How do you check circuits in a house after installing a new fuse box?

[binky]

What make is that?

No idea

 

[binky]

the op was suggesting behind skirting, not in special skirting

I know, hence the post

 

[Gina]

Could you post a photo of the fuseboard / switch panel / consumer unit ?

Thanks Murdoch, I think the CU looks neat and the electrician did stuff in the house but testing the CU and circuits, that's what I am worried about. If you do a job, do it properly.. testing it properly should show if circuits are in good shape, right? And replacing and checking sockets or light switches should be done after the test as if there is a need of rewiring any circuit, than the plugs involved are changed for nothing before checking the wires.. I don't know any of these wire business, I just talk.
Thank you Murdoch!
P.S. The oven rds or how is called is off as we don't have the oven installed yet.

 

[Gina]

the op was suggesting behind skirting, not in special skirting

I don't know how to explain, but this is what I meant, there are skirtings with this space designed for wires.. My english is not that good and I also don't know technical words as everyone here. Appologies if I am hard in understanding. Ufff... I had a team of brasilians as well.. you should see with those ones! I was speaking in spanish which again is not my native language and portuguese language is not really spanish.. but google helps.

 

[Gina]

I don't know how to explain, but this is what I meant, there are skirtings with this space designed for wires.. My english is not that good and I also don't know technical words as everyone here. Appologies if I am hard in understanding. Ufff... I had a team of brasilians as well.. you should see with those ones! I was speaking in spanish which again is not my native language and portuguese language is not really spanish.. but google helps.

But even behind the skirtingboards, you have doors.. what you do where the skirting board is not there? Take the floor up and than back into next skirtingboard? Unless you have a good closeby circuit where you can connect but how many sockets a circuit can hold? These junction boxes, again.. scary as you can have problems and to find what you need you destroy all floors.. is there not a better way of doing it? I am thinking how is in Europe done. Don't know about that either. They use tubes for light wires. Same with plugs?

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

Thanks Murdoch, I think the CU looks neat and the electrician did stuff in the house but testing the CU and circuits, that's what I am worried about. If you do a job, do it properly.. testing it properly should show if circuits are in good shape, right? And replacing and checking sockets or light switches should be done after the test as if there is a need of rewiring any circuit, than the plugs involved are changed for nothing before checking the wires.. I don't know any of these wire business, I just talk.
Thank you Murdoch!
P.S. The oven rds or how is called is off as we don't have the oven installed yet.

As mentioned.. "FuseBox" is a brand of consumer unit..

To my knowledge they are perfectly good and compliant will all current wiring regulations, (BS7671).
I have used "FuseBox" consumer units myself for some of my customers...

You have individual RCBO's per circuit... which is Good!
You have a surge protection device... which is Good!

(There are cheaper less compliant options that use RCD's to protect multiple MCB's)

So my initial gut instincts would suggest that your electrician has tried to provide a perfectly acceptable consumer unit,
with all protective devices applicable at the time of installation.

What we really need to see now is a copy of the electrical certificate that should be issued for ALL consumer unit replacements?

 

[Gina]

As mentioned.. "FuseBox" is a brand of consumer unit..

To my knowledge they are perfectly good and compliant will all current wiring regulations, (BS7671).
I have used "FuseBox" consumer units myself for some of my customers...

You have individual RCBO's per circuit... which is Good!
You have a surge protection device... which is Good!

(There are cheaper less compliant options that use RCD's to protect multiple MCB's)

So my initial gut instincts would suggest that your electrician has tried to provide a perfectly acceptable consumer unit,
with all protective devices applicable at the time of installation.

What we really need to see now is a copy of the electrical certificate that should be issued for ALL consumer unit replacements?

Thank you! We did not get any certificates or paper work of any kind yet..The electrician will have to come back and check the upstairs hall lights following the wires from the loft and connect a plug with the bad circuit to a plug with a good circuit.. After this he should give us a certificate.
Even he did a good job with CU, he did a bad one with testing the circuits.

 

[Gina]

As mentioned.. "FuseBox" is a brand of consumer unit..

To my knowledge they are perfectly good and compliant will all current wiring regulations, (BS7671).
I have used "FuseBox" consumer units myself for some of my customers...

You have individual RCBO's per circuit... which is Good!
You have a surge protection device... which is Good!

(There are cheaper less compliant options that use RCD's to protect multiple MCB's)

So my initial gut instincts would suggest that your electrician has tried to provide a perfectly acceptable consumer unit,
with all protective devices applicable at the time of installation.

What we really need to see now is a copy of the electrical certificate that should be issued for ALL consumer unit replacements?

Just a mention to 'You have individual RCBO's per circuit... which is Good!', on the same RCBO I saw 2 circuits, the trouble/bad one and the good circuit. The electrician disconnected the trouble one and used a safety, and left only the good circuit connected to the RCBO.
If the ground shows 99 on the device which the electrician used to test, a clip which you would hold the end wire in and than look at the electronic screen for numbers (after the problem appear, not sure if he did same testing before, when he installed the CU last month), that means is a problem, right? The live and neutral were 0.45 or close to zero anyway.
Thank you many times.

 

[Murdoch]

You do not have 2 circuits coming off a RCBO.

The RCBO is the beginning of the circuit - you don't count the number of cables

What rating is the RCBO?

 

[Gina]

You do not have 2 circuits coming off a RCBO.

The RCBO is the beginning of the circuit - you don't count the number of cables

What rating is the RCBO?

There are 2 circuits, as the electrician disconnected one from the tripping point and left the working one connected. Where I find the rating?

You do not have 2 circuits coming off a RCBO.

The RCBO is the beginning of the circuit - you don't count the number of cables

What rating is the RCBO?

B32 at number/position 2 RCBO, if that is what are you asking? Inside there are 2 circuits, one disconnected as it's the tripping circuit and one connected and working. I would take of the RCBO to take a photo, of course I would turn it off first but I just don't know if it's easy to take off and put it back in again. So, inside of this RCBO are 6 cables, of which 3 are disconnected now. Thank you Murdoch

 

[Murdoch]

What you describe is a ring final circuit, so if he’s disconnected one leg at the board, that would suggest he’s disconnected it at a socket too.

when is he coming back ?

and why don’t you ask him about this ?

 

[Mike P]

Or, its an open circuit ring and he has disconnected the half circuit with the fault on!!

 

[Gina]

I forgot he sent me some photos .. I will ask him what he did and what I learnt here, the feedback from electricians here.

 

[Mike P]

Well it looks a tidy job. This must have been before the electrician started on the faulty cct 2!

 

[Gina]

Or, its an open circuit ring and he has disconnected the half circuit with the fault on!!

Well it looks a tidy job. This must have been before the electrician started on the faulty cct 2!

The electrician did some other jobs like changing a few sockets, switches, 16 spot lights for 3 days, than he did the fuse box on the forth and some on the fifth day. If he checked the circuits and all the checks I don't know. As other electricians here said, he should have test the house first, before any job, find the faults, and give us a quote on the fixing the faults.. he didn't do this way, and as we already see problems with a circuit, he did not do proper testing if he didn't find that fault. Now with new floors, we don't really want to take them out to fix cables! So, we will see.. as other electricians siggested, we could get another electrician to test and see a second opinion. We'll see..
The important thing is not only to be tidy but also what goes (e.g. wires/circuits) in it to be functional.
Thank you everyone for the brain storming. I came here to find other opinions, as I cannot trust the electrician now, as he would say anything to get himself out clean.

 

[Mike P]

As Murdoch has said. cct 2 is a final ring circuit. He has obviously started fault finding, so you obviously get him back or get another spark to find the faulty point in the circuit. It just needs a bit of time to track the cables and find the offending area. I would also suggest when you have sorted the fault that you arrange for someone to fit some trunking to protect the cables by the Fuse Box.

 

[Gina]

As Murdoch has said. cct 2 is a final ring circuit. He has obviously started fault finding, so you obviously get him back or get another spark to find the faulty point in the circuit. It just needs a bit of time to track the cables and find the offending area. I would also suggest when you have sorted the fault that you arrange for someone to fit some trunking to protect the cables by the Fuse Box.

Tracking cables is too late now as we fitted new floors...the electrician knew we will have new floors, still he didn't do proper checking as the problem occurred before the floors, he came and said he checked and it's ok, than the floor guys had tripping as well.. electrician came next day, but the floors where the circuit is were already covered. I don't know really what to say about the electrician not looking into this circuit when the matter was raised and of course why not finding it faulty when he fitted the consumer unit; he just didn't check properly. Knowing this now, we are worried about everything else, if it's ok.

 

[Sharpend]

It is possible to trace and check the cables with the floor down, it may be a little more difficult to replace if damaged part at through.
A person who is good at determining what the readings on the meter are saying is required, if the electrician only records the results but does not understand them then they are not best placed to advise.

Many faults of this mature are a result of human error or faulty appliances, unless you have a vermin problem.

 

[binky]

Tracking cables is too late now as we fitted new floors...the electrician knew we will have new floors, still he didn't do proper checking as the problem occurred before the floors, he came and said he checked and it's ok, than the floor guys had tripping as well.. electrician came next day, but the floors where the circuit is were already covered. I don't know really what to say about the electrician not looking into this circuit when the matter was raised and of course why not finding it faulty when he fitted the consumer unit; he just didn't check properly. Knowing this now, we are worried about everything else, if it's ok.

makes you wonder if it's a cable just under the floorboards, or possibly a nail just touching the cable that moves with people walking up and down.

As it is suppossed to be a ring, it should be possible to identify and isolate the faulty length of cable and split the circuit into 2 separate radial ccts, RCBO will need changing to 20Amp and not left on 32Amp.

 

[Murdoch]

OP . Ask your spark. We are only guessing