Odd fault DiYer strikes

[Matty o]

Just had a call out
A Diyer has brought a mk 17th board and decided to replace a 3036 board himself and got in a right mess.

He didn't mark the cables just took the odd board off and tried to remember what went where. I ripped most of it out again and managed to get most of it working, lots of radials and some lights wired in 2.5.

Just left with one fualt that is a bit odd
a socket ring that IRs ok 200M and powers up ok, sockets test ok with plug in neon tester but if you switch anything on that takes a load the RCD trips.

I can only think that there is a interlink somewhere that's giving a parallel path, have bypassed the RCD for now as its was getting dark and will go back later in the week to find it.

Anyone got any ideas.

 

[needasparks]

Perhaps you should IR between circuits. It may show the culprit.

Its great when some people have too much time on their hands at the weekend.

 

[Marvo]

Sounds like a classic symptom of crossed or borrowed neutral.

 

[londonlec]

I hope your charging him more than the cost of the CU swap in the first place.

 

[Rockingit]

Agree with Marvo - crossed / borrowed neutral that never showed itself before there was an RCD. Look at the landing light is always a good bet.

 

[Matty o]

Hope not its the sockets but looking at the rest anything posable

 

[Spudnik]

IR across the two N bars.

If clear IR between E/N bars.

 

[Knobhead]

Hope you’ve pointed out the work will be charged at your full standard hourly rate plus extra for fault finding. Fingers crossed it’s a simple shared neutral for you to sort.

BUT don’t forget the lots of sucking on teeth and head shaking (go in to plumbers mode). If you sort it in five minutes the play-acting has to go on for a reasonable time.

I’m not one for advocating padding a job out, but when the customers have brought it on themselves. Fair game!

 

[needasparks]

Tony ! really !
Go and wash your mouth out with soap....

 

[SPARTYKUS]

Don't forget to check for separation between lines as well, might be sharing that too

 

[Knobhead]

They say honesty is the best policy………

 

[GLENNSPARK]

tony`s right here........call it an insentive to call a sparks in future rather than take on notifyable work without the competence to see it through....

 

[Knobhead]

Read in to that what you want!

 

[Knobhead]

I’ve done it in industry, sorted the fault but the plant production manager had been messing about in a control panel.
Two minutes to sort the fault, 1 hour drinking tea while the said manager is going mental. My manager arrives and is told what’s going on, result, two of us drinking tea for another hour before we’d turn the power back on.
The official version was we had to test all the circuits involved. The unofficial version, we were swapping recipes for Chinese beef and ginger.