But where is the MCB? Can I borrow a cup of electrons? Make that a bucket.

[adiewadie247]

I was replacing a light fitting in a ground floor flat yesterday and went to the consumer unit and switched the two M6 MCBs off. The light stayed on. OK I thought maybe they wired it into the sockets.... Switched off the two M32s. Hmm the light is still on. OK lets turn the whole board off because there is obviously something shonky about this set up. Still the lights stayed on! I am now thinking that the light is wired into the CU upstairs, but the tenant wasn't in. The scary thing is this has been two flats for years...

A.

 

[Marvo]

Did you check for signs of power theft like meter tampering and suspicious looking wires or cables? Might be worth checking the origin of all the other lights and sockets etc.

 

[adiewadie247]

I did look, but I know the downstairs tenant and I know that they have only just moved in and that they are very honest. Don't know about the previous owner though.

I am going to go back and do a through test... I already have found a metal socket in the kitchen with no earth!

 

[jdd]

Not sure how big this property is, It's not an e light is it? (Sorry I've got to ask.)

 

[adiewadie247]

Sorry. What is an e light?

 

[jdd]

Emergency light.

 

[Marvo]

It's not an e light is it? (Sorry I've got to ask.)

I like the line of thought, pointless getting technical before ruling out all the obvious possibilities.

 

[adiewadie247]

Ohh I see. No it is a normal middle of the room pendant light. None of the ceiling lights in the flat seemed to be connected to the board actually in the flat. I am assuming (yes I know but I haven't got into the flat above) that when they did the conversion they connected the cables in the floor of the flat above into the top floor CU.

 

[jdd]

Think you know the answer yourself. More than likely supplied from other con unit.

 

[GLENNSPARK]

any signs of cables coming from out of the service head (apart from tails of course)?.

 

[GLENNSPARK]

Ohh I see. No it is a normal middle of the room pendant light. None of the ceiling lights in the flat seemed to be connected to the board actually in the flat. I am assuming (yes I know but I haven't got into the flat above) that when they did the conversion they connected the cables in the floor of the flat above into the top floor CU.

when fitting this pendant they may have assumed that a cable they saw was from the flat C/U...when it was in fact a cable feeding sockets to the upstairs flat.....how is the pendant wired ?...3 plate?...or is it through the switch?

 

[adiewadie247]

I hadn't thought of that! You would hope whoever did it would have noticed that the cable was the wrong size in that case ;-)

I am going back to investigate properly and also when I can get access to the upstairs flat. It was the end of the day - I thought it would be a simple replacement job - so I didn't have time to have a good root around.

 

[mackers]

is ther a landlords board? come across that a few times, when origanally wired owner may have lived there so free lighting for him? come across whole flats suppllied by landlords db usually old caretakers flat?

 

[adiewadie247]

I think the top flat might be rented but the flat that I was trying to work in is owned by my client so it seems like a installation mistake not a nefarious act.

 

[mackers]

no probs just a thought