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 !

 

[£££sjim]

my biggest fault so far is using the ultimatehandyman electtrician site, some real unqualified nutters on there, check em out !

 

[Stroppy]

Non-shower-rated open mains voltage GU10 downlighter, dripping wet above a shower. Niiiice.

...and some mould, but I don't care about that!

 

[GT1]

New twin RCD board install, replacing wylex rewireable one.
Energised the board.. trip.
Id tested the whole house prior to the job with not too many faults...
However, it'd had lots of work done to it over the last 20 years.
The main culprit was one of the RFCs. However, there were other circuits which seemed to add to the problem.
Took the RFC in question, split into 2 radials to narrow the fault. Identified the half causing the problem and split that down even more.
Eventually found this in a socket, spurred off the ring. The little nick in the wire was just touching the earth terminal of the socket. Snipped it out and re terminated.. hey presto everything fine..
The annoying thing is it didnt show out on IR test, even when testing just that spur from the other side.
The only explanation I can give is that it must have been a fraction away from the contact, but when energised it was close enough to jump the gap..!!
3 hours of hunting... but got there in the end.

 

[Kamikaze]

Today’s little adventure!

If you have ever wondered how many wires you can squeeze down a 20mm coupling and into a surface mounted double socket box then wonder no more. It’s 12x 2.5mm singles and 1x 2.5mm twin and earth cable. If I had not seen it for myself I wouldn’t have believed it.

Needless to say it’s no longer like that now!

 

[dan86]

Got a pic Kam? sounds like a right squeeze!

 

[Stroppy]

Ttiwwop!!

 

[Kamikaze]

Got a pic Kam? sounds like a right squeeze!

Someone took a ring of the ring to another nearby socket and then for good measure added a feed for an extractor fan as well. Unfortunately forgot to take a picture but it took me ages to strip it out. The T&E had a twist in it as it came through the bush. But that is the most 2.5’s I have seen down a 20mm hole. Once saw 23x 1.5mm singles down a 25mm galv. conduit with two 90* bends. But that was a long time ago and it’s still there and working.

 

[drewman]

Customer asked me to look at why a downlight wasn't working. Removed it to change transformer and was astounded to find a 13a plug-in transformer pack into a socket (with no backbox) terminated on the end of the lighting circuit in the ceiling!

Amazed.

 

[GT1]

Nice neat hole too...!!

 

[sajeel]

called to a job where socket in kitchen was not working, i asked client if he has juction box underneath and he said no, i told him there must be junction box under there, anyway long story short, found a junction box with wire bitten by a rat or mouse who probably died, rotted and decomposed.

 

[NrVolts]

called to a job where socket in kitchen was not working, i asked client if he has juction box underneath and he said no, i told him there must be junction box under there, anyway long story short, found a junction box with wire bitten by a rat or mouse who probably died, rotted and decomposed.

so the socket stopped working when a rat bit the cable did it?

 

[sajeel]

so the socket stopped working when a rat bit the cable did it?

Yes that's right. I was there to change db.

 

[NrVolts]

eh? so you get called out because of a non functioning socket ,have no sign of the mysterious rodent and end up replacing the consumer unit? :dizzy2:

 

[sajeel]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

I was on a job once to install intruder alarm and look what a screw up this alleged electrician did.

 

[sajeel]

here is a consumer fitted on the ceiling !!!! yes they mounted it on the roof ???

 

[sajeel]

Re: Tell us about your faults !



This is why you don't get builders who are not competent to do your wiring as they leave exposed wiring on a bathroom heater !!!

 

[Stroppy]

Was a bit puzzled looking into this morning's consumer unit, as there were the same number of green/yellows as there were MCB's. In other words no bonding or main earth conductor. No earth stake to be found, or a cable that could go to a hidden one, and its definitely not this new-fangled PME thing. Soooo, get my spanky new tester out and run a PFC, which turns out worryingly low. Zero amps, in fact! So we seem to have no earth whatsoever. Yikes! Being a conscientious sort of chap I think I'll ignore it and pretend I haven't noticed.

 

[Bobster]

I hope your joking?

Also pme isn't new it's been around for years.

 

[High Tower]

Pme????, just make your own!!

 

[Stroppy]

I hope your joking?

Also pme isn't new it's been around for years.

No, absolutely no joke about there being no earthing and zero amps PEFC. We are talking to the DNO about (hopefully) PME'ing it, as being an area of solid Guernsey granite an earth stake could be tricky.

Edit: Oh, I think you meant joking about leaving it. Even I'm not that rough!

 

[NrVolts]

called to a job where socket in kitchen was not working, i asked client if he has juction box underneath and he said no, i told him there must be junction box under there, anyway long story short, found a junction box with wire bitten by a rat or mouse who probably died, rotted and decomposed.

listen i dont know why you have such an attitude mate.its not like what you say makes sense does it?..care to explain how a socket can stop working when a rat or mouse bites a cable (thats most likely to be live and survives as theres no evidence of it ) and then when asked about it you change the subject.bit hard to believe really isnt it.

 

[Davehaywire]

Spot light not working, so pulled front off, no cable there, put hand up to feel around and grabbed what felt like cable,but was stuck, got torch to see what's up,it was a clawed hairy leg a squirrels leg!

 

[Davehaywire]

Found piece of copper pipe used in domestic main fuse carrier

 

[Davehaywire]

2.5mm cable fed from main fuse before meter trailed up garden feeding garden shed

- - - Updated - - -

Twin socket domestic style installed in side of bath panel

 

[Davehaywire]

Twin socket installed in an opening door

- - - Updated - - -

Seen it all now!

 

[Davehaywire]

Insane

 

[jmc1683]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

I was called to a house where downstairs socket ring was tripping the breaker, testing told me nothing. I first noticed 4mm stranded cable leaving the CU, this cable was in none of the sockets. I had to map out the ring route painstakingly, long story short there was a junction under the floor with 2.5 twins going to five different sockets. I can only guess this as I had no access undewr the floor, laminated flooring. looks like during the house refurb a year ago they combined two rings into one with use of this "junction box" lord knows what condition it was in

on another job in a house I found FIVE 2.5 t&e's joined in 15 AMP connectors from TWO seperate rings. I was hoping not to have to re wire the ground floor until I found this. house has concrete floors with underfloor heating.

does anyone actually know the concept of a socket ring? it aint rocket science

 

[amlu]

trunking went wild at my friends place

 

[Stroppy]

Good old sticky (for ten minutes) trunking!

 

[Carpe Diem]

Here is an interesting way to connect up your down-lights. Just part of an installation where green and pink insulated (for 12 V?) but unsheathed wires were used variously for Line, Neutral and CPC. Had to pull the lot and rewire.