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ennaress
As I lack practical experience and recently failed to impress NICEIC into Registering me, I thought I could build my own test rig then test the hell out of it and try to develop fault-finding skills before paying for another assessment.
My rig is deliberately non-logical - eg I have a switch on one side of the rig operating a lamp on the other etc and the rig comprises:
1 No. ring final with 4 No. sockets
1 No. radial with 3 No. sockets via a FCU
1 No. light circuit with 4 No. luminaires switched by a dimmer, a neon-pull cord and a 2W + intermediate.
1 No. 'CCU' with switched socket radial (for the type, see other post when I was asking what the 'IND' marks were) - with no load and I haven't bothered with an isolator (or maybe you'd suggest I run the conductor on and out to one to give extra spice to my R1/R2 and IR tests....?)
1 No. radial (mocking an external supply) with SWA and a J-box
1 No. length 15mm copper tube to act as Equi Bonding example.
I've got a (way too many) used 10-way CU (I'll eventually use it to replace my own 'proper' 'real' CU) with MCBs and RCDs
No spurs yet, but will add at some point.
I've used 1mm, 2.5mm, 4mm and 6mm T&E for the above circuits.
Phew...
Here's the question (sorry guys!):
I'm pondering how to make the rig live - which obviously will only be when I'm live testing. I live (as opposed to live...) in a really small, 1st (top) floor flat and the only practical place for me to use it is the sitting room. The Mrs is delighted with this. I am thinking that I take a feed from my 'proper' CU, in the hall cupboard (an old fashioned, four-way/MCB Wylex 60A affair) with a conductor of suitable CSA then route this up into the loft and across and down into the sitting room.
Was thinking of terminating the 'tails' of each conductor in the sitting room in their own term box, then all three in a wall-mounted Term Box with a Fort Knox type padlock over it. I'd have sufficient length on the tails to unwind them and take them into my main incomer on my 10-way CU test rig.
I have RCD protection in that 10-way CU on the rig, but is that sufficient? Otherwise I guess I'd have to deploy a Type S RCD upstream of the test circuit, to avoid discrimination? Will my additional lengths of incomers skew my external Ze and main bonding readings, or should I just not do those tests?
Any views on this rather mad plan or alternatives? My flat is so small that basically like all my other toys, the rig would have to be connected and dis-connected each time I wanted to play with it.
Once I'm a registered spark with all the confidence needed, I'll obviously dismantle the whole rig and wiring.
Thank you all!
My rig is deliberately non-logical - eg I have a switch on one side of the rig operating a lamp on the other etc and the rig comprises:
1 No. ring final with 4 No. sockets
1 No. radial with 3 No. sockets via a FCU
1 No. light circuit with 4 No. luminaires switched by a dimmer, a neon-pull cord and a 2W + intermediate.
1 No. 'CCU' with switched socket radial (for the type, see other post when I was asking what the 'IND' marks were) - with no load and I haven't bothered with an isolator (or maybe you'd suggest I run the conductor on and out to one to give extra spice to my R1/R2 and IR tests....?)
1 No. radial (mocking an external supply) with SWA and a J-box
1 No. length 15mm copper tube to act as Equi Bonding example.
I've got a (way too many) used 10-way CU (I'll eventually use it to replace my own 'proper' 'real' CU) with MCBs and RCDs
No spurs yet, but will add at some point.
I've used 1mm, 2.5mm, 4mm and 6mm T&E for the above circuits.
Phew...
Here's the question (sorry guys!):
I'm pondering how to make the rig live - which obviously will only be when I'm live testing. I live (as opposed to live...) in a really small, 1st (top) floor flat and the only practical place for me to use it is the sitting room. The Mrs is delighted with this. I am thinking that I take a feed from my 'proper' CU, in the hall cupboard (an old fashioned, four-way/MCB Wylex 60A affair) with a conductor of suitable CSA then route this up into the loft and across and down into the sitting room.
Was thinking of terminating the 'tails' of each conductor in the sitting room in their own term box, then all three in a wall-mounted Term Box with a Fort Knox type padlock over it. I'd have sufficient length on the tails to unwind them and take them into my main incomer on my 10-way CU test rig.
I have RCD protection in that 10-way CU on the rig, but is that sufficient? Otherwise I guess I'd have to deploy a Type S RCD upstream of the test circuit, to avoid discrimination? Will my additional lengths of incomers skew my external Ze and main bonding readings, or should I just not do those tests?
Any views on this rather mad plan or alternatives? My flat is so small that basically like all my other toys, the rig would have to be connected and dis-connected each time I wanted to play with it.
Once I'm a registered spark with all the confidence needed, I'll obviously dismantle the whole rig and wiring.
Thank you all!
