Domestic Wiring Problems - Advice Needed Please!

[billyh42]

Hi

First of all I am not an electrician!

When using power tools recently I have been getting shocks from almost everything!

I bought a small 3 pin 240v plug-in tester to attempt to see if this would show that there was no earth!

What this did show was that I have reverse polarity. Further investigation at the consumer unit with a meter confirmed that the supply going into the consumer unit is in fact reversed.

Meter readings are 0v between live and earth, 238v between neutral and earth & 238v between live and neutral.

Speaking to an electrician at work about the shocks (before I knew about the reverse polarity), he said that it wouldn't do any harm to add an earth rod and connect it back to an earth on a socket and see if that made any difference. I have done this and so far I have not had any further shocks. However the earth rod seems to get very hot. Is this normal or an indication of another fault. Could it be that the cable I have connected it to the socket with isn't thick enough and the heat is due to high resistance?

Going back to the reverse polarity, is this a simple matter of having my supplier, Scottish Power, reverse the connections into the consumer unit? Wiring appears to be supply-main fuse-meter-consumer unit. I cannot see any sign of an earth coming in from outside.

Is this dangerous? Does this mean that any fuses will be innefective as they are all connected in the live circuit? Is Scottish Power responsible for correcting this or can any electrician do this?

Finally is there a simple laymans test to check earthing?

Any advice appreciated!

 

[scotsparky]

BillyH for a cup of coffee and a bourboun cream i can pop over and look at it

 

[telectrix]

"Speaking to an electrician at work about the shocks (before I knew about the reverse polarity), he said that it wouldn't do any harm to add an earth rod and connect it back to an earth on a socket and see if that made any difference. I have done this and so far I have not had any further shocks. However the earth rod seems to get very hot. Is this normal or an indication of another fault. Could it be that the cable I have connected it to the socket with isn't thick enough and the heat is due to high resistance?" What kind of electrician would advise someone to stick in their own earth rod and connect it to the cpc/earth terminal on a socket and say it won't do any harm???

one answer for the guy who advised that:-

:56:

 

[mogga]

You said your in carluke there are several electrical companies I know down your way Gunning (Lanark) John Hughes Carluke maybe worth giving them a ring and asking how much a call out would be then take it from there or Phone Scottish Power ( if thats who you get your electricity from) and tell them what you have said here about reversed polarity here and hopefully they will come and check their end this shouldnt cost you a PENNY

as for the sparks you have asked at work bunch of diddies If anyone at work asked me what you have asked in this forum i wouldnt be happy unless Id come round and checked for myself (all for a coffee n biscuite) then advised appropriatly DO NOT TRY and do this yourself as has been stated before ELECTRICITY CAN and DOES Kill

 

[hasel5]

Not read all the threads but reckon he has lost the combined earth and neutral at the head or before and the earth rod is now acting as the return path ie all the install is running an L-e Rather than L-n so turn off and call the DNO now and i mean now please Hope iam barking up the right tree here as he is lucky to still be alive in my opinion

 

[mattmoo1974]

If you pee on it, It ll cool it down
Infact im with Des o/

 

[RWJ]

If you pee on it, It ll cool it down

or just electrocute the guy......

PLEASE DO NOT PEE ON IT!!!!

 

[mattmoo1974]

It was joke RWJ im sure by now the guy realises its way out of his depth to fix it(I pray to god this is the case)
Darwin awards!!
It would of been cheaper to ring a spark right at the start, He must had a few Amp hours flow down the rod by now lol
My last post on the matter. ^_^

 

[mogga]

SS Has offered to go over and check it for coffee n bourbon Personaly id hold out for a tunnocks Tea cake the OP hasnt taken SS up on this I realy hope he has sought advice of DNO or an electrical company local to him

 

[billyh42]

I was wary of posting anything on this forum as internet forums all tend to be the same - this forum has proved to be no different and the genuine replies are of course swamped by the others adding nothing and just posting for the sake of it.

Thanks to the people who have genuinely tried to help and offer advice.

For those smartarses who have just tried to be rude I sincerely hope that you are more professional in your jobs and you wonder why people are wary of tradesmen?

For mattmoo1974, you've also confimed that every forum has an immature **** who doesn't have the intelligence to add anything so just posts stupid remarks!

I've learned my lesson and won't be back to this forum again so knock yourselves out backing up each others stupid comments as I won't see them.

 

[Amp David]

Nice to meet you then Billyh42. Hope it all goes well for you.

TaDa!

 

[Paul.M]

Billy your still online, please read my pm for your own sake.