Identifying live cables

Charlie_ · May 1, 2019

In this game I’m afraid there is no such thing as possibly dead..
Your only assumption can be that all cables are live or can become live..

Pete999 · May 2, 2019

You Definitely need an electrician to sort this for you Mate, and definitely don't rely on a volt pen, that definitely no no . Definitely a no no, I'm defiantly right about that lol

derek · May 2, 2019

Seriously, whoever you are getting to design and install the new work, get them involved now and save yourself a prison sentence if someone gets hurt because you haven't isolated everything correctly.

Bobster · May 2, 2019

Cable spiking - https://www.electriciansforums.co.uk/threads/cable-spiking.61644/#post-581836

For proving them dead if your unsure.

Pete999 · May 2, 2019

Rob said:
Cable spiking - https://www.electriciansforums.co.uk/threads/cable-spiking.61644/#post-581836

For proving them dead if your unsure.

Having seen it done on 11KV I agree.

Bobster · May 2, 2019

Pete999 said:
Having seen it done on 11KV I agree.

Done it plenty on redundant 11/33Kv cables, still thankfully never seen it go through a live one.

Although I have seen the aftermath of someone using it on a live cable in one of the training centers I visited. There wasn't much left, but nobody was hurt.

Pete999 · May 2, 2019

Agree Mate I was 11KV AP for several years and although you were dead sure you had identified the right cable to spike, it gave me butterflies, until of course you had fired the spiker and nothing went bang, except for the spiker, going off.

Baddegg · May 2, 2019

I don’t understand why you’d want responsibility for this mark, as you can’t have the relevant insurance to cover you should the worst happen, in a development of that size the cost of getting a spark in and doing it properly must be a drop in the ocean

littlespark · May 2, 2019

A big department store. Surely there are EICRs going back years documenting every circuit, every cable with sizes.... and everything is labelled....

No?

The Ghost · May 2, 2019

markthebuilder said:
However if there is something a bit more reliable than a volt pen I will get one,

Yeh it's called an electrician.

telectrix · May 2, 2019

Vortigern said:
Yeh it's called an electrician.

absofruitly.

davesparks · May 2, 2019

markthebuilder said:
So at this stage being Abel-to show a cable is live or possibly deadwill help me plan the works.

A volt pen will light up on some dead cables and make them appear live, it won't light up on a lot of live cables and make them appear dead.

So you would end up with a plan showing cables as being live which are actually dead, a bunch of possibly live cables which are actually dead, a lot of possibly live cables which are actually live. And not forgetting all manner of cables which appear dead but actually come live when various timeswitches, back up systems etc etc come on.

So basically you are going to waste a lot of time making yourself feel like you are making a valid contribution and saving money when in reality you'll have no more useful information than when you started.

Spoon · May 2, 2019

davesparks said:
So basically you are going to waste a lot of time making yourself feel like you are making a valid contribution and saving money when in reality you'll have no more useful information than when you started.

This pretty much sums up the the thread.

markthebuilder · May 2, 2019

Well I have to say the thread defiantly highlights the significant concerns the professional electrical community has that every person who asks a straight forward question relating to electrical work is potentially going to bar- b-q themselves. It is commendable but the reaction to the meet mention of a volt pen a little laughable. Seemingly the best tools for what we actually need is a “grumbler”and an “approved person” I have a guy combing from the dno next week and we will come up with a plan to fill the gaps between what’s on the utility drawings and what is as built /amended and left in during previous refurb . Then I can give results to my m&e guys all that said I’m still getting myself a volt pen to make one final check on any cable before I let anyone start cutting with a sthil Which reminds me we need to cut some access holes into ducts that look like cement sheet. Is there a chemical you can put on the sheets that turns green if it’s defo cement or red if its asbestos?