Electrical descriptions and phrases ......

[imago]

... that are inaccurate or make you laugh.

One of the DNO guys came out with "air insulated" the other day, and it made me think how daft and inaccurate it was. Two bare overhead cables not touching air insulated my 4rse!

It set me thinking that some of the accepted descriptions aren't really that descriptive. Consumer unit for example doesn't provide much information on what it is or does. I'm not keen on main switch, as if it's the first in line surely it should be master switch?

and yes, I have had far too much time on my hands working alone in Wales. :thinking:

 

[RogertheBodger]

"Time Clock" any type of clock is associated with time, and I like to hear them called by their proper name - Time switch.

 

[Engineer54]

I remember being shown around a switch room in one of our buildings in Washington DC and the conduit runs were really something, I mentioned this to this septic sparky, his reply was epic " conduit, that ain't goddam conduit that's m--er feaking raceway hence the refference

I bet it was that crap EMT stuff they use too, with slip-on connections gripped by machine screws . One type of conduit i would definitly pull a separate CPC through. lol!! There proper screwed conduit, is however good, more like our heavy duty/Gage screwed conduit....
If only they would use spouted cast boxes instead of hexagonal K/O type boxes that look as though they were made to be recessed!! lol!!

 

[Pete999]

I bet it was that crap EMT stuff they use too, with slip-on connections gripped by machine screws . One type of conduit i would definitly pull a separate CPC through. lol!! There proper screwed conduit, is however good, more like our heavy duty/Gage screwed conduit....
If only they would use spouted cast boxes instead of hexagonal K/O type boxes that look as though they were made to be recessed!! lol!!

Yep thats the one Eng

 

[imago]

We're going to have to agree to disagree on the air insulated one gents. Separation is not insulation IMHO. The conductors could be touched by anything, so they are not insulated they are separated.

 

[MDJ]

Ring main rather than Ring Final.

As we were taught a ring main is an 11kv ring which connects substations together.

Ring Final being exactly that ... a Final circuit.

I don't agree with that, we called them ring mains a long time before your college lecturer was probably born lol

 

[Engineer54]

I don't agree with that, we called them ring mains a long time before your college lecturer was probably born lol

I know i still call them ring mains, ...i have to think before calling them ring finals on here!! lol!!

 

[Guest111]

I don't agree with that, we called them ring mains a long time before your college lecturer was probably born lol

and back in the day we called an fcu a fused spur, or a spur box

 

[Marvo]

One of my pet hates is the phrase 'modified sine wave', it was obviously made up by a marketing department somewhere to try to convince people that the wave was derived from a sine wave when actually the wave shape is nothing like a sine wave.

 

[Darkwood]

We're going to have to agree to disagree on the air insulated one gents. Separation is not insulation IMHO. The conductors could be touched by anything, so they are not insulated they are separated.

I see the source of your confusion now- Insulation by definition this is a non conducting enclosing material surrounding or supporting a conductor.

Air by definition is classed as a material but often not perceived as one day to day so when your new to the phrasing its often taken with confusion.

 

[imago]

I see the source of your confusion now- Insulation by definition this is a non conducting enclosing material surrounding or supporting a conductor.

I'm not new to phrasing, it's just a question of misleading descriptions. Just because a misleading or inaccurate description has been in use for a long time, it doesn't make it accurate. I don't like it as a description, nothing more complicated than that.

I guess you are just used to the description and haven't given it's accuracy or usefulness much thought. Which is fine as it's a description which is commonly used.

 

[flex_m]

Like mot test, my car needs a ministry of transport test test

Ministry
Of
Transport

MOT

Am I missing something here? If anything isn't this an example of people not saying test when they should, "my car failed it's ministry of transport". I don't think I've ever heard someone refer to it as an MOT test.

 

[Pete999]

I know i still call them ring mains, ...i have to think before calling them ring finals on here!! lol!!

Just call it a plug circuit:90::reddevil:

 

[MDJ]

Just call it a plug circuit:90::reddevil:

You mean like UK sparks does? loll'sss

 

[Hawkmoon]

and back in the day we called an fcu a fused spur, or a spur box

I still do in the day to day stuff

'Spur' = switched fcu

 

[Simonslimline]

That would make you very old then MDJ as my tutor is retiring this year. I will always call it a ring final as it is a final circuit. Thats just the way I was taught I suppose

I don't agree with that, we called them ring mains a long time before your college lecturer was probably born lol