P and N both live.

[Sam Òvó Roberts]

Hi all, I've been called out to a customers house who have taken their own light down and couldn't get it back working.

There are the obvious cables there,
T+E permanent live.
T+E switch live
T+E to the next fitting
T+E for a local smoke alarm.

My problem lays with the T+E for the permanent live as BOTH conductors test live when not connected to anything else. Obviously this throws out any chance of using the N as a neutral return.

Does anyone know what may cause this? Or how this is rectified easily.

Thanks in advance, Sam.

 

[Engineer54]

Hi all, I've been called out to a customers house who have taken their own light down and couldn't get it back working.

There are the obvious cables there,
T+E permanent live.
T+E switch live
T+E to the next fitting
T+E for a local smoke alarm.

My problem lays with the T+E for the permanent live as BOTH conductors test live when not connected to anything else. Obviously this throws out any chance of using the N as a neutral return.

Does anyone know what may cause this? Or how this is rectified easily.

Thanks in advance, Sam.

Of course it's connected to something!!

Think about it a little and you'll understand why!!!

 

[Jonspark]

if the live cable is loop feed youve got a disconnected neutral
if its not straight off the cu its from a previous light fitting

 

[Engineer54]

if the live cable is loop feed youve got a disconnected neutral
if its not straight off the cu its from a previous light fitting

If he's working live, no he hasn't....

 

[Knobhead]

Hi all, I've been called out to a customers house who have taken their own light down and couldn't get it back working.

How much of your callout charge are you going to pay for help?

 

[DPG]

What equipment were you using to test, and what were you using as a reference? Daz

 

[Jonspark]

If he's working live, no he hasn't....

sorry, just had a meltdown!

 

[Sam Òvó Roberts]

Of course it's connected to something!!

Think about it a little and you'll understand why!!!

Ok, maybe bad wording, I know the other end is connected to something, what I was pointing out was at the ceiling rose itself both black and red from the incoming permanent live are both reading live when hanging free. Why is always the same on these forums with the first response offering a battery of exclamation marks and little in the way of hel?

 

[telectrix]

think of ohms law and what volt drop you'd expect when current is 0.

 

[stefan]

hi first of all what are you testing the live cable with are you geting 240v between live to earth and 240v neutral to earth if yes then you need to trace back that cable to pendant supplying that cable as it sound very dodgy could never of worked in first place sounds like chap has had a go at diy and double check the other cable ie switch return with a continuity test this will prove it is the switch wire

 

[ipf]

Eeeeeee...By Gum????

 

[stevey1983]

Think you either need to a, call a electrician in or b, just use the earth as the nutural as they go back to the same place anyway

 

[snowhead]

Why is always the same on these forums with the first response offering a battery of exclamation marks and little in the way of hel?

If you had sound electrical knowledge and experience you wouldn't need to ask such a simple question and get the responses you don't seem to like.

You mention "Customer"
Is that yourself or are you actually charging for your lack of experience?

The blindingly obvious answer is, it worked before the "Customer" removed the old light so the "problem" must be something quite simple.

 

[Octopus]

I wonder if the N value will drop to zero if he turns the switch off????

 

[Marvo]

This is a specific job at a paying customers house so please get a more experienced electrician to mentor you on this job if you're not capable of figuring out the layout. It's only fair on the customer and whilst you may sacrifice your profit it will be a valuable learning experience. The purpose of the forum is to improve knowledge in general, not to be used as an alternative to experience or competence for those on a customers job that they cannot complete.

Thread closed.