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 !

 

[Jurassic Sparks]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

sounds like some one has been getting free electricity???

 

[Ladders]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

Hi all, I have come across a light switch fed to L1 from the board. L2 is the switch live (blue) to the ceiling rose (brown), so must be a JB somewhere. This is on strappers to another switch and all works well. However I need to get a feed to another 2 way light switch, any ideas please?

 

[mogga]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

Here's something I found yesterday. Went round to a house to size up what was required to run power to the end of the garden, and went to have a look at Consumer Unit to check spare ways available etc.

Looking in the well used cupboard under the stairs found the meter in this condition...

View attachment 6122

...lower cover missing, and no obvious sign of it fallen down the back.

Decided I would put some strips of insulating tape across the live terminals as a temporary measure. As I did that, the live tail to the CU fell out! At least it wasn't the live from the supply...

Tightened all the terminals, covered with tape, and told the owner to call the DNO!

Why didnt yopou just ask if they had the cover as they probably took it off to get their free supply

 

[kung]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

I've finally gotten around to investigating a bit of my new house and found a few minor* faults

1. Spot the fault!




2. Now, I know CPCs are all joined together at the CU, but when they're separate radials for electric heaters and bonded together, surely that's bad practise!




3. These wires were just randomly left in from when the previous electrical heating system was de-commissioned... well, at least that's what I thought:






It turns out that one of them was disconnected at both ends and just laying freely in the ceiling of the ground floor kitchen. So when I was pulling on it, it just kept coming and coming and well, it just fell out:




I decided to investigate, from the main consumer unit, which circuit was which so in pulling the fuses, found that the yellow 20 amp circuit was for a decommissioned immersion heater, which is long gone but the circuit was still live and in a switch plate, screwed in to a double gang metal back-box shared with another switch, which was for one of the electrical heaters that are no longer used either (this circuit was not live).
Then It came time for pulling the fuse for one of the 30A circuits... Oh, I didn't think that was supposed to happen...: !






Now, these are probably all boring faults to you, but they amused me.
I'm looking forward to re-wiring my house once we're married and have the money to do so.

My Main earths and bondings are little on the small side too:





*In my view, all faults are potentially serious, but you know what I mean.

Just straighten up that earth going to the bonding clamp and your NIC DI assessment will be fine buddy !

 

[sparc]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

Good grief! Where do I start! Check out the two connector blocks and what they're connected to

 

[RWJ]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

Good grief! Where do I start! Check out the two connector blocks and what they're connected to

View attachment 6226

NICE!!!

Has someone got bored testing ring continuity and just left it???!?!?

 

[sparc]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

I think the guy that did this just liked mixing up all those pretty colours ... Actually, he just used flex cord for everything, including the 2-way lighting, with the CPC standing in for LIVE. I liked the CPC snipped off on the RHS, and the unguarded live bus, lack of bonding, and .... and this supplies a pool :cry_smile:

 

[Jurassic Sparks]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

as my grandfather used to say (looking at me) common sense aint so common

 

[Mr.Si]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

So finally decided to do the tests on my house now that my meter is calibrated.

Ring Final is fine (it's a shame) except there is no end-end continuity of the CPC, so it's not fine and yet at all of the sockets I didn't find any issues with CPC connectivity, meaning it could be a break between a pair of sockets. Grrr. Maybe I can convince my wife that ripping it out and starting again is the best approach. (It'll be far easier).

I suppose I'll have to do an end-end of each individual socket. Man I wish I had a wander lead...!

Interestingly though, most of the sockets in my bedroom are spurs from somewhere... that's another investigation job for saturday.

 

[sparc]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

Can't you connect CPC to it's respective Live (leaving other L and CPC unconnected from board) then go to each socket in turn and check L to E there. Then repeat with the other CPC and L connected at board.

 

[Mr.Si]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

Yes, that is the alternative. Probably a better idea really.

 

[greenspark]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

Had a fault where a lighting MCB had operated and would not reset. Everything looked hunky dory in the D.B. and within the light fittings. Then, I remembered that my first boss had said always to check if there are external lights on the circuit first if it is a lighting fault. I went outside and found 2 bulkheads with the cabling enclosed in PVC Conduit. Directly adjacent to the one bulkhead was an inspection bend in the conduit which had a partially damaged lid that would definately let rain in. When I removed the bulkhead cover, the water poured out and revealed soaking wet and previously shorted Line and Neutral connections.

 

[sparc]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

That lovely 'Gottcha!' moment. ... on on to the next job with a spring in your step.

 

[greenspark]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

Even better, the boss wasn't expecting it rectified until at least lunchtime and it only took an hour. Even better, the customer was his ex-wife so she took great enjoyment in making bacon butties for me and my mate to eat whilst we put our feet up and watched the clock tick. I've learnt to appreciate those moments, they seem few and far between!

 

[Stuart McNeice]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

Hi,
Im having a bit of a problem with a job i recently went to look at for a friend. The problem was that when the shower was turned on the lights through out the house started to flicker. The shower is also very old and im nt sure what kW the shower is or the cable size due to only having a quick glance at the job. The house is an old house with an old consumer board with mem memera fuse carriers. i would not have an awfull lot of experience with this old boards but im assuming 1st off the shower is drawing to much power, and being so old also has no rcd protection. Is there anyone with any advice as to what could be the problem?