buy it two years ago since when, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong

A lesson to us all

[Old_Geezer]

I expect you'll make on it in the long run.

[bedofroses]

I had this problem earlier this year and had to have the upstairs half of the house rewired but as its a 1930's house I felt it was about time! I also got the old fuse board replaced and with mates rates paid a couple of hundred quid.

[Ric.ror]

Me again

Just to let you know we are going to get a sparky in - but as he is a friend of my sons I am hoping he wont charge tooooooooooo much
Need it sorting by Monday as that is when Mum is out of her respite stay
Anyway many many thanks and a big kiss to you all