EasyGoingPat
DIY
Hi,
Our house has just had an electrical safety check by a qualified electrician. He said he had found an earth fault but was called away on another job and can't return for three weeks. Meantime, I am left wondering about his comments and would like to get a better understanding.
He said we had an earth fault. He was in a rush and I didn't catch exactly what he said. The gist of it was that he had a reading that was (I think 0.35 up), which he said was quite a bit, something about being worth a whole mains ring. I asked him which circuit it was on and he seemed to dismiss the question; I got the feeling my question was somehow irrelevant, meaning the fault is some kind of 'general' fault.
My knowledge of mains consumer electricity is basic but - assuming the house has an efficient ground spike and the incoming connection to the consumer box is sound - how can an earth fault not be related to a specific circuit?
He asked me one strange question: he asked if we had any sockets that he didn't know about. I couldn't think at the time but there are two. Could these be at fault? If so, how? Are we talking about some kind of 'leak' between earth and a neutral or live wire. And if this were the case, surely he would know which circuit the fault was on? And could I do a temporary fix by disconnecting these two sockets (and making safe the wires)?
Sorry for the general nature of this question. I'm just trying to gain a bit more understanding.
Kind wishes - Patrick
Our house has just had an electrical safety check by a qualified electrician. He said he had found an earth fault but was called away on another job and can't return for three weeks. Meantime, I am left wondering about his comments and would like to get a better understanding.
He said we had an earth fault. He was in a rush and I didn't catch exactly what he said. The gist of it was that he had a reading that was (I think 0.35 up), which he said was quite a bit, something about being worth a whole mains ring. I asked him which circuit it was on and he seemed to dismiss the question; I got the feeling my question was somehow irrelevant, meaning the fault is some kind of 'general' fault.
My knowledge of mains consumer electricity is basic but - assuming the house has an efficient ground spike and the incoming connection to the consumer box is sound - how can an earth fault not be related to a specific circuit?
He asked me one strange question: he asked if we had any sockets that he didn't know about. I couldn't think at the time but there are two. Could these be at fault? If so, how? Are we talking about some kind of 'leak' between earth and a neutral or live wire. And if this were the case, surely he would know which circuit the fault was on? And could I do a temporary fix by disconnecting these two sockets (and making safe the wires)?
Sorry for the general nature of this question. I'm just trying to gain a bit more understanding.
Kind wishes - Patrick
