Not the usual suspect

We've been plagued by a tripping fuse since the inundation on the 5th and assummed the wiring to some sockets and the boiler had in some way been affected. Two visits from the HomeServe engineer to restore the power to the boiler had not got to the root of the problem, and it tripped again during yesterday evening. The electrician we use was at last able to come today, with his Dad to help.

Davie by the fuse boards off the hall, me in the kitchen, Dad by the boiler listening for a bang as Davie set the fuse again.

Bingo! This old switch box banged. Dad shouted to me, i shouted to Dave. Dave came through, tested the cable pipe for a charge by touching it with the inside of his forearm. Tzzz! It turned out the switch box had been filled with water because of condensation within the metal cable casing.

We now have a plastic switch with a hole drilled in the box to allow any condensation to drain.

The question now is, how old is the switch and cabling? We've been here 48 years and it was here long before we arrived.