Powering neighbor fault

[stavvie]

Hi,

Been to a house today to sort out hallway light that was not working. As I was doing a safe isolation with my continuity/voltage tester I was getting continuity between the ring main live and neutral, ring live and earth and ring live and lighting neutral. So I wanted to do a further investigation and carry out a r1+r2 test and insulation resistance test. (this is a TN-S earthing arrangement and the CU is an old rewireable CU).

I took out the main supply fuse to isolate it completely as I did not trust any of the electrics now. 2 minutes later there was a knock on the door and it was the neighbor asking if the power was out in this house. I told him I turned the power off as I was working on the elecs and told him that his power should not have turned off. I stuck the fuse in again just to confirm that it was connected to his elecs and to my amasement it was.

I couldn't carry out the test's I wanted to because I didn't bring the right leads with me as I forgot them. So will be going back next week.

Any suggestion? or has anyone come across this before?

Cheers

 

[ukpablo]

sounds dodgy....................i would contact the DNO straight away, just to be on the safe side, just say the wire tags on main fuse were missing already before u pulled the fuse. explain to them with regards to the neighbour etc?

 

[brucelee]

hi mate
not deffo but I think you have to get Dno out to sort out two seperate supplies but someone else may know better

 

[olly w]

How many sets of tails were there from the cut out fuse.... and were there two meters or just one for both properties?

 

[stavvie]

THat is what I told the owner of the house to do on Monday. So I will see what they say.

Thanks guys.

 

[stavvie]

How many sets of tails were there from the cut out fuse.... and were there two meters or just one for both properties?

1 set of tails for the house I was working on and there is 2 meters. they are completely seperate house's. The CU's and the meter's are back to back. The Neighbor has a key meter.

Sorry, let me explain it better. Each house has it's own set of tails and their own meter. They sit back to back. You can immagine 2 terraced house's.

 

[olly w]

TBH I doubt the dno will be bothered, as far as they would be concerned their fuse protects their tails, and supply cable. I might be wrong though!

Going back to the continuity between the ring live, neutral, and earth, and lighting, I would guess that you were reading through an appliance back through the neutral bar back on to the lighting circuit.
Had you turned off the main switch so that the neutral and earth would have been disconnected from each other

 

[stavvie]

Yes I did turn off the main switch. With regards to testing the ring live to the lighting nuetral. THe light was infront of the CU so my leads were long enough to do the test. It was not the neutral in the CU I was testing it was the Neutral at the light fitting.

 

[stavvie]

I'm thinking maybe a nail went through the cables.......

 

[olly w]

Sorry not sure i'm getting this right (drinking doesn't help).

You had continuity from ring circuit live (at fuse) to lighting neutral (at fitting)?

Which fuse were in and which removed?

 

[stavvie]

No worries. thanks for your help

I removed all the fuses and turned off the main switch. There should be no continuity between any of the conductors on different circuits. There was though.

 

[olly w]

I was getting continuity between the ring main live and neutral, ring live and earth and ring live and lighting neutral. So I wanted to do a further investigation and carry out a r1+r2 test and insulation resistance test. (this is a TN-S earthing arrangement and the CU is an old rewireable CU).

This sounds to me like a neutral earth fault....the continuity that you're getting is giong down the ring live through an appliance back up the ring neutral to the neutral bar to the lighting neutral.

The continuity to earth is a fault but it could be on any circuit because all neutrals are linked and all eaths are linked.(at the bars)
Disconnect all earths at the CU (main switch off) test continuity from neutral to each of the earths to find which circuit is down....once found the real work starts as to where it is down.

hope this helps.

 

[stavvie]

sweet!!!!!

 

[m25maintenance]

this sounds strange.if my power goes out i dont ask my neighbour if he pulled his main fuse. how wud d neighbour just come knok ur door. sum 1 is getting scamed

 

[m25maintenance]

re the fault, i had a sim fault a bit bak. it turned out the toilet fitter drove a long screw into d floor and into two dif circuit cables in d floor. i was gettin con between line of d ring and neu earth of other