Blowing sockets and popping RCD

[Josh555]

A client asked me to add two sockets in their bedroom

I took power from two sockets in the lounge which is behind the bedroom wall.

I ran a cable out of each socket for the new socket

The problem is it now is tripping the RCD and blowing the old Existing sockets and light switches

But the new sockets I added still work fine

The old existing sockets and switche are blown and unusable

When I try to reset the RCD It pops and Sparks down

Any idea to why this is happending

 

[Josh555]

You really need to be doing some IR testing to solve this. It sounds pretty basic and should be easy to get to the bottom of with the right test equipment. Can you get someone you work with to help? Someone with proper test equipment. A £10 Kewtech socket tester doesn’t count!!

I will have a go at this tommorow I have megger testers

 

[Grant1987]

I will have a go at this tommorow I have megger testers

Josh, please ask a competent/skilled person to come and assist you. You should not be touching a megger without the knowledge or experience. Or in this instance carrying out installation work. Please please get help with this because it will come back to bite you.

 

[littlespark]

I don’t understand why a light switch is now sparking? (#1) You didn’t touch that circuit.

You’ve removed old sockets, and the fault is gone… so is there something wrong with the old sockets?
Just the act of disconnecting them to add another cable could cause damage internally if they were seized up when you took them off.

When you go back, disconnect the circuit from the mcb and IR test the cables… then connect up the sockets, old and new and test again.
You should know the difference between a ‘good’ reading and a ‘bad’ reading.

Only when you are satisfied with good IR results do you energise the circuit.

Let us know how you get on, and perhaps ask @Dan or @Lou for access to trainee section.

Then answers to your questions will be better catered for your level.

Admittedly, I read the first post, and instantly thought ‘out of depth handyman’ but later posts stated you were trainee.

I would repeat my colleagues that you should still have a qualified tradesman supervising. Your company shouldn’t be letting you do jobs on your own yet.

 

[marineboytim]

And you have only disconnected your socket outlets but the new cables are still live and in place.

Damn this is getting interesting, I'm waiting for his continuity, IR, Zs and RCD readings using the new x1 AC test now amendment 2 has been published. I also can't wait to find out if the 'client' gets his minor works cert. More importantly, did it get fixed and what the problem was

 

[Grant1987]

Damn this is getting interesting, I'm waiting for his continuity, IR, Zs and RCD readings using the new x1 AC test now amendment 2 has been published. I also can't wait to find out if the 'client' gets his minor works cert. More importantly, did it get fixed and what the problem was

I think he is out of his depth and probably doesn’t have a clue what your message is all about. This is the dangers of knowing a little but not a lot.

 

[littlespark]

Pack it in, it’s the weekend for goodness sake.

It’s been confirmed the OP is a trainee, and doesn’t know everything yet.

Any negative comments should be aimed at his company sending him out on his own, rather than himself.

 

[Grant1987]

An apprentice of 2½ years experience doesn't make mistakes like this and your post reflects your lack of experience if you consider 2 - 3 way switching 10x harder than fitting a couple of sockets then your breath of experience is very shallow. Doing DB / CU upgrades requires an amount of testing to be carried out and the issuing of the appropriate certification all of which should assist you in finding the fault in this instance

Attitude is everything and yours stinks no wonder it appears you have learnt very little in 2½ years

You clearly have made a mistake which is why you are on here and the reason you are on here is you have not got the face to speak with the electricians you work with for their assistance or if you have it would appear they have little no more experience than you are currently demonstrating
It is pointless getting arsey when asked reasonable questions by those members who are trying to help you it is very easy to install anything it is a lot harder to fault find why it all went wrong, fault finding is an analytical process of identifying why it all went wrong and that process can and frequently does mean you have to carry out the appropriate testing and this forum is not some magical chrystal ball that can advise on the problem without some clarity and feedback on what you have or haven't done

Our advice to you josh is although it may seem a bit harsh, we do not want you to cause harm to yourself or more importantly your client. You don’t play electrics or gas but you can play paint or plastering. I appreciate your coming on this forum for advice because your stuck, come clean and ask your employer for help. Walk before you run

 

[Grant1987]

Pack it in, it’s the weekend for goodness sake.

It’s been confirmed the OP is a trainee, and doesn’t know everything yet.

Any negative comments should be aimed at his company sending him out on his own, rather than himself.

Yes but the trainee needs to realise the risks involved regardless if it’s weekend or not. You can’t potch about with electrics unless your superior feels your able to. Although the crash course sparks worry me

 

[Alan-N]

no the actual sockets sparked and blew in front of me
The mcb never tripped once only the RCD

Sounds to me like you have reversed L & E or N & E
OR you're just here to wind people up, cos clearly you shouldn't have been doing what you were doing

 

[Josh555]

Sounds to me like you have reversed L & E or N & E
OR you're just here to wind people up, cos clearly you shouldn't have been doing what you were doing

No they were not reversed I checked my connections like I said. I also used my socket tester before I left which shows if all cables are in the correct terminals

 

[littlespark]

Did you go back this morning to see what had happened?

 

[telectrix]

No they were not reversed I checked my connections like I said. I also used my socket tester before I left which shows if all cables are in the correct terminals

in an earlier post you said that the old sockets were removed and the circuit "worked". This suggests a problem with said sockets.

 

[Josh555]

in an earlier post you said that the old sockets were removed and the circuit "worked". This suggests a problem with said sockets.

To be honest they were quite old sockets so maybe they were faulty

 

[Josh555]

red to brown, green to green, blue to bits.

Yes but the trainee needs to realise the risks involved regardless if it’s weekend or not. You can’t potch about with electrics unless your superior feels your able to. Although the crash course sparks worry me

My superior does feel am able to like I said I can do much more complex tasks than running a 30cm 2.5 out of one socket into another. Also this was a private job nothing to do with my company

 

[Risteard]

Pack it in, it’s the weekend for goodness sake.

It’s been confirmed the OP is a trainee, and doesn’t know everything yet.

Any negative comments should be aimed at his company sending him out on his own, rather than himself.

My understanding of this is that the company didn't send him out to do this job, but rather that it is being done as a "nixer". Apologies in advance if I have misunderstood.