Loose Connection or Faulty Wiring?

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MoonTango

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Hi,

First time poster on here - and this might be a really simple question or one where you just tell me to go away and find more information.

Basically, I've been helping a friend set up a tropical aquarium in her house. The aquarium has a "junction box" - which has 4 eurpoean style 2 pin plugs. Each one of these plugs is labelled as 5A/250V~. Each socket has an associated on/off switch and is wired into a common cable. This cable has a normal UK style plug with a 3A fuse.

I've installed a filter and thermostat and a light - all of which have 2 pin plugs. All of the plugs have written on them 2.5A/250V~. I plugged them all in and they all worked. When I then turned the light off at the switch, it turned off the other appliances - as if the fuse had gone or they had tripped. Now they won't turn back on at all. I've replaced the fuse in the uk style plug, even though it didn't appear to be blown - but this has made no difference. Sometimes by touching the wires from the 2 pin sockets that feed the common cable, the light will flicker back on momentarilly - does this suggest that there is a loose connection? Or a break in the circuit?

How can I tell, and what tests can I use?

Any help or advice very gratefully received!

Thanks in advance.

 
do a detailed check of the cable, esp around the joints..

also carry out a continuity check in all of the cables (end to end) this will tell u if there are any breaks in the cable

 
sounds like a loose connection somewhere. i was going to say there may be another fuse in the adapter, but if it had blown, you wouldnt get it to intermittently work moving the plug around

 
Thanks for the replies guys (and the welcome!!). I'm glad it seems as though I'm on vaguely the right lines.

I assume that with the current and voltage figures I quoted, no-one sees any issues there?

Cheers

 
Not really a problem, these plugs are designed for the currents they carry to stop 13amps or more being put down the cables.

I would firstly suspect a loose connection as other posters have suggested.

 
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