2391 question.Making home made test board

[CX500]

Hope this is the correct section.My industry(Aircraft) has collapsed over the past couple of years so I've been trying to re-train myself to get work locally.I'm used to working aboard on short term contract as a Painter/sprayer but is not good to me any more.

I took and passed my 17th edition 7671 just before Xmas 2010 and have a short PAT test certificate.

There are several jobs locally that have come and gone but they required the 2391.I'm on a tight budget and cannot get any help from the Jobcentre.I've been out of work for a while so money is tight and can scrape together the money for the 2391 but not for the 2392 as well.I'm looking to get my 2391 but want to try and keep the cost down by making perhaps my own test board and doing revision on theory so I don't have to take the 2392.

At 54 I have no illusions of becoming a fully fledged electrician but would be quite happy with a local job PAT testing or similar.Although I have no field experience in electrics I do have good knowledge of things electronic and electrical as I also have my City and Guilds Parts 1 and 2 in electronic servicing and have done many electrical and electronic jobs for myself and know how to use a Meter.

I have also looked at and understand the PAT testers available.

As a side note: I run two 30 year Classic Honda motorcycles which have been rebuilt by myself from the cranks and wiring harnesses upwards.

Any help appreciated.

Paul

 

[meerkat]

Hi Paul, I am just finishing the 2330 this july (3yr cse) and I have the 2392 qualification aswell, I am 49 years old and retraining as I retire from the fire service in 2012.

Its a difficult call wether to do the 2391 or the 2392, I wouldnt put myself through the 2391 to do pat testing alone.

Why not get a start with an electrician as a labourer and learn as you go along, build up your skills and you may get a clearer picture of what you will need, 2392 will give you the competence to work domestically along side the 17th edition qualification.

I made my own Rig for my 2392 course, I put a full sheet of ply on the wall in my back bedroom and bought an old CU and put 4 circuits onto it, lights with 2 way switching, Ring for sockets, cooker circuit(minus the cooker), radial socket circuit, I used a plug in RCD from a socket to feed the CU via 2.5 T&E with a plug attached, which was then coupled to the 25mm tails in a Henley block, earth was put into seperate Henley block (MET) and contained the bonding for both water and gas (2 x 300mm of 15mm copper pipe fixed to ply) and the main earthing conductor from the MET into the CU, this was a copy of the Rig we were using at college, certainly helped me a great deal.

Paul, Post a thread titled "rigs and Installing down lights". click in the text box and view the images in the post good board by soulman and 2 images from me, meerkat, this is what you will need to practice on.

I found the NICEIC book inspection,testing and certification very helpful, go online to W H Smiths books search under NICEIC inspection and testing book retails at

 

[CX500]

Thank you for your reply.Excellent advice

 

[chrishaworth]

You have a perfectly good test board already - your house. Make sure you are comfortable with safe isolation and working procedures then do a PIR on it.

Cheers. Chris

 

[steptoe]

He might not want to send 1000v through his boiler/pc/flat screen telly etc. Or disconnect his earthing conductor while the kids are in the shower.

 

[CX500]

Another excellent reply.Thanks

 

[chrishaworth]

If he's not capable of a PIR on his own house then he's got absolutely no chance on 2391.

Cheers. Chris

 

[steptoe]

Im not arguing that point, Im saying that it is a massive load of hassle and a danger to practise testing on your own house, and a major inconvenience to the rest of the family members.

I certainly wouldn't purposely introduce a fault into my house wiring just to see what happens/what readings i would get.

Testing your own house serves no purpose except to establish an order of sequence. IMHO

 

[chrishaworth]

I wasn't proposing that he introduced faults, just get comfortable with the testing, recording etc. Anyway, if his house is like most of the PIRs I do, there'll be plenty of faults already there, giving him practice on finding them.

Cheers. Chris

 

[CX500]

Thanks again for the replies.I live alone so have no problems with others and wouldn't dream of introducing faults but as above I'm sure there will be faults anyway and even if not it's just to get used to testing.I am also health and safety aware as I have to be for my industry and my certificates have to be renewed every two years so precautions would be taken.

Is this the book mentioned,

The NICEIC Guide to Domestic Periodic Inspection, Testing and Reporting: Updated to the IEE Regulations BS 7671: Amazon.co.uk: Electrical Safety Council: Books

 

[steptoe]

http://www.talk.electricianforum.co.uk/your-pictures/242-motorcycle-fan-club-co-uk.html

---------- Post Auto-Merged at 21:51 ---------- Previous post was made at 21:49 ----------

IIRC there is nothing in 2391 specifically about PIR'ing

its general stuff,

Im not sure on the numbers for C&G now, but there is some of them that are IMHO 'worthless' , maybe someone else can point you in the right direction over this.

 

[meerkat]

No mate you want the NICEIC book, "inspection,testing and certification" this has a Consumer unit diagram on the front of it, good luck, (MEERKAT)