New Consumer Unit Installation - L&N Reverse at the sockets

[Rpa07]

Previous post #8 referencing polarity testing is the information you need to take to the electrician when he returns.
Polarity is there for a reason - one being that a single pole switch on a socket or such like will open the line conductor and not the neutral which can have And can lead to other dangerous issues so basically it's got to be right otherwise it's wrong - hope it get sorted quickly.

 

[Des 56]

A live-neutral reverse has the potential to cause harm
In the case of a light,a person could insert a lamp,unknown to the person (because of the reversal) the neutral of that light will be live and could cause injury
A appliance left plugged in will also have the neutral connections live whether its switched off or not
It is a potentially dangerous fault and needs rectifying

 

[Octopus]

One of the VERY first steps is to CONFIRM polarity and earthing on the supply to the main switch.... so this must have been missed... so any certificate can be viewed with suspicion.

As for the RCD .... most don't care which way round the L&N are - all they do is monitor the "balance" - so again if the so called spark doesn't understand this ......

Have you paid him?

 

[Ian1981]

how did the electrician test?
Did he just plug his radio in?
Sorry re read the original op.
He even identified L-N reverse and then left without identifying the problem!?

 

[Des 56]

What prompted you to go out and buy a socket tester thing
I ask because,it seems a unusual action for a customer,seems to be a needless expense in most circumstances as well

 

[Pete999]

Hi there, I'm a newbie to the forum. I'm an ordinary senior citizen householder but while not an electrician, I do take notice and read up on all the stuff the electricians are doing in my house. I have just had a modern, metal consumer unit installed after the removal of the old traditional fuse box. The installation went pretty well with very few curses! Given the old wiring in the house, everyone was pleasantly surprised when both RCDs stayed good and the supply uninterrupted.
As a final check before leaving, the electrician inserted a socket tester. In every location tried, the socket tester showed L&N Reverse. I bought s socket tester and confirm the same readings: L&N Reverse. I haven't checked every single socket but that is the pattern.
One problem is that I have no way of telling if the old fuse box situation would have given the same L&N Reverse readings, ie did the electrician change anything or just carry on an existing (hidden) error?
Firstly, is this in any way a dangerous situation given the RCDs are quite happy? If dangerous, what should be done immediately?
Secondly, how could this reversal have occurred? The electrician simply reinserted the live and neutral cables appropriately as they were removed. The meter tails were changed cos the existing were only 16mm. Could the tails have been reversed somehow?
Anything else you guys can suggest?
Thanks for reading the newbie panic post! I would appreciate any input, thanks..

He, the Electrician, let you with reversed polarity? yes he should have rectified the fault Imediatly

Hi Rob, thanks. The very reason I am asking these questions on this forum is because I am aware already of the potential ramifications of a dodgy installation. Everyone seems focused on questioning the parentage of the electrical installer (and by implication, my own sanity for contracting with him in the first place), whereas what I really really want to know if the L&N Reversal is (actually and actively) dangerous and what to do if it is. Secondly, I would like to know how the problem might have arisen (and thus how it may be resolved) and thus be better informed when that, or another more like, electrician comes back to put things right.
I take your point about these little plug in devices. There should have been a more systematic testing of the circuit. But honestly,
I felt secure with the safe operating presence of the RCDs which I understood rightly or wrongly was one of the fundamental bases of the most recent code.
Thanks again for your input.

Wow, I'm so impressed and grateful for the comments and advice! (NB I found myself sounding a bit defensive in my last posts but I'm not really.)
The consumer unit is a BG 16-Way Dual RCD Metal Consumer Unit & 12 MCBs sourced from Screwfix. It seems to have a decent enough reputation and seemingly ticks all the boxes.
If Part P doesn't apply in Scotland (where I am located), is the work there still notifiable in some other way?
I know it is almost impossible for qualified electricians to say, yeah, go on, it's probably safe. However, is there any substantial reason why my usual electrical load through fridges, washing machine (cool washes only), dishwasher (wash programmes only, no drying), TV etc should not continue over the weekend? If I cannot find an electrician to come out over the weekend, then it would be first thing next week. Does that timescale sound OK?
Thanks again, you've been very helpful.

Vol, you need to, contact this Idiot, he is a Muppet for leaving you in this predicament, as others have said reversed polarity could be potentially dangerous, I take it you have paid him? Sorry for the sentence in between don't know what happened there

 

[Vol]

I've just checked and it seems that the L&N Reversal is prevalent in every socket across every zone in the house. Does that imply that the problem could well be at the "source" maybe the swapped meter tails?
I see the point that if the socket is switched off, the connection might still be live under a reversed polarity situation. One of my first purchases when I recently bought the house and saw the inaccessibility and age of the old fuse box, was 10 large automatic lights, the kind that go on only if the electricity supply cuts. These are currently (no pun intended ) behaving "normally", ie they are off until the socket is switched off. Does that mean that polarity doesn't matter to these lights or that the socket switch IS switching off the live feed?

 

[Des 56]

What prompted you to go out and buy a socket tester thing
I ask because,it seems a unusual action for a customer,seems to be a needless expense in most circumstances as well

 

[Ian1981]

If the meter tails are reversed polarity then all your circuits will be subject to live - neutral reverse.
Ring him and threaten to take him to trading standards if it's not rectified immediately.
His arse might just twitch a bit!

 

[Vol]

Pete999, I think it is Muppets all round in this case, him and me. But this electrician talked a good game, professed 17th Ed tested/qualified and although I'm not an electrician I have been around electrical work all my life from my Dad (electronics engineer) on. I'm actually very safety conscious and regulations aware. And he was hard working and conscientious - right up to the reverse polarity issue I accept . However, until the industry has a similar scheme to Gas Safe then these problems will continue to occur I suppose.
OK, the problem will be resolved early next week and much care will be taken between now and the fix.
Thanks again

 

[KennyKen]

Am I reading this thread correctly? Am I right that the so called spark has left knowing that there is reverse polarity between live and neutral? Sod the other appointment and sort yours... "supriced when he turned the RCD's on" oh geez I need to sleep

 

[westward10]

Sounds like reverse polarity at the consumer unit. This should be rectified immediately and if he isn't willing to resolve this ASAP then threaten him with legal action and get another electrician in to resolve the issue and get some kind of written evidence to use against the original installer.

 

[Vol]

Des56, I didn't just go out and buy a socket tester thing. I looked up the kind of testing that an ordinary consumer can undertake by themselves and this socket tester device was suggested. If it read the same as what the electrician had found, then I had at least proved it was not a single device fault. I didn't go out at all. I ordered it online.
But you seem to be implying something, I'm not sure what. You say "I ask because it seems such an unusual action for a customer". The product I bought had over 1000 purchases and a 4.9 out of 5 stars from 64 reviewers. What else is available for an ordinary consumer who is concerned about an electrical function/socket?
Everyone else today has given good advice and everybody on this thread talks like a good professional. But so did the electrician who came to me. On the doorstep, how is the consumer meant to be able to tell who is the competent professional as apart from the incompetent professional (as an earlier poster talked about).

 

[Vol]

Thanks for all the helpful inputs, I really appreciate it. I'll try to update the thread when the problem is resolved next week. Thanks again.

 

[Bob Geldoff1234]

Can you take a picture of the consumer unit and the tails going into the meter?
We might be able to help if we can see the unit.

On the note of if a person is competent then being an Approved NICEIC electrician(or similar) is a start.I know alot of people on here don't like the relevant schemes but in order to be in them,you have to prove your qualifications,have insurance in place,have your test meters calibrated and pass a yearly inspection.While none of the above proves that you'll get a quality job,it does at least prove that the person your hiring has obtained the skills to become approved.Unlike the bloke down the pub who does a bit of electrics on the cheap.