Good Morning Thread - Come say good morning, tell us what you've got on today. :)

We have this thread on TilersForums.com and it's just been restarted because the old thread had 20,000 replies and 500,000 views. And there were 700 pages. Started to lag a bit on slow connections.

I think we had a bash of this before, but I can't find the thread, so thought I'd start another one off.

If you have time in the mornings, come post in the thread before you head off to work, let us know what you've got on and what the weather is like in your area etc. Anything at all is fine.

Posts and likes get counted towards your total stats in this thread.

So GOOOD MORNING PEOPLE - WEATHER IS NICE TODAY IN STOKE. I'M THANKFUL IT'S FRIDAY, HAD A RUBBISH WEEK. THANK GOD IT'S OVER.

View attachment 53708

 

[Lou]

The boss is making me work replying to threads and emails on all the forums. Barely a week till the big day now - is everyone looking forward to a little break?

 

[7029 dave]

The boss is making me work replying to threads and emails on all the forums. Barely a week till the big day now - is everyone looking forward to a little break?

You got lots of medals Lou. lol

 

[telectrix]

Lou. lost my notifications from top of page. they come up for a second when I select a thread or forum, then the top header of the page changes and they sre gone.

 

[littlespark]

Bumpity bump….

Have yourself a merry little spark-mas

1st of December, it’s littlespark’s version of an advent calander. One video of a Christmas song from now til 24th Some classics, some quirky. Enjoy! Ps. You can use the like/dislike buttons to vote for and against each video. But please can I ask you to not add your own videos in...

www.electriciansforums.net

Been at my brothers in Edinburgh today for a covid safe gift exchange… and I forgot he had this item. I’ve blanked out the artist name from the ticket as a little game, but he stole this running list from the front of the stage at the end.

Along with a pair of drumsticks

 

[nicebutdim]

Bumpity bump….

Have yourself a merry little spark-mas

1st of December, it’s littlespark’s version of an advent calander. One video of a Christmas song from now til 24th Some classics, some quirky. Enjoy! Ps. You can use the like/dislike buttons to vote for and against each video. But please can I ask you to not add your own videos in...

www.electriciansforums.net

Been at my brothers in Edinburgh today for a covid safe gift exchange… and I forgot he had this item. I’ve blanked out the artist name from the ticket as a little game, but he stole this running list from the front of the stage at the end.

Along with a pair of drumsticks

View attachment 93159

Dave called and said he'd like those sticks back.

 

[littlespark]

My brother said Dave had gone through dozens of sticks as they got thrown at the crowd at the end of each song…

But blimey…. 1991. This was just before the band released that album with the the swimming baby on the cover… oh, what was it called?….

Never mind. It’ll come to me.

 

[timhoward]

To make matters worse my backup troubleshooting Megger is on the blink , hopefully it's just batteries ,only a few weeks since my Eagle Megger packed up

I have the same backup Megger BM. It's the backup-backup now really but occasionally saves the day. I grab it without a 2nd thought if I'm breaking down a ring, or for pre-CU change IR tests.
I'd try a clean of the contacts on the selector switch. In my view it's well worth keeping it alive, they are great little testers, and I'm sure it will still be working come the day my Kewtech and my Metrel give up!

 

[littlespark]

Stayed in this morning for open reach engineer, broadband had been cutting out and buffering… so now got a new phone master socket, and about 20Mb/s faster. (60 up to 80)
Good enough for what I need.

During that I got a phone call.
“Could you come and have a look. Main fuse blew and Scottish Power said to get an electrician to look at it. Dead short”

I wonder what could be wrong here? The 40 and 50 at RHS look like they’re splitting apart.

I assume the 63A RCD is the mainswitch.

Other question. What’s the best solution? Replace rcd for 100A? Possibly been changed before as it’s not same make.
Will push for new DB, but need a short term fix for xmas

 

[timhoward]

Other question. What’s the best solution? Replace rcd for 100A? Possibly been changed before as it’s not same make.
Will push for new DB, but need a short term fix for xmas

Obviously dead short needs finding!
I'd imagine them splitting apart is a result of thermal damage/overload and/or being under mechanical strain - I'd first check for loose connections on the shower circuit at the board, pull cord and shower.
Very short term - given Hager is seemingly a close fits you could probably acquire a new set of Hager MCB's and new bus bar for minimal cost and pop them in.
I'm also wondering if by the time you have identified the fault and disconnected most things finding it a board change afterwards would be quicker!
(I wouldn't be changing RCD for 100A without consideration of supplier fuse, tails, and max demand and don't see it as a solution to the dead short or the deformed breakers)

 

[littlespark]

Getting on site, I see there was some details missing…. Like the other half of the board. Customer sent the first pic.

So RCD looks a bit black, as does the 50 and 40….
As a stop gap before Xmas, I cannibalised a new Wylex board and replaced everything on the left.

There was a dead short on the feed to the rcd…. Insulation melted through, blowing the main fuse. SP replaced a 100A with an 80 for some reason. The switch fuse supplying the Swa to here has a 100 in it.
Customer said the fuse blew when the shower was on, AND the oven… so I thought simple overload. Left shower disconnected as I didn’t have a wylex that size.
Turns out their boiler is electric… takes 12kW and is on same 50A mcb as the shower.

Will be getting a board change out of this, but after new year.

 

[DPG]

Getting on site, I see there was some details missing…. Like the other half of the board. Customer sent the first pic.

View attachment 93259

So RCD looks a bit black, as does the 50 and 40….
As a stop gap before Xmas, I cannibalised a new Wylex board and replaced everything on the left.

There was a dead short on the feed to the rcd…. Insulation melted through, blowing the main fuse. SP replaced a 100A with an 80 for some reason. The switch fuse supplying the Swa to here has a 100 in it.
Customer said the fuse blew when the shower was on, AND the oven… so I thought simple overload. Left shower disconnected as I didn’t have a wylex that size.
Turns out their boiler is electric… takes 12kW and is on same 50A mcb as the shower.

Will be getting a board change out of this, but after new year.

View attachment 93261

What was causing the dead short though?

 

[littlespark]

It was the line feed. Was pressing against the neutral bar as it melted through.
Overheating due to 12kW boiler and 8.5kW shower on at the same time.
50A mcb welded closed, 63A rcd welded closed, 100A fuse in sw/fuse intact, but took out 80A main fuse….. three times!
They kept turning it on and blowing the fuse.

 

[DPG]

It was the line feed. Was pressing against the neutral bar as it melted through.
Overheating due to 12kW boiler and 8.5kW shower on at the same time.
50A mcb welded closed, 63A rcd welded closed, 100A fuse in sw/fuse intact, but took out 80A main fuse….. three times!
They kept turning it on and blowing the fuse.

Nice

 

[brianmoooore]

SP replaced a 100A with an 80 for some reason.

They've been doing that at every opportunity in my neck of the woods for years. I queried it once, and was told that's the max rating of the meter.

 

[brianmoooore]

If the main switch has been closed on a dead short three times, I'd be checking that it's still breaking both poles.

 

[ferg]

You can get priority relays for electric boilers if there is an electric shower installed.
Amptec call theirs RL1 Relay. Not cheap but probably wise on an 80A main fuse.

 

[littlespark]

If the main switch has been closed on a dead short three times, I'd be checking that it's still breaking both poles.

Yes. Checked that before powering up.

Will change the remaining breakers plus mainswitch to M2, or change the whole lot (breakers plus box) to the wylex.
Depends how far the customer budget stretches

 

[littlespark]

One for @Moley

View out the van windscreen today.

 

[brianmoooore]

One for @Moley

View out the van windscreen today.

View attachment 93432

A view I've had at work on many occasions.
Get a good view of the sheep in for 'lambing' when up a ladder, so, from time to time, when I spotted an ewe in distress, it was down the ladder, into the pen, and deliver a lamb or two. All part of the service.
I come from a long line of farmers, and was doing this kind of thing from the time I could walk, so no problem at all.

 

[pirate]

This morning was a busy one for me. I spent some time online looking for fuses...those things you put in plugs (or plug-tops, if you must).
This all stemmed from a Christmas present I received. Perhaps some of you got one too? It's a Pie Maker. Now, to be fair, it doesn't actually MAKE pies at all...no, YOU provide the pastry and cut it out, YOU provide the filling, YOU pre-cook the filling, YOU provide the gravy. The Pie Maker simply heats everything up, cooks the pastry and heats the filling, so eventually you get 2 very nice pies that YOU have actually made. Now, I am a HUGE fan of pies, so I decided to test it out yesterday, following a trip to Tesco where I bought some pastry, diced chicken, gravy...long story short, I made 2 pies in this gadget and frankly it worked perfectly. It's simply an easier way to cobble together a couple of pies from scratch and use leftovers too. So, all is fine. I have no doubt I will use it many more times than all the other electrical gadgets that have graced my kitchen over the years, which I have whittled down to a toastie maker and a slow cooker...
Why then my search on t'internet? Simply because I wanted to source a replacement fuse, should my Pie Assistant ever blow a fuse. Now, I'm sure many of you will have spare fuses to hand. I do some ISITEE and therefore have a supply of 3A,5A,10A fuses...and a huge surplus of 13A ones removed from items that should never have had them fitted. However, I defy anyone to source a 7.5A fuse on a Sunday when the Pie Assistant throws a hissy fit. Look, I can do the maths ok. The rating plate says 900W. OK, the heating elements cycle a few times while it simply heats the pies I have made. I'm no scientist, clearly, but this rating of 7.5A seems to fall between two stools. I'm ok with that, but as 7.5A fuses are generally only available online or at some wholesalers, surely the manufacturers of said pie assistant might have thrown in a spare fuse with the machine? Ok, some of you will laugh and say "Huh...I always have 7.5A fuses in my bag!" Well, bully for you! I thought I was doing well carrying the 3,5,10 and 13A ones, but now I will have to re-think my stock...Imagine doing ISITEE on a failed pie assistant and having to admit to the client that I have no 7.5A fuses in my bag...
What would happen if I just bunged in a 5A? Half-cooked pies?
Or fitted a 10A? Would my pies be burnt to a cinder due to too much electricity getting through?
Could I use a 13A fuse, and just stand over it til I smelt burning?
I expect many will be happy to explain the thinking behind this setup, and that's fine with me...my real complaint is that the rating is just "wrong", and if the manufacturers have done all the testing and approval, and the gadget is so "sensitive" that it needs a fuse which is not readily available, they should provide spare fuses with it, just like some manufacturers provide tools to replace deeply-seated lamp-removal tools, or disconnection tools so you can service things easily...
I know...just another Piratical rant...
As the late, great Alastair Cook said, at the end of his Letters from America broadcasts..."If you have been...thank you for listening"
I'm off to make some more pies...

 

[Mike Johnson]

Is it April 1st already?

Can't find a drunk Emoji.

 

[littlespark]

So 900 divided by 230 is ?…… hmmm

Can’t say I’ve seen many 7.5A plugtop fuses TBH

 

[timhoward]

7A bs1362 fuses exist and can be found on that reputable electrical wholesaler website called Amazon.
I want to see a picture of the ‘pie maker’!

 

[pirate]

Yeah...it seemed like an April Fool as i typed it!

I promise to post pics later!

 

[pirate]

 

[pirate]

 

[pirate]

 

[pirate]

Chicken and chorizo, for the record!

 

[pirate]

I do beg your pardon, it's a 7A fuse!

 

[pirate]

Where 7.5A came from I have no idea...however, the problem remains...not easy to get unless you order online.
(Glances at bottle...Argentinian Malbec, 14.5%...)
No wonder I got con-fused!

 

[timhoward]

not easy to get unless you order online.

About 40% of a dairy lea should suffice in a pie emergency according to my reference material:

 

[pirate]

I suppose that's equivalent to 1/2 a Vache Qui Rie in France?

 

[littlespark]

Why send one post when five will do….


And that’s no’ a pie…..

This is a pie!

Don’t know what the green stuff is though…

 

[Moley]

One for @Moley

View out the van windscreen today.

View attachment 93432

I don't suppose you have any nice posing close up shots?

 

[pirate]

Aye, that's a pie!
However...
I also received a Christmas present of 12 pies! Yup...12 of them!
They originated from

Lochinver Larder - Pie shop in the heart of the Scottish Highlands

Our Lochinver pie shop has been baking pies since 1986 and are so popular that they are delivered straight from our larder to yours through Pies by Post Restaurant on NC500 Lochinver restaurants

www.lochinverlarder.com

and I have to say they are amazing!
The steak and ale is outstanding, and so filling, the savoury lamb is wonderful and I have still to sample the hagis,neeps and tatties, the poached salmon, the pork, apple and cider, the pork,chorizo and manchego...
Happy days ahead!

 

[littlespark]

I don't suppose you have any nice posing close up shots?

I’ll try next time I’m there, but they run away when I walked into the shed.

 

[littlespark]

Here you go, @Moley

Handsome beast

 

[telectrix]

fuse selection should depend on the cable/flex size. 1.5mm flex deserves a 13A fuse. any protection for rhe appliance itself should be provided within said appliance.

 

[Moley]

Here you go, @Moley

Handsome beast
View attachment 93451

Do you realise Shaun is a male sheep. Do you think I'm some sort of pervert?

 

[littlespark]

Do you realise Shaun is a male sheep. Do you think I'm some sort of pervert?

Shaun the ram? Doesn’t have the same ring to it.

 

[Mikegh]

Was heading out for a walk today when I met the neighbor outside on the footpath

Says he has a new hob coming Thursday

So i carried on my walk with him and I said I'll call tomorrow

So he said no it's coming Thursday and I realized and said oh ya I'll call Thursday morning to disconnect it before they arrive

He says Christmas day the ring blew and there was a big bang and I said ya there usually is with them

About half a mile later he starts hanging back and talking louder

dawned on me then and I says jeez sorry I thought you were out for a walk too when I met you , no he says I was only calling to your door lol

 

[alexanderzingman]

Good morning everyone , today my task is to buy the stuff for the house and plan for this week work. ~ Alexander Zingman

 

[Moley]

It's my first day back after the hols, it's cold, it's dark and I've got a 210 mile drive to work. It'll probably be cold and dark on the way back home too. I can't wait for summer!

 

[littlespark]

Where you heading, @Moley ?

My wife is taking eldest back up to Aberdeen. Too much stuff to go on train…. And she’s staying the night and coming back tomorrow.

I’m taking 2 and 3 to dentist this pm, then onto drop- in to get their second vaccines.

I get all the good jobs…

Will spend tonight dismantling the decos.

 

[Moley]

I was at a power station on the Isle of Grain (its not an island!) In Kent. I'm back up to Scotland in a couple of weeks. Opposite side to you. It's Hunterston this time.

 

[Mikegh]

Fitted my first integrated cooker hood this morning

Was a little wary and the box came with lots of brackets and bolts and templates and instructions and thankfully I didn't need to use any of them

Reminds me of my old boss in the US in the computer industry
His first instructions to me were "Never read a manual "

 

[littlespark]

Took a run up to the Capital this morning…. Auld Reekie… The Athens of the North….. to fit a few smoke detectors for my brother.
Better week than last week.

See here for details

W.A.W.T.W. or in other words… > on Free Electrical Advice - Electricians Forums

Find W.A.W.T.W. or in other words… Advice and Help. How-to W.A.W.T.W. or in other words… in the Electricians Chat - Off Topic Chat advice boards on Electricians Forums. W.A.W.T.W. or in other words… on ElectriciansForums.net Electrical Advice Forum.

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[Moley]

Boring day for me. Set off from home (S.Wales) around 11am, got to Irvine around 7pm. Up here working until Monday next week and then another little drive, this time to Deeside. I'm hoping to get back home on the 26th.

 

[freddo]

Engraving some labels and things this afternoon for a small workshop area job.

I do beg your pardon, it's a 7A fuse!

Tidied though the box of fuses in my toolbag this evening, found 2, 7A fuses, though they look a bit battered! Several 1A fuses too.

Perhaps I should put one in this old MK plug I have here.

 

[marconi]

An unusual locking screw arrangement for the top. One for Lucien to look at and comment.

You could sell this to Daz2007- he needs a plug which lives up to its labelled 13A rating.