classic blunders please

[martysparky]

Can you give an example of a classic mistake a spark could make to help create awareness of those situations where someone could come a cropper.

Simple little thing that can catch you out, an awkward situation / situation you'd advise anyone to avoid or anything that might have caught you out in the past.

Hears one: double feed in a 2gang switch, upstairs and down stair lighting, spark turns off the downstairs MCB opens plate and zapp!

 

[peterb2428]

Re: classic

When working under a raised house check for snakes beforehand as this caught me out on friday and the life out of me

 

[martysparky]

Re: classic

64 perfect lex so far, not bad, I can't believe nobody knows any classic points to be aware of. lol

 

[Sparky Ninja]

Re: classic

Something like splitting of neutrals on a circuit that's apparently isolated, but actually has a shared neutral?




Something else I saw just last week was two consumer units top and tailing, with the neutral to the secondary board supplied from the neutral bar of the primary board. Whilst the line conductor was fed from the supply side of the primary main switch.
The result was If you isolated the main switch of the primary board, all the neutrals on the secondary board would isolate also.

 

[martysparky]

Re: classic

Well I bet that clever idea saved them a fortune...in safety... in the name of, one guess.

 

[Paul.M]

A rented 3 bed back to back last year. Customer wants to know why her meter still ticks over even when she has switched everything off and unplugged at the socket? Scratch of head, looked in basement and why have we got 4mm spur going into next door? It was feeding a washing machine, chest freezer and lights. Don't know how long for but customer moved in 5 years ago and has not had any work done. Don't know how much it cost her and no longer speaks to the neighbours after I disconnected it and I got the blame for the frozen food defrosting. Told them I was cutting off their free electricity. But if a sparky doing any work next door got killed who would go to court? This one was not the kind of family to report, if I did I wouldn't be able to type anymore let's put it that way.

 

[pmac10]

too many to mention but ill start with, checking a 3 phase hydraulic pump on a loading bay, my fitter friend is about to commence welding on the bay next door, i put multimeter probes on motor as mate strikes his arc, not sure what happened but the welder seemed to find my fluke a more attractive path than the earth clamp so i get an almighty flash, melted probes and a sore head from rattling around the loading bay.
lesson learned, be aware of other tradesmens' activities.

 

[nickblake]

my classic was doing a PIR couldnt find which circuit was supplying a socket in the garage even with the main isolator switched off it was live it was wired in 1.5mm twe and was tapped off the DNO cut out ......before the fuse !!!!!! another one was under a floor was routing cables bit smelly as some times they are it wasnt till some one flushed the loo i realised what the small was ,the outlet pipe was salt glazed and smashed had been crawling in all sorts for over an hour .. off home shower and a good puke !!! thats what i call a S#### job

 

[Deleted member 9648]

Old Ottermill 3 phase DB's....there are no insulating shields between the MCB busbar connection tabs,and the tab to take an MCB looks exactly like the gap between one phase tab and the adjacent phase tab.....which means it is very easy in one of those inattentive moments to slot your MCB between 2 phases.....been there,got the T shirt..only did it once

 

[nickblake]

Old Ottermill 3 phase DB's....there are no insulating shields between the MCB busbar connection tabs,and the tab to take an MCB looks exactly like the gap between one phase tab and the adjacent phase tab.....which means it is very easy in one of those inattentive moments to slot your MCB between 2 phases.....been there,got the T shirt..only did it once

Did the same on a Proteus board make things worse a guy from the DNO had just left after replacing the fuse as there was a phase down ,i caught the 2 phases , not being able to see for a few minuits and a change of pants 2 new fuses required opp,s and agree will never do it again brings to the front isolate isolate isolate ,always do but that one day lack of concerntration

 

[pmac10]

needed to get at the inside of a 3 phase distribution board but not cut the supply to all circuits, failed to support cover after removing the last screw but luckily it was caught by the main switch though not before the switch opened and crashed all on site computers! was like that when i got here boss

 

[telectrix]

my classic blunder was to become a spark

 

[pmac10]

my classic blunder was to become a spark

we need a 'like' button

 

[nickblake]

There was one a few years ago in hanley i was working in the shopping center there , and had gone out for a snak when there was an almighty great bang and a flash , and the whole shopping center was plunged into darkness a guy with a jack hammer was breaking some old paverment when he hit a 16kv cable the cable was 12" under the road blew the chisel bit off the end of the hammer ... he survived but questions were asked i belive

 

[Phil]

btw this is not one of mine but it may save you a few ££`s if i share when testing fire alarms etc DO inform the people who need to be informed as when two tenders turn up too see your red face they then slap you with the bill