Things people think they need to buy?

[thekingiam]

just wondering is it just me or has everyone gone mad about thinking they have to buy these expensive gadgets to maintain there eqipment or has the electrician police forced us to buy more **** thats not needed?
was on this forum earlier and everyone was stating that now everyone needs to buy certified proving units to isolate corectly instead of checking on a known supply ( these proving units are just a batery and a 240volt capacitor and a resistor) expensive hey?
then a moment ago someone is on about cal cards to ensure your test eqipment can go without calibration for a year or two extra these are on e bay for 23.99 when all they are is a couple of resistors of vairying size, am i in the wrong buiseness?

 

[thekingiam]

just want someone to talk to so bumping this post, ime sad!!

 

[thekingiam]

just want someone to talk to so bumping this post, ime sad!!ok

 

[Geordie Spark]

OK ..... I'll talk to you.

I think you could be right about this.

It's looking to me as if this test equipment lark is going the same way as photography, where we're led to believe from the adverts in the glossy photgraphy magazines that we can't take good photos without the latest camera / lens / tripod / flashgun or whaever gizmo is the flavour of the month, where in reality an excellent photo can be taken with just a shoebox - as long as it has a deent lens stuck on the end of it & at the correct distance from the film !!

Before photgraphy, it was Hi-Fi, where we were brainwashed into buying this or that speaker / amplifier / turntable or whatever.

It's all about business making money.

 

[thekingiam]

i think your right although the diference is this stuff is being pushed into existance in the name of health and safety at incredible cost to the electrician or trainee electrician, before they understand or can aford all this crap. people who realise after buying into all this rubish are going to stop listening to any advice by the industry unless these scaremongers stop this nonesence

 

[Geordie Spark]

i think your right although the diference is this stuff is being pushed into existance in the name of health and safety at incredible cost to the electrician or trainee electrician, before they understand or can aford all this crap. people who realise after buying into all this rubish are going to stop listening to any advice by the industry unless these scaremongers stop this nonesence

I agree with you.

I'm glad I'm retired instead of just starting out.

 

[Adam W]

When I was at college I was told to test for safe isolation you need either:

• Certified test lamp with proving unit or
• Approved voltage tester with self test facility.

An "approved voltage tester" could be a steinel type tester, which you can buy for £50 and can be used as a bell set; I don't know why everyone doesn't just go for that option.

While we're on the subject of unecessary expensive tat though - CFL lamps.
They're expensive, give out a poor light, have poor power factor (so are energy inefficient), are unreliable, contain mercury (so are environmentally unfriendly), are made in China (so have a high carbon footprint ergo environmentally unfriendly), and the binmen won't take them away so you're supposed to get in your car to take them to the household recycling centre.
So.... Why are we being forced to use them again?

 

[Geordie Spark]

Thank God !!! ............. I seem to have found an ally at last !!!

"They" won't be "forcing" me to use the damn' things though ..... I have enough "proper" Tungsten jobbies to see me through.

 

[thekingiam]

novusSparkus you were told that okay, i was in college 2007 and told proving unit or supply i have to state that was 16th edition regs but my point is can anyone find me the regulation in gs38 or 17th edition or health and safety?also ime sure you would be able to make your own proving unit ( i have done electronics )
also are we going to be told next week that we need to buy a cal card even though its only a couple of resistors.

 

[Adam W]

I'm sure you could build your own proving unit - the last step is to prove the tester on 'a known source' to check it hasn't failed between when you tested live and tested dead after isolation, so in theory could be a cct which is still live, so I don't see why it can't be something homemade.

Geordie I've tried using them I really have, but ended up switching back to 'proper' lamps. I think I'm going to have to stock up while I still can; fortunately I don't really use 100W.
I forgot to mention the control gear makes them stick out of old light fittings making them look even rubbish-er.

 

[Geordie Spark]

I'm sure you could build your own proving unit - the last step is to prove the tester on 'a known source' to check it hasn't failed between when you tested live and tested dead after isolation, so in theory could be a cct which is still live, so I don't see why it can't be something homemade.

Geordie I've tried using them I really have, but ended up switching back to 'proper' lamps. I think I'm going to have to stock up while I still can; fortunately I don't really use 100W.
I forgot to mention the control gear makes them stick out of old light fittings making them look even rubbish-er.

Hi Novus. I tried using them too - I can be quite adventurous for an old bloke - and after I tried them, I went out & bought a sh*tload of proper lamps !!!!!