Tell us about your faults!

[kung]

Hi ALL
Just thought id put this one up for all those faults we find.
heres one to kick it off !
Domestic RCD tripped and wouldnt reset cause was a blown low energy light bulb.
There you go now for yours !

 

[edrobbo8]

I was originally going to replace with flexi steel conduit and a steel adaptaptable box, but when I took the cover off the grill to rewire it I realised that the internals were melting and it would be a pointless task!

 

[amlu]

View attachment 16485View attachment 16486

They want it repaired, but I said that unless the grill is moved, it will do the same thing again in a matter of time!

Commercial kitchen will all that grime in...yuck!

 

[Rampantchilli]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

found this on an EICR couldnt understand why we had an earth fault

it was a metal fitting, in a bathroom, and thats how it came out of the ceiling

 

[Rampantchilli]

this was in a bathroom, to be fair, the cables were run behind a mirror

 

[andyd55]

Does the mirror count as mechanical protection?

 

[Rampantchilli]

i did a CU changel some time back, and found this

but there was another shower, and found this

put it right F.O.C and the customer couldnt give a monkeys.

glad i test fully

 

[Rampantchilli]

also had a call out to do emergency CU change in Rugby,as old one nearly caught fire

i was greeted by this, admittedly not the best pic

and this was inside

 

[Rampantchilli]

and last one for now, this was the the inside of a 10 way starbreaker board, id been asked to add another circuit too, when i took the cover off i put it straight back on, got the job to replace it, once id shown them how bad it was

this was the switch below the CU, do you think it has enough cable in it

 

[Rampantchilli]

just thought of another one.

went to a property to assist in a kitchen rip out and remove some socket prior to builders taking a wall out.
when i arrived wall is still up, and most of kitchen still fitted, so i make a start
first off, turn the socket circuit mcb off in the 16th ed board, went back in and checked with socket and see, woah its still live, lucky i checked
so i went back outside and turned off the other socket mcb, back in to check, and still live? im confused now.
daughter was in the shower so i couldnt go any further at that point, so assisted in ripping out the kitchen, and found this

ok looks knackered but its being replaced anyway.

daughters out of the shower so i went back out and turned off the rcd for the protected side,(actually it was already off) back in and its still showing live

so back out again, turned everything off, took cover off the board and there it was..............
at some point, someone had rcd nuisance tripping so they had the bright idea of linking out the rcd (not sorting the fault) only the muppet only did the live, and left the neutral, yet it had still worked????
put the links back as it should of been, left power off and went back to doing what i was there for.
started at that knackered socket from earlier, OMFG

there was a neutral earth fault.........................................

suddenly it was all clear, the reason everything worked was because it was running live to earth, back feeding down the cpc of the kitchen ring

but hold on, the shower and cooker were also on the rcd??????

yep 2 ring mains, cooker, and shower were all running down the neutral earth fault in that socket, and had been for about 2 years. amazingly the cpc survived intact, and ring tested ok

 

[kanda]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

"Fault"
Dishwasher and washing machine supplys not working

Had a look at the DB it was from the 70's

put a socket tester into the socket above the work tops, all fine

pulled the washing machine out, socket test failed

followed the supply cable to dishwasher, the followed it up through the drilled hole in the work top to a old 13a plug pushed into a socket on the main kitchen ring main.

there is you problem i said! a diy extension lead running your appliances

not a pretty sight!

 

[plugsandsparks]

Was doing a Cu change prior to new kitchen install (for RCD protection and new oven).]
Change went well considering lots of singles for multiple lighting ccts , managed to tee up all the lives with corresponding neutrals - all good. Went round to do one last func test and "pop" rcd tripped when kitchen under cupboard light was switched on. Thought *ugger had not spotted that light before, immediately thought borrowed neutral but then thought , yes but borrowed from where ?? - Scratched head a few times and thought well hey kitchen is coming out anyway. Dug the wire to the light out of the plaster and found..............Yep earth was being used for neutral. Was actually quite relieved .... as i needed to cable for new under cup board lights anyway.
That was the second time in a month come across earth as a line, previous was on a industrial press panel as it needed a 4W TP supply - got a little direct with the owner on that one.....
Not heard it mentioned much on here though, i.e. earth used for N

 

[Jerry H]

TPN&E plug on a TP&E machine not a problem surly? But TPN&E socket without neutral, asking for trouble

 

[plugsandsparks]

No sockets, wired direct from 3P isolater. Panel needed N for 240V stuff. Some guy simply linked incoming N position on Panel to earth on panel, job done - it works, time to go... :-(

 

[gnuuser]

called to a flat because she was losing all power.
checked all the circuits all good, checked all breakers and panel again all good.
went out to check meter-head all good but noticed some small shoe prints around the disconnect (Hmmm!)

security camera revealed the landlords young son turning the disconnect off because the lady who lived there didn't have kids!
lol ill bet he got a real butt-warming for that especially after he got my bill for the call

 

[heinzbean]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

years ago when i was 17 year old apprentice i got a call from my Nan saying that she was getting a shock from the pipe work in her bathroom
I went around there thinking "static". i will show her how her carpets are producing static and be on my way.
wrong on close inspection all her pipe work was carrying 240v. every switch fixing screw 240v,all of her earthed metal work.
i noticed that there was no main earthing present. I turned the main switch off, put a clamp on the lead sheathing of the incoming, and ran a 16mm
earth to the main earth bar. switched the Main switch back on, Bang downstairs lighting circuit blew a 5a fuse. Now i had 1 circuit to test.I tracked the
fault to the bathroom light fitting (the foil reflector had melted against the plastic choc block connector) and shorted L to E.
that was 34 years ago . Didn't need 2391 to find that fault just a good apprenticeship . (in days of old when testing werent invented).