Tell us about your faults!

[plugsandsparks]

Was doing a Cu change prior to new kitchen install (for RCD protection and new oven).]
Change went well considering lots of singles for multiple lighting ccts , managed to tee up all the lives with corresponding neutrals - all good. Went round to do one last func test and "pop" rcd tripped when kitchen under cupboard light was switched on. Thought *ugger had not spotted that light before, immediately thought borrowed neutral but then thought , yes but borrowed from where ?? - Scratched head a few times and thought well hey kitchen is coming out anyway. Dug the wire to the light out of the plaster and found..............Yep earth was being used for neutral. Was actually quite relieved .... as i needed to cable for new under cup board lights anyway.
That was the second time in a month come across earth as a line, previous was on a industrial press panel as it needed a 4W TP supply - got a little direct with the owner on that one.....
Not heard it mentioned much on here though, i.e. earth used for N

 

[Jerry H]

TPN&E plug on a TP&E machine not a problem surly? But TPN&E socket without neutral, asking for trouble

 

[plugsandsparks]

No sockets, wired direct from 3P isolater. Panel needed N for 240V stuff. Some guy simply linked incoming N position on Panel to earth on panel, job done - it works, time to go... :-(

 

[gnuuser]

called to a flat because she was losing all power.
checked all the circuits all good, checked all breakers and panel again all good.
went out to check meter-head all good but noticed some small shoe prints around the disconnect (Hmmm!)

security camera revealed the landlords young son turning the disconnect off because the lady who lived there didn't have kids!
lol ill bet he got a real butt-warming for that especially after he got my bill for the call

 

[heinzbean]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

years ago when i was 17 year old apprentice i got a call from my Nan saying that she was getting a shock from the pipe work in her bathroom
I went around there thinking "static". i will show her how her carpets are producing static and be on my way.
wrong on close inspection all her pipe work was carrying 240v. every switch fixing screw 240v,all of her earthed metal work.
i noticed that there was no main earthing present. I turned the main switch off, put a clamp on the lead sheathing of the incoming, and ran a 16mm
earth to the main earth bar. switched the Main switch back on, Bang downstairs lighting circuit blew a 5a fuse. Now i had 1 circuit to test.I tracked the
fault to the bathroom light fitting (the foil reflector had melted against the plastic choc block connector) and shorted L to E.
that was 34 years ago . Didn't need 2391 to find that fault just a good apprenticeship . (in days of old when testing werent invented).

 

[Big n Daft]

2391 is the bandage for all the shat training these days. Another course for the training co's, schemes and other parasites to make money out their incompetance. Sorry if its off thread, makes me boil.

 

[Gentle Ben]

Had one a few years back, friend of mine over in Crewe, kept getting a belt off everything in the house, inside dishwasher, kitchen sink, even the handrail on the aga.

Anyway got there, definitely shocks from all the extraneous and exposed metalwork. Popped off the main switch on the D/B, isolating the house, but still getting full-blooded shocks off everything. In the end the only way to stop it was to disconnect the main earth coming into the house and get the utility company out to put it right.

Another one was a tripping RCD in a neighbours house, thankfully they had the common sense to realise it was only happening when they put the cooker switch on, so I had least could narrow it down when I got there. Quickly found the cause....

This little critter had somehow managed to get inside the cooker box and straddle himself over live and earth, meeting a grizzly end. Thankfully he came out in one piece, so I didn't have to scrape any guts off the contacts.

 

[Loopytunes]

Just read the whole thread, some great stories thanks keep em coming! especially with the pics. My best one was...

"Theres a problem with my lights"
"OK, where is your fusebox?
"Just in here, under the kitchen sink"

:mickey:

 

[amlu]

not my fault, spotted walking down the road
ip rated bs88 anyone?

 

[guinnessgixer]

wired an inline extractor fan in a loft today, went back downstairs, turned lecy on turned bathroom light on, bloody thing was blowing into the bathroom, i'd put flexi hoses on wrong sides! had a little chuckle to myself

 

[ayjay]

theres an arrow symbol on it dinlow

 

[markc123]

Amlu, thats a classic IP00 lol.

 

[Jono]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

Hi this is my first post towards my six to qualify.

 

[willy fixit]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

Thought I'd renew the CU and rewire the garage at my
parents bungalow... nice for my assessment....
Then I had a look in the loft...
So off to TLC tomorrow... going to need a lot more cable!

 

[dan86]

just thought of another one.

went to a property to assist in a kitchen rip out and remove some socket prior to builders taking a wall out.
when i arrived wall is still up, and most of kitchen still fitted, so i make a start
first off, turn the socket circuit mcb off in the 16th ed board, went back in and checked with socket and see, woah its still live, lucky i checked
so i went back outside and turned off the other socket mcb, back in to check, and still live? im confused now.
daughter was in the shower so i couldnt go any further at that point, so assisted in ripping out the kitchen, and found this

ok looks knackered but its being replaced anyway.

daughters out of the shower so i went back out and turned off the rcd for the protected side,(actually it was already off) back in and its still showing live

so back out again, turned everything off, took cover off the board and there it was..............
at some point, someone had rcd nuisance tripping so they had the bright idea of linking out the rcd (not sorting the fault) only the muppet only did the live, and left the neutral, yet it had still worked????
put the links back as it should of been, left power off and went back to doing what i was there for.
started at that knackered socket from earlier, OMFG

there was a neutral earth fault.........................................

suddenly it was all clear, the reason everything worked was because it was running live to earth, back feeding down the cpc of the kitchen ring

but hold on, the shower and cooker were also on the rcd??????

yep 2 ring mains, cooker, and shower were all running down the neutral earth fault in that socket, and had been for about 2 years. amazingly the cpc survived intact, and ring tested ok

2 very important questions to be raised here.

was the daughter hot, and did you sneek a peek?!

 

[WDMDL]

"Do you fix washing machines?"
"Yes, but it's not my preferred type of job", I said. "What's up?"
"It trips the electric every time you put it on."

They'd had a spark round, who said it was the washer, not a fault with the installation.
So I went, checked out the machine. No obvious fault.
Plugged in, switched the SFCU on above the worktop... trip.

Switched off SFCU, meggered back... flat.
Turned out the socket had moisture and dirt ingress.
Replaced the socket, cured the little leak, meggered >299

Power on, Zs 0.71, RCD tests OK.
Take a closer look at the consumer unit and WHAT THE ???????

Simon.

 

[snowhead]

Bulk purchase on 50's??

 

[sparkless]

"Do you fix washing machines?"
"Yes, but it's not my preferred type of job", I said. "What's up?"
"It trips the electric every time you put it on."

They'd had a spark round, who said it was the washer, not a fault with the installation.
So I went, checked out the machine. No obvious fault.
Plugged in, switched the SFCU on above the worktop... trip.

Switched off SFCU, meggered back... flat.
Turned out the socket had moisture and dirt ingress.
Replaced the socket, cured the little leak, meggered >299

Power on, Zs 0.71, RCD tests OK.
Take a closer look at the consumer unit and WHAT THE ???????

Simon.

what? what? what? is it the 50's?

 

[WDMDL]

Well cooker and shower you could go as far as saying that's ok as they're fixed appliances, therefore fixed loads so can't be overloaded as such.

But an RFC... asking for trouble!

Makes me think the board came second hand from one of those "converted premises" the police love raiding?

Wonder if the stairlift guy noticed that in 2008?

Simon.

 

[Poptasticdave]

if one of the Cpc's is long enough I tend to use one to the box terminal, doubled over not cut and continue it to the socket and join it with the other Cpc so I have two at the socket. If not both to the socket with a link to the box. If that makes any sense.......

Yes, this is exact;y what I was taught to do back in the days of 15th ed and it's what I always did whilst I was full time spark and it's what I still teach my trainee IT technicians that they should do if ever replacing a faceplate of any kind and find it not so already.
Few years ago I replaced all sockets in my parents' garage with new metalclad MK's (they had been 1950's surface mount bakelite MK's). Did this on all of them. 18 months back persuaded mum to get whole house rewired by good spark I know (I'm not reg'd any more) and he asked who had done garage sockets saying he did it that way but had never met anyone else who did until then.
My thinking is if the CPC isn't cut then it's got to be a higher integrity continuity as well as less likely to 'slip out'.