My problem is that one of my three house curcuits, when switched on at the fuse box immediately sends the meter racing, even with no appliances plugged in. Plugging in and turning on the washing machine causes the contact breaker to switch off the circuit. Very grateful for any suggestions! Hugh.

Sounds like maybe one of those circuits has a short in it... but I would think it woud instantly turn off the breaker...

Most houses are wired up with a dedicated circuit for the laundry feeding little except the washer , and maybe a gas dryer. I would unplug, or disconnect anything else on that circuit and try it. Be very careful. If it is drawing enough power to make the meter speed up noticeably, you have a short that could kill you. It is also enough power to heat something up. Check around the area for something hot. Do not touch any metal, just hold your hand near it. Check the water pipes carefully. Have you done any work near the area recently or anywhere between the washer and breaker box? Could you have driven in a nail shorting the wires to a water pipe?

Thanks labman. I've had a look for this and can isolate the problem. An eletrician recently added to this circuit - strip lights in the garage. I tried disconnecting the neutral wire for this part of the circuit, but meter still whizzing round. But then I disconnected the live wire to the garage, and the meter returned to normal, and the original is fine. S this means the power was 'going somewhere in the garage. Is there a way to find out where? Hugh.

Very good. I would get back with the electrician. If you paid regular retail rates, he should come back and find and correct the problem without charge. If you get the run around, perhaps you need to talk to the building inspector or local licensing agency.

If it was a friend, or somebody that owed you a favor, they should still be better able to point you to where to check for the problem than I can.

When there is a problem, it is always best to check any recent work in the area.

One thing I would like to suggest when checking a conduit to see if it is hot is to use the back of the hand.

A/C current causes muscles to contract and if you were to accidentally touch the conduit and it was hot (power and temp) your hand would grasp the conduit.