Tell us about your faults!

[kung]

Hi ALL
Just thought id put this one up for all those faults we find.
heres one to kick it off !
Domestic RCD tripped and wouldnt reset cause was a blown low energy light bulb.
There you go now for yours !

 

[Top Cat]

@ bright eyes. would this be a landing 2 way light that's tripping ther RCD/s?

I wonder what it could be!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[GLENNSPARK]

tell you about my faults..hmm..let me see.....well theres gobby....rude....pernicious....abrasive....truculant....forceful....la di da...la di da...la di da.....hone:

 

[Knobhead]

I'd tell you about my faults, but I'm fed up of being told off for swearing!

 

[Kiers1970]

get the clamp-on out.

 

[pmanku]

Completed a re-wire a few months ago and was called back after complaining that SKY box was powering off and mcb tripping. This was after the alarm/camera engineer had carried out some work. Checked in the loft to find a 4 way extension wired into the lighting circuit running an assortment of equipment including dvd recorder, router etc !

 

[Bright eyes]

@ bright eyes. would this be a landing 2 way light that's tripping ther RCD/s?

[Sounds like your safety switch is imbalanced.......]

Thanks for responses guys.
The light in question is NOT two way switched.
I wondered if the safety switch was imbalanced (or faulty) also but why would only one light on that circuit cause it to trip? Visually all connections appear sound.

 

[rich.250]

I think your best option is to get an electrician to find and rectify the fault, with the right accreditation and test equipment.
Sure someone on here is in your area.

 

[Farmelectrics]

haha were australia

 

[Bright eyes]

Thanks Rich
I always use licensed electrical contractors. Here in Oz it is illegal to so much as fit a three pin plug to a lead unless you are a licensed electrical contractor, not just an electrician. In fact many appliances need to be "tagged" every three months in the work situation, especially tradesman's tools.
I am a building supervisor and work closely with electricians, sometimes as many as 60 on a job, so I greatly respect our licensing system and the fact that it is quite unusual to find anyone doing their own work illegally (usually it is only English emigrants).
The problem only surfaced when an electrician fitted the two RCD's and he was unable to diagnose the cause of the fault. When I saw your forum I thought these guys will have seen this before and know the cause of the fault particularly since the symptoms are so specific but it seems not.
Thanks again for the response. Neil.

 

[Bright eyes]

haha were australia

You reckon the call out charge might be a little excessive? The scenery is quite good if you like bikinis on white sandy beaches. And the unemployment rate here is zero.

 

[DNS]

Not really a fault, just bad practice.... I am in the process of rewiring a four bed house. Ex-council house, wired originally back in the sixties. Firstly the earth wires are separate from the wiring to the outlet/lighting points there are a number of un-sleeved copper braided wire appearing from different parts of the house, all accumulating in one twisted/woven together mass behind the fuse board, this is how they used to wire houses years ago apparently.. Also the red and black singles they have used in the lighting circuits, nothings identified. They have used blacks as lives and reds as neutrals, as I'm wiring the house while it's still being lived in, as I'm disconnecting moving/removing and reconnecting in wagos temporarily to allow other lights to be used. I have made sure I have sleeved the wires with blue and with brown, I realize they could be switch lives etc, but reds as neutrals, its just laziness. Is this how they used to wire in the olden days, cut corners etc to save effort and money, or was it just the council?

 

[DNS]

This house has two lighting circuits and each has an RCD (safety switch?). No problems on any power circuits in the house but one light fitting trips the RCD when light switch is turned on. It does not trip if there is no light bulb in the socket. Obviously all the lights on that circuit go out but lights on the other circuit stay on. If the RCD is returned to the on position then the other RCD trips. It seems that it only trips once current has reached the neutral side of the light socket. No wiring in this house is old or appears to have any damage. Has anyone seen this type of problem before? Thanks - all comments and theories welcome.

Can't say I have seen this sort of problem before,on a lighting circuit. but I would firstly insulation test the wires from the switch to the light and back to the CU. I had a similar problem with a ring circuit, it turned out to be a slight defect/thinning on the basic insulation covering the neutral, you couldn't neutral see it it was about 400mm further up the sheathing, manufacturing defect. The RCD would hold then trip when an a load was switched on, I had changed the CU to a split load double RCD by the way, it must have been like that since the house was built, but obviously not enough fault current to burn the fuse wire. Maybe you should check that the neutral at the CU for that circuit is terminated in the correct bank of Neutrals for the correct RCD Live in RCD A and neutral in RCD B That may explain the other tripping.

 

[stanleyblade]

Any day but today god please, tomorow I have my assessment with Neil from napit, I have rewired 3 bed house and will be using this for said assessment. Got to last circuit during testing and was was getting very low insulation resistance reading beween nuetral and earth. After pulling hair out, I started at nearest light point and worked away from cu disconnecting each fitting and tested each fitting in turn , found the " dodgy". Piece of cable and replaced it off of the drum . Re tested , same fault again..... After literally screaming , and at least thirty trips up and down stairs , I did Insulation resistance on the remainder of the cable on the drum, and it had low reading between nuetral and earth.... So now I have to get this sorted , cable replaced fittings up etc all before 8 am for assessment, really worried I will get big fat fail, unless bacon butties laced with heroin will help has any one else had this sort of thing happen ?

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[Jurassic Sparks]

last year I called in to see a friends new house he had purchased
he wanted to update the kitchen so I took a look at the CU old but ok
then a walk around the house
guess what I saw
new boiler fitted in a landing cupboard, plumber had drilled through underneath a socket in the bedroom to run the supply flex for the boiler from bedroom socket

something looked odd at first I could not think what
then I realised ( it was late in the day) the muppet had drilled right through the sheathing and cables and severed the CPC on the ring !!!!

then I noticed the gally kitchen had been altered and you could see lines in the wall fromt he old socket outlet positions to new ones
so hammer and chisel out yep wires joined in old positions with electrical tape and plastered over !!!!!!!
so I said safest bet was to rewire
glad we did
found five more hidden joints on the ring main and all of this had been done within the last year :behead:

 

[Knobhead]

Thanks Rich
I always use licensed electrical contractors. Here in Oz it is illegal to so much as fit a three pin plug to a lead unless you are a licensed electrical contractor, not just an electrician. In fact many appliances need to be "tagged" every three months in the work situation, especially tradesman's tools.
I am a building supervisor and work closely with electricians, sometimes as many as 60 on a job, so I greatly respect our licensing system and the fact that it is quite unusual to find anyone doing their own work illegally (usually it is only English emigrants).
The problem only surfaced when an electrician fitted the two RCD's and he was unable to diagnose the cause of the fault. When I saw your forum I thought these guys will have seen this before and know the cause of the fault particularly since the symptoms are so specific but it seems not.
Thanks again for the response. Neil.

If you have sixty electricians at your beck and call, surely you can find one a little closer than ½ a world away.

 

[Knobhead]

unless bacon butties laced with heroin will help

has any one else had this sort of thing happen ?

Bet no one has tried that before.

Have had to condem a 200M drum of 185mm 3 1/2c for the same thing, everyone pee'd off. We were late getting a new bit of kit up and running, supplier was near in tears.

Good luck kid.

 

[aido11]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

nuisance tripping of an alarm system due to the sun overheating a contact

 

[DNS]

When I ripped out our old kitchen to fit a new one, the electrics were a mess, apparently my girlfriends ex husband had wired it as favour when they were divorced. I had to take pictures to show her. It also goes to show how incompetent people who think they know what they are doing. If it works, it's ok attitude.....

Cooker control switch

Cable to the cooker control switch, notice the position the extractor hood was.

cooker connections...

I think I rewired just in time

Bonding connection, see next pic. notice the position of the double socket under the worktop edge on the top left. which the washing machine was plugged into.

That'll do..... it looks like it is in the right place.....

I think he was trying to top us all...

 

[parker56]

seems like he's out to get you.lol

 

[stanleyblade]

After the day from hell, went to bed at half one, up at six , Neil wood from napit turned up at eight, really nice bloke, told him about fault, he put me totally at ease . Passed assessment, panic over. Just got to get cable changed and up on the hot loft for another session


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[Davethesparks]

Just a word of warning. Called to a job. Only one side of a double socket working. Plugged in the trusty socket tester to reveal a neutral fault flashing and beeping. So killed power took of double socket to find correct conection of cables. Funny that why neutral fault. Found switch to socket seized in the "on" position. Fitted new socket and tested all ok. Think about it ?

 

[Rick0rz]

We were testing a building in huddersfield , In the public car park is a big roller shutter door which is no longer used fed in 1.5 3core grey pcv which was just cut off the switch where the up and down buttons are and left live... oh and it was 3 phase...

 

[Rick0rz]

1.5 Twin and earth used as 3core with earth sleeved up with red or brown ive seen this numerous times how many other people have seen this?

 

[chris1952]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

Hi,

I have an electrical DB, with 100A 3phase main ELCB, that works fine when all breakers are ON.
I get a problem when I switch OFF a breaker (32A), and switch it ON again. The ELCB trips, I try
that a few times and then it works fine again. This happens with 3 of the 15 breakers that are
in the DB. Any idea why?

Did this get answered?

Anyway, it's quite straightforward- not all of the phases in the breakers are making and breaking simultaneously. Result is temporary unbalance in the RCD and a tripout.

 

[i=p/u]

on heating circuits ive seen earth sleeved brown

1.5 Twin and earth used as 3core with earth sleeved up with red or brown ive seen this numerous times how many other people have seen this?

 

[Strima]

Not my fault but spotted in the local Harvester type place a month ago and still hasn't been repaired, hidden under some play matting in the childrens area...



Apparently the maintenance team are 'aware' of it... Quick email to their head office I think.

 

[DNS]

During a rewire recently, I was uncovering some capping in a plastered wall, where it went behind a dado rail it wouldn't budge, just my luck I thought, nailed to the wall before the rail was fixed. It will only be a capping nail, lots of jiggling around and it will come free. After 10 minutes of furious shaking and swearing outbusts, I realized that some doughnut who had fixed the dado had drilled and screwed a three inch screw throuh the centre. Dado was gloss painted so no fixinging was noticed. Just goes to show that safe zones under/above/left and right of outlets are not always adhered too. I just think they were very lucky that they didn't drill the cables running in the capping.

 

[DNS]

I was called out last night on a job. The lady told me on the phone that all the sockets had blown in her flat (obvious drama Queen) On arriving and checking the CU, split load half on RCD, which had tripped. Switching all the MCBs off protected by the RCD, Switched back on, hey presto all socets back on, two minutes work. The problem was the shower circuit. She was trying to switch that switchy like thing (RCD) back on and it just wouldn't she said. On further investigation the 45amp pull switch in the bathroom which was wet inside on unscrewing, removed it and tried MCB again. Fine. Checked insulation resistance on cables >299. It had been raining heavily the day before, have you had any leaks I asked. No she replied. but there was a puddle of water in the corner of the bathroom. I have no idea where it came from...... It came through your roof and through your 45 amp shower pull switch. Thats where the water came from. See you Monday with a new switch. I'm sure there are some wonderfull female sparkys in the country, but a majority of women should stick with cooking and ironing....LOLOL

 

[Old School1]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

good thread

 

[DNS]

I was called out last night on a job. The lady told me on the phone that all the sockets had blown in her flat (obvious drama Queen) On arriving and checking the CU, split load half on RCD, which had tripped. Switching all the MCBs off protected by the RCD, Switched back on, hey presto all socets back on, two minutes work. The problem was the shower circuit. She was trying to switch that switchy like thing (RCD) back on and it just wouldn't she said. On further investigation the 45amp pull switch in the bathroom which was wet inside on unscrewing, removed it and tried MCB again. Fine. Checked insulation resistance on cables >299. It had been raining heavily the day before, have you had any leaks I asked. No she replied. but there was a puddle of water in the corner of the bathroom. I have no idea where it came from...... It came through your roof and through your 45 amp shower pull switch. Thats where the water came from. See you Monday with a new switch. I'm sure there are some wonderfull female sparkys in the country, but a majority of women should stick with cooking and ironing....LOLOL

Job done, replaced swich and tested. Also when I was called to the job there was a fault with the cooker circuit on the non RCD bank. 240 v reading on the neutral. Apparently the neon light on the switch had been flickering for weeks. I told her that if something is not operating as it should, with electricity involved, it should always be checked..It's not RCD protected either. Removed cooker control switch with socket and made wires safe. Again tested insulation resistanceon the cooker supply cables >299. Replaced the switch last night and tested, all ok. Although the CU is a split load 16th edition only half protected by an RCD. Thats why the cooker wasn't tripping. It's all safe now.

 

[theroadblock]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

Quite a funny one for you here guys :smart:, called to one of our machines at work the other day, (a machine that loads large reels of paper into position ready to be run into our corrugator. operator complaining about it not loading in automatic (typical lazy operator moans if he has to do everything manually lol), anyway after spending ~10 minutes looking over the machine/checking possible causes (usually photocell related), i found myself at a loss. its only when an operator walked past and one of the photocells on the side of the machine flickered, that my attention was drawn to a filing cabinet that had that day been put up, the photocell was only reflecting off of the filing cabinet that stood about ~5 meters away lol.. i kicked it aside and hey-presto! :jester:

 

[rich.250]

Builder says I think I cut a data cable with the grinder.....
LOL

 

[Strima]

View attachment 13129

Builder says I think I cut a data cable with the grinder.....
LOL

I think you best shoot out for some more crimps... :lol:

 

[rich.250]

I think I'll need a bigger van..... Lol

 

[precise]

Called to a rented property the brief was none of the upstairs lights work, put bulbs in jobs a good un

 

[rich.250]

Doing a EICR today, and found no earthing conductor, bonding to any service, rfc's incomplete and cpcs cut off in every accessory on lighting circuits.......
Worst thing is on arrival the customer said there should be no issues as my mate looked at it and said it was in good condition and it was done fairly recent (new colours) by a local nic approved contractor company !!!
Certificates there so thought I'll see if the readings has altered and turns out there all made up.... LOL


Oh well, keeps me busy with corrections

 

[JS_Electric]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

give me her address.

 

[stanleyblade]

Been subbing some kitchens from a guy, he rang last night and asked me to attend a job where he had wired some cabinet lighting and some new spots for kitchen. Apparently when he turns kitchen lights pñ the bathroom ones glow, and when turn bathroom ones off the cabinet lights go off too, even when operated individually. Had quick look today and this is what ó found in the loft


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[stanleyblade]

Also found extended washing machine power cord, using crimps and black tape under the sink, all socket fronts hanging off with all conductors stripped too far and showing exposed copper, all live and being used by customer, you cpuldn make it up
The above pics of cable birds nest has really got to be seen to be truly believed. He then , after I told not do any more electrical, had the cheek to say just tidy it up, dont spend too much time on it. My immediate fesponse is not fit to quote, but needless to say I will spend as long as it takes, I think this may be last job i do for him
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[cdavies33]

stanleyblade..... You need to report this man to the scheme he is under, this work is outrageous. Please don't let this slip..... REPORT HIM!!