3 week old consumer unit

[dan.]

had a small job this week to extend the ring in the kitchen for a washer and dw and to connect a halogen hob and oven.customer tells me they had a new CU fitted 3 weeks ago so should be nice n easy

CU was fitted with all mcbs and not an rcd in sight!

no certs for a change either ROTFWL

mustnt have done any testing at all, the socket circuit was on a 32a but was a 2.5mm radial (there WAS 2 wires but one was for the garage).

any ways i made sure the circuits i worked on were rcd protected and down rated the sockets to 20amp,and gave them a price to put it right.

sheesh some people eh?

 

[a1]

D'oh!

Have a go John, from down the pub?

 

[ianmacd]

I bet the "spark" who changed the board 3 weeks back just assumed that was a ring (seen that done before) and, as you said, did no testing.

Upgrading one this week (from 3 re-wirable boards) and the kitchen's ring cpc was not continuous. Checked and only a couple of the 12 sockets had functioning cpc's. Narrowed it down to 3 faults (2 broken cpc's of which one was clearly known and a loose cpc that had fallen out the back and the screw magically tightened itself on the other wire).

Decided I may get a kewtech wander lead after this as I managed to ket a few kinks into an earth single so may not be able to use it now .

Ian.

 

[a1]

Make your own Ian. I have.

I will take a pic of it and post it on here now.

Made it quick quickly and it works a treat.

 

[a1]

I used it on my 303 Fault finding Practical (That is the reason I knocked it up).

 

[a1]

I only had one Croc Clip in stock - So I used a new pvc box and 4mm Bannana socket that I had here.

 

[ianmacd]

img isnt working?

 

[a1]

img isnt working?

Sorry Mate. Link corrected.

 

[ianmacd]

Cool. Maybe you should sell them.

 

[boltonsparky]

We do alot of consumer unit changes and I'd say in 70% of cases we find a continuity of conductors fault on the ring main.

We should do away with ring mains and go for radials everytime. Rings are a great idea if they're used correctly and altered correctly but the truth of the matter is they rarely are and in alot of cases alterations make them dangerous, spurs off spurs, incomplete rings etc.

Until we are in a situation were DIYers, people who THINK they know what they're doing, kitchen fitters and cowboys don't do any electrical work at all (I know we will never be in this situation)

we should definatly stick to radials!

 

[jl-heating]

we mostly do radials now on re wires, ring for the kitchen, only today we had a ring with no continuity on an existing circuit. tenant remembered the plumber drilling through the wire (bang) then hanging the boiler over the fault which he promised he had repaired.

obviously not.

 

[Andy™]

we mostly do radials now on re wires, ring for the kitchen, only today we had a ring with no continuity on an existing circuit. tenant remembered the plumber drilling through the wire (bang) then hanging the boiler over the fault which he promised he had repaired.obviously not.

now if we done that with his gas pipe....

 

[jl-heating]

hehe .. at least you can smell gas ..

 

[Apache]

We do alot of consumer unit changes and I'd say in 70% of cases we find a continuity of conductors fault on the ring main.We should do away with ring mains and go for radials everytime. Rings are a great idea if they're used correctly and altered correctly but the truth of the matter is they rarely are and in alot of cases alterations make them dangerous, spurs off spurs, incomplete rings etc.

Until we are in a situation were DIYers, people who THINK they know what they're doing, kitchen fitters and cowboys don't do any electrical work at all (I know we will never be in this situation)

we should definatly stick to radials!

I may be a silly naieve vet but if we have a break in the cpc in a ring main (at one point) then all (or most) of the sockets are earthed by 1 leg or other, whereas if we have a break in the cpc on a radial then nothing beyond the break has an earth.

Or am I missing something?

 

[Andy™]

I may be a silly naieve vet but if we have a break in the cpc in a ring main (at one point) then all (or most) of the sockets are earthed by 1 leg or other, whereas if we have a break in the cpc on a radial then nothing beyond the break has an earth.Or am I missing something?

your right there patch - it takes 2 earth faults to loose an earth at a socket with a ring. but the problem is, if the live/neutral breaks, then it could overload the circuit and cause a fire (unlikely, but could happen)

 

[Badger]

your right there patch - it takes 2 earth faults to loose an earth at a socket with a ring. but the problem is, if the live/neutral breaks, then it could overload the circuit and cause a fire (unlikely, but could happen)

heres an option radial for live and neutral in the twin and skin cable then from last socket back to fused board with addittional single earth of the equiv size

 

[Evans Electric]

May as well make it a ring , Badge. While on the subject we also do a lot of radials.

 

[Megaohm7]

I only had one Croc Clip in stock - So I used a new pvc box and 4mm Bannana socket that I had here.

Nice one Admin !!! Applaud Smiley

 

[Robojin]

Or you could make one to fit your tester and standard extension lead

Take a Green one of these from Rapid Electronics (SEB 2610 F4.8 4mm Safety socket

 

[green-hornet]

You guys should start an home made ispection kit forum?

Applaud SmileyB-)