switch wire????

[sparky1502]

its hard enought getting on the job experince as it it...ive got to do my am2 as well so i dont mind screwing up aslong as i dont do it again... but a few of u said that some propertys borrow the neutral and some said it is fused in old properties and then someone said it should never be fused...well all i know is it had its own sperate neutral fuse and a phase one too...there are so mamy different was to wire propeties and different things that sparkys do (some crap ones to no doubt) sometimes i think that i'll never be qualified there is so much to get my head round...

 

[kung]

as for should i be working on electrics yet...we all got to start somewere i pulled the lighting circuit fuse out becuse the property was tenanted and the customers need the juice to be on i'm not a totally novice and i just follow what ive been shown..the spark who i was with never mentioned the neutral was fused and lookin at the board it was all over the place it had no earth in the property it was that old..the cable was a black colour looked like some sort of lead cable but thats a guess..it just perished in my hand...

i was working in a propery last week...a diyer had decided it would be fitting to wire his new shower to the back of a plug.....and the in his cu were the rewirable fuse was suppose to be a piece of copper pipe....what can u say to that....

and so did he pass the domestic installers assessment ?

 

[sparky1502]

im jacking it all in if he did.... he got a firm dressing down from our main spark who said " we should walk right off this site right now looking at the state of this work"

 

[Amp David]

One of the first things I had drummed into my head was safe isolation. Using a volt stick to check for a dead circuit-no chance

 

[sparky1502]

One of the first things I had drummed into my head was safe isolation. Using a volt stick to check for a dead circuit-no chance

someone just said vot sticks are crap...

 

[johnnyb]

In old properties years ago the local utilities did indeed used to fuse the neutrals as you have correctly pointed out, thats not unusual to see every now and again, usually means the utilities have never had a need to go near the property and change the cut out for a new one, or something like that perhaps.
You keep at it, rome wasn,t built in a day, and yeh theres alot to learn, i am still learning its an ever ongoing process in our game.

 

[kung]

Too true buddy ! talking of which whens the 18th bs7671 out ?

 

[Graeme Harrold]

Too true buddy ! talking of which whens the 18th bs7671 out ?

Put that big wooden spoon back in yer tool box...........

 

[aptsys]

...it confused me as to why the neutral would have to be fused as does not carry a load

Are you sure?

 

[puddle]

sounds like only lighting fuse pulled and crossed curcuit some were,surprise,surprise
Hard lesson to learn but hopefully it will have fast tracked you into the need to double check works isolation
You never should have but in this world of diy,in the domestic home, take nothing for granted
I would not say volte sticks are rubbish,they have a place,but with all these gadgets, check that infact they are working on alive section/cable first,do not just get out bag and test in see if your section is volte free and always use a multimeter were possible,especially when starting out

 

[High Tower]

I personally find that if you are going to buy a volt stick then buy a fluke one, i have personally seen ones that cost a meere £2 and there is no way that i would trust them.

My personal preferance is to isolate a circuit, prove my multi meter and check circuit.

I prove my fluke volt stick on a known supply and regularly re prove throughout the day.

If i simply want to check a lone cable or switch then the stick is in my pocket and i know that its working.

However i would never rely on the stick when it comes to whole circuits or heavy load

 

[Yooj]

Never had a volt stick, never want one...Screwdriver on live terminal, and wet finger for me...ha, ha, only joking.

Test known live, test circuit to kill, kill circuit, test to see if circuit is dead, test known live source.

When pulling fuses, always put the fuse in your pocket, and don't leave it around. For MCBs, use a lock-off device. Always put up a notice. Take nobodies word but your own as to whether a circuit has been isolated.

Yooj

 

[High Tower]

They aint great but for the sake of £12 for a fluke one they are worth having, i use mine mainly for tracing circuits etc, dont think i ever rely on one before working on a circuit. but they are good for finding faults.

 

[Graeme Harrold]

Are you sure?

Fuses in the neutral were common back in the 50's and I think phased out in 1966. There are properties out there with them still fitted.......................Thats why.....:

1. Know what you are looking at when you go to an old property
2. Realise standards have changed over the years
3. ALWAYS carry out correct isolation procedures and DONT take someone elses word for it being dead

 

[Yooj]

I am probably doing the voltstick a disservice...Probably stems from where I did my apprentiship, that if you did not isolate safely, and everybody who enters a location not locking-off, then it was instant dismissal.

Yooj

 

[High Tower]

I am probably doing the voltstick a disservice...Probably stems from where I did my apprentiship, that if you did not isolate safely, and everybody who enters a location not locking-off, then it was instant dismissal.

Yooj

Some people would say that thats a bit harsh, however i would say thats probably why your still alive with all digits intact.

I think your probably right to be wary with them. i personally would never trust them before working on exposed condutors no way no how. where i use mine is for a simple example, testing a faulty circuit, first things first, does the switch work? test the common against the insulation, it should buzz, then test the L1, if it buzzes then the switch works.

anything else then its out with the T5 at the very least, i think where sticks become a liability is when someone has one at the bottom of their bag for 12 months and decids to use it, does no prove and takes the result on face value.

Its also nice to note how all the guys on here are quick to encorage safe isolation with the Junior sparks, im afraid to many times i have heard "its only 6a it wont kill ya" or "youll only forget once"
or the favorite " its ok to work live"

 

[Romans99]

I've got a really tiny Fluke volt stick with built in torch.

It's great to have in your pocket for simple tests on cables/socket outlets etc.

Trouble is, it is very easy to switch it on accidently in my pocket and then I find it's been on for hours, battery is dying and it can be a bit dodgy then,

It has a blue light for tracing cables and turns red as you get closer to something live. But when it's dying I've seen all the colours of the rainbow and can't rely on it at all.

Next time I'm gonna get one without a switch to avoid potential annoyance!

 

[Graeme Harrold]

With my background in engineering, Ive seen a few people loose finger tips trying to line up mounting holes for various components on armoured vehicles (they bite hard) and the phrase used to educate the young ones (male orientated) is "Never place your fingers where you wouldnt put your ****" Amazing how that makes them stop and think Same could be applied to electricity..............

 

[Yooj]

...... "Never place your fingers where you wouldnt put your ****" ..............

Bet you always got one who would put their **** in anything though...ha, ha.

Yooj

 

[Graeme Harrold]

Bet you always got one who would put their **** in anything though...ha, ha.

Yooj

Too true...............Unfortunately cant legislate for everyone, make a sysem idiot proof and nature comes up with a smarter idoit..................