green-hornet
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I was asked by a former client who I have done some commercial work for to check out a first fix that another electrician had carried out in a house they had bought.
The first question they asked me was about having a junction box on a full rewire, I informed them that it was not usual on a rewire but not against any regulation. They then asked why would you have spurs off the ring main, again I said it would be unusual but without knowing why I could not comment.
Anyway I went along to the house and found some very peculiar wiring techniques.
At the CU the cables are marked and has been wired in a mixture of singles and twin &earth, the lighting has been wired in twin brown and earth, with two nuetral singles. On testing I found continuity up to two of the bedrooms but none to any lights other than them. They have wired most of the feeds to the switches, yet looped some of the neutrals.
Anyway we had to cut a hole in the ceiling below the bathroom which now has a new tiled floor. On inspection of the connections it looks like he has tried to seperate the lighting circuits by using the twin brown, so that one bron feeds one circuit and the other feeding the other, only problem is that all the lives once connected will be shared and because there is only one earth cable there will be no way the lighting can test out.
The electrician now says that its ok to use twin brown providing they are identified, I agree but that is only if its a neutral not two seperate feeds.
My question is how the hell is this lighting circuit going to be wired? Did he expect to seperate the browns on to two seperate mcb's and RCD's?
The customer is now very reluctant to have this guy do anything else, I do not blame them, I have told them that if I was to sort it out for them I would have to rewire the whole lighting circuit, plus get rid of the spurs.
Forgot to mention it has now been fully plastered.
The first question they asked me was about having a junction box on a full rewire, I informed them that it was not usual on a rewire but not against any regulation. They then asked why would you have spurs off the ring main, again I said it would be unusual but without knowing why I could not comment.
Anyway I went along to the house and found some very peculiar wiring techniques.
At the CU the cables are marked and has been wired in a mixture of singles and twin &earth, the lighting has been wired in twin brown and earth, with two nuetral singles. On testing I found continuity up to two of the bedrooms but none to any lights other than them. They have wired most of the feeds to the switches, yet looped some of the neutrals.
Anyway we had to cut a hole in the ceiling below the bathroom which now has a new tiled floor. On inspection of the connections it looks like he has tried to seperate the lighting circuits by using the twin brown, so that one bron feeds one circuit and the other feeding the other, only problem is that all the lives once connected will be shared and because there is only one earth cable there will be no way the lighting can test out.
The electrician now says that its ok to use twin brown providing they are identified, I agree but that is only if its a neutral not two seperate feeds.
My question is how the hell is this lighting circuit going to be wired? Did he expect to seperate the browns on to two seperate mcb's and RCD's?
The customer is now very reluctant to have this guy do anything else, I do not blame them, I have told them that if I was to sort it out for them I would have to rewire the whole lighting circuit, plus get rid of the spurs.
Forgot to mention it has now been fully plastered.
