Lights in porch soffit

[truckster]

ok I'll bite, yes I would as it's an alteration to the existing, dependant on the existing electrics I would rcd the whole circuit or just the new bit to limit liability.

 

[telectrix]

i would rcd the whole circuit, just because it can be considered that by altering that circuit, i am then taking responsibility for it. bit of a bugger if it's on a rewireable board and i've got to put a separate rcd adjacent to the board though. specially if there's a borrowed neutral kicking around .

 

[truckster]

One I did measured up great, fitted the RCD to the whole cct all fine. 6 weeks later customers on the phone saying the trip kept going. His wife is disabled so being a bit f a softy I said I'd come round, this at 6pm Friday night. Sure enough fault to earth.3 hours later after ploughing through 10 inches of insulation I tracked down a JB which had one cable with the fault. Disconnected it, tested fine RCD happy. Tried to find where and what this cable was doing, nothing..everything working. Asked the customer if there were any points that I hadn't found, nope.

Cup of tea/smoke time. As I was standing in the back garden I noticed a small nub of cable hanging just behind the fascia board. Questioned the customer. "Oh yeah, there used to be a light there but when the facsias were painted the painter cut it off because it was broken" He had just snipped the cable and left it, bit of wet weather and it was shorting so I like to limit that kind of call back where poss.