Success! Meter fitted.

[telectrix]

i order of merit for safe/dead/polarity testing.

at no.1 we have the tried and tested G38 approved voltage tester.

at no.2 is the ubiquitous volt pen. loved by plumbers and kitchen fitters.

at no.3 we have the neon screwdriver. guaranteed to give you a nasty shock when used after stirring your tea with it.

and finally, the DIYers favorite... the wet finger.

 

[Percyprod]

I'm talking about polarity at cut out, may not be any earth to test it to.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Open cut out, use test lamps to prove supply is live (using proving unit to make sure test lamps are working) between live and neutral. As it is pme no earth to use to check live. You can then use test pen. If it lights on one terminal and not the other then that is the live terminal. Like it or not, that is one of the methods in the company's codes of practice. You can run a lead to a tempory earth rod, but the unatended end will be live when you test, albeit only for a short time.

Ahh. I see. You use test lamp first. That will confirm that L & N are present.

When working we used these to prove neutral, not live,

The EA device does not, and cannot, of itself detect anything other than the presence of a voltage on a line conductor. It cannot indicate the presence of a neutral.

 

[telectrix]

I'm talking about polarity at cut out, may not be any earth to test it to.

then what are you standing on.. the moon?

 

[DPG]

I think he's appreciates the 'proper' method for testing for dead before working on systems, but that you may need to test polarity as a DNO operator when you only have phase and neutral coming in, and so you can't use a GS38 type two-prong tester.

 

[Taylortwocities]

then what are you standing on.. the moon?

Interesting. Let say it's a new PME supply. There is no E (yet).
So you arrive and use your test lamp across L&N. If you get nothing then what? Is it a broken L or a broken N?
I suppose you could use the light pen to indicate the presence of the L. But I'll bet DNO procedures do not allow that.
Just bang in a temporary earth rod, maybe.…

 

[Percyprod]

You may have a wooden floor, concrete etc. Not quite the moon, but you see what I mean!

 

[DPG]

Be a right pain knocking earth rods in as well - very dry rocky surface. Once we colonise the moon the regs will have to be updated to cover this.

 

[Percyprod]

Yup Taylor Geocities, you do indeed put in a temporary earth rod, and run a lead, but you have someone else to help so that both ends cannot be touched during testing. Then use other methods to find fault, check substation, link box, use pulse echo etc.

 

[Pete999]

Be a right pain knocking earth rods in as well - very dry rocky surface. Once we colonise the moon the regs will have to be updated to cover this.

Can you imagine, going int CEF and asking for a 1/4 million miles of 10mm Moon wire, and you wouldn't need an MET it would be changed to a MMT Main Mooning Terminal, and if Tel's prediction comes true about the IET and twin and earth, another set of regs on the way.

 

[Octopus]

I've never seen a meter fitter or DNO worker ask for a cert on any job. Domestic, commercial, whatever. And that includes times when a specific written request has been sent from them to have an available copy of the certificate on or before connection.

I have. Around my patch are the old seeboard chaps - they have odd ideas to say the least.

 

[Taylortwocities]

I still don't see how that voltstick can indicate a neutral.

 

[telectrix]

Can you imagine, going int CEF and asking for a 1/4 million miles of 10mm Moon wire, and you wouldn't need an MET it would be changed to a MMT Main Mooning Terminal, and if Tel's prediction comes true about the IET and twin and earth, another set of regs on the way.

at least it'll be easy to install rods. we all know that the moon is made of cheese.

 

[Pete999]

I still don't see how that voltstick can indicate a neutral.

That's simple question to answer TTC it's a Gender Neutral volt stick, come on mate get with the program

 

[DPG]

I still don't see how that voltstick can indicate a neutral.

You've got 2 live conductors. Phase will illuminate it and neutral won't.

 

[Pete999]

You've got 2 live conductors. Phase will illuminate it and neutral won't.

Well if they are both Phase conductors????????

 

[Taylortwocities]

You've got 2 live conductors. Phase will illuminate it and neutral won't.

Not if neutral isn't a neutral.
E.g. Not connected or (worse) it's actually an earth fault. Then everything will look fine, until you test Ze.

 

[DPG]

I agree, but I thought the question was how to identify which was phase and which was neutral.

 

[Taylortwocities]

But Percyprod said that he used a voltstick

When working we used these to prove neutral, not live,

That cannot be true. Unless you are happy to make the assumption that any conductor must be neutral if it doesnt light up the voltstick.

Am I reading it wrong? Or has someone invented a "novoltstick" that only lights up when near a neutral?

 

[Pete999]

But Percyprod said that he used a voltstick

That cannot be true. Unless you are happy to make the assumption that any conductor must be neutral if it doesnt light up the voltstick.

Am I reading it wrong? Or has someone invented a "novoltstick" that only lights up when near a neutral?

I suppose he has a point, if it lights up it's a live phase conductor, SOOOOO the other cable Must be a neutral phase conductor, ergo the said voltstick has identified the Neutral, I think.