Tell us about your faults!

[hydeselec]

Got called out to a job, lights flickering like something out of a film...

Problem ... Gardner had gone hit the incomer with a spade and never told a sole

 

[sedgy34]

had rcd tripping the socket box was earthed and the wall was damp

 

[Strima]

Finally got round to lifting the landing carpet in our new house to paint the skirts and fix the ever present squeaky floorboard when this caught my eye:



0.5mm stranded flex wrapped around the central heating pipes. It's part of the downstairs light loop above the kitchen which has been modified somewhat then just taped up and left. Needless to say it is much safer now.

Gives me an excuse to the the bedroom floor now and have a look, might as well fit some downlighters in the kitchen whilst I'm there as 'I don't know what the rest of the circuit is like dear wife!!!'. I knew I could get rid of the crappy mini GU10 light bar we have...

 

[DaveyD]

Finally got round to lifting the landing carpet in our new house to paint the skirts and fix the ever present squeaky floorboard when this caught my eye:

View attachment 11792View attachment 11793

0.5mm stranded flex wrapped around the central heating pipes. It's part of the downstairs light loop above the kitchen which has been modified somewhat then just taped up and left. Needless to say it is much safer now.

Gives me an excuse to the the bedroom floor now and have a look, might as well fit some downlighters in the kitchen whilst I'm there as 'I don't know what the rest of the circuit is like dear wife!!!'. I knew I could get rid of the crappy mini GU10 light bar we have...

Nice! Glad to see you practice safe isolation in picture two

 

[Strima]

Nice! Glad to see you practice safe isolation in picture two

Snips are insulated for a reason... :devilish:

 

[jpm646]

Went to a job the other day coz the outside socket wasn't working strangely I seen fp200 going to the socket that I thought was strange then I uncovered a new type ov underground j/b ha ha a black bag and 15 amp connector

 

[plugsandsparks]

Guys need some advice / ideas...
Background:- I have installed a new TP board off a 200A breaker from the MDB. I was doing some load checks so i could advise the client how much capacity is remaining for new machines and i though i would clamp test the earth to see if there was any activity, when i saw a couple of amps i got a bit distressed so went back to the MDB and clamped the main earth connection from MET to MDB and was reading 14amps - uck a duck i thought whats going on here, anyway with the help of my brother we did some tests in a short time when the factory was quiet.
1. Incoming supply 400A neutral off armourings
2. Incoming supply has separate about 16sqmm earth cable disappearing down into the entry point, not visible outside so not sure if it goes to an earth rod or back to substation.
3. Readings from MET to MDB 14 amps
4. Readings from incoming earth cable was just 1.7mA
5. 10 DBS in total - isolated 9 with no impact on readings.
6. Last DB 12 way was running office computers so did not isolate it but switch off non essential breakers leaving 4 lighting breakers and 2 socket breakers.
7. Switched all all lighting and current dropped dramatically to around 2 amps.
8. Double checked line and neutral loads to this DB and they did show a roughtly 14A difference.
9. Removed the earth connection from MDB to MET but no lights went out and no voltage was present between MET and earth tail from MDB
10. No DBs appear to be cross bonded

At this point i ran out of time and had to put all everything back together but i was left with a couple of thoughts
1. The factory lighting consists of 35-40 6ft double fluorescents of the old switched start type - parasitic loss ????
2. Some of the lights are wired incorrectly neutral to earth but still manage to find a circuit off the strutural steel work when i disconnected the earth that was carrying the current.

Appreciate any thoughts guys, i had to work fast to get the tests done in the time available and have probably missed something perhaps obvious..

 

[smunton]

Reading about all these absolute idiotic mistakes makes me terrified to ever call in someone. ._____.

 

[mickys86]

Reading about all these absolute idiotic mistakes makes me terrified to ever call in someone. ._____.

Biggest Problem is that they aren't mistakes. some people just don't know what they are doing. A lot of it is probably DIY merchants

 

[Plonker 3]

Just returned from a job where the customer had some living room lights fitted, after they had been fitted the bathroom light would only work once the living room lights were on. So sparky who did job came back to repair problem. Left and the bathroom light didn't work at all now.

I turn up look in lounge light and there was cable just taped up behind fittitng. Tested bathroom light and no neutral at it. So reconnected cable in other light fitting and all working fine. Can only think the bathroom room light was getting a neutral from the lounge light fitting live so was disconnected.

 

[Jezsmith720]

I am fully domesticly qualified to 2382 & 2392 , can do periodics and also took a pat testing course

 

[Jezsmith720]

And looking for further on site experience, but isnt everyone :/

 

[Robinwood]

cHANGE OF MY FB PROFILE

 

[nominal voltage]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

As far as I know a static caravan should have it's own earth supply ie a TT connection.

 

[stanleyblade]

Saw this today in the outside toilet, 2.5 t+e neatly bent round a 28mm gas pipe,
Sent from my HTC Desire S using Tapatalk 2

 

[stanleyblade]

Muppet, forgot to inc picture

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[Strima]

Saw this today in the outside toilet, 2.5 t+e neatly bent round a 28mm gas pipe,
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Looks like the favoured system of lets lay the cable out then think about the routes after it's gone through several walls and joists followed by the age old phrases of 'bollox' and 'that'll do'.

 

[stanleyblade]

It's a great idea using the gas main to form the bend radius, why Didn I think of that , will look minimum up in osg and see if there is equivalent size in coppet for future jobs

 

[DNS]

A Garage extension I recently put some sockets and light in, had a JB with armoured cable going to it for the shed in the garden. On inspection, it turned out to be three phase armoured cable with the yellow used as the earth, the black used as the neutral and the red and BLUE both used as a live. none of the wires were sleeved with any colour. When I asked the customer when and who, wired the shed. "A friend who is site electrician. 16 months ago" came the reply. Frightening really, what some people do.

 

[Acer]

in 2004 I was asked to install lighting and power in and on a large steel framed open sided farm building....usually I would have used plastic tube and singles but on this occasion opted to use multi core armoured as it would be quicker to install than tube...the job dragged on ,then was delayed for lambing and during this period the harmonisation of colour codes came into effect..this was a nightmare when it came to connection time as I now had brown, blue, black, white etc plus red, black, blue and yellow...all of which had to be allocated to various roles.....so allocating blue to a live role is not unusual.
As long as the conductor is properly marked, in this case with red tape...