Is it safe???

TelH

TelH

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Ok, quick scenario...ponies are kept at home in rented house/yard...went out this morning about 7.30, gave them all hay etc cos it was chucking it down. All ok. Couple hours later it clears up so I go out to turn them all out. Light in one of the stables is on even though the switch is off and smoke is coming out of the switch :eek: :eek: :eek: Turned off the electric for the entire place and got ponies out of stables asap, by which time smoke has stopped coming out of light switch. In a nutshell landlady doesn't want to know and letting agent won't deal with it until tomorrow am at the earliest...and my OH is in Greece so I'm all alone here :( :o

So basically my question is if I have turned off all the outside electrics at the fusebox...lights, sockets etc, nothing outside is working atm, is it safe to put the ponies in the stables tonight? :confused:
 
If you have flicked the switch on the electrics box, then I don't think there should be a problem.

Do you have the stables on a seperate fuse in your electric box? Just thinking that then you could switch your house back on, but just leave the electric off to the stables - save you sitting in the dark on your own!!! :)
 
At first I just panicked and turned everything off but after I got the ponies out I had another look and I have turned the outbuildings off and turned the rest back on. So house has got elec but stables, barn and utility room haven't. Ponies will def be safe then? My poor old girl, she is nearly 27 and she was just minding her own business finishing her hay while a mini fire was starting outside her stable :o Just glad it didn't happen in the middle of the night, no telling what could have happened :(
 
If there was smoke coming out of the switch and the light was on then I would suspect that there is a fault with the electrical wiring within the switch.

If the light went off when you turned off the fuse box/consumer unit then with a bit of luck the problem has been isolated, however I would not rely on tis and would not enter the stables or allow horses in them until it has all been checked out by an approved electrician.

This fault would indicate that the switches and wiring may be very old and therefore badly decayed. I would ensure that you are there when the electrician is there to ensure he checks the entire wiring loom and the consumer box to ensure it is safe as the whole lot may require re-wring. Your letting agent should have got an electrician straight out as a fault of this nature could cause a fire or make the structure of the stable live causing you or your horses to become electrocuted. I would remind the agents of their obligations to ensure the saftey of both humans and horses that are on the property. Unfortunately the vast majority of fires in stables or causes of electric shock's is through faulty wiring or old appliances. You most certainly do not want you or your horses to become electrocuted.

I would avoid putting your horses inn the stables until all the wiring has been thoroughly checked.
 
The stables were refurbished shortly before we moved here just over a year ago...new doors, windows etc...I don't know whether anything was done to the actual wiring but the switches were all new then. The light has gone off as has everything else outside, no other lights work and none of the sockets work so I'm guessing I have isolated the problem??? Maybe putting rugs on and leaving them out would be a safer option.
 
thats why you rent though isn't it? so someone sorts out these sort of problems pronto? I know its late but for future ref I would insist that someone sorted this out straight away and say you are without electricity.
 
Well yes lol, the landlady just said let the agent deal with it which I guess is fair enough, that's what she pays them for, but the receptionist at the letting agents has apparently left numerous messages for the agent who deals with our property :rolleyes: the receptionist rang me about half an hour ago to say the agent will definitely ring me within an hour...no-one has rang yet :o So if I don't hear anything I will just have to ring them 1st thing...I sound like a right little girl but OH usually does everything like this :o :o :o
 
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