Dodgy trade pictures for your amusement! - 1 Million Views!

[Dave OCD]

It would have been pre colour changes I expect from a 3 phase db with blue being the phase colour supplying that particular circuit.

 

[brianmoooore]

are you sure it wasn't black line and blue neutral?

That's the way around I'd expect. We changed to blue because it was the most common neutral colour, and away from black as neutral because it was used as live in some countries, as it is now in the UK.

 

[Dave OCD]

It all depends on the age of the install, which we don't yet know.

 

[123]

That's the way around I'd expect. We changed to blue because it was the most common neutral colour, and away from black as neutral because it was used as live in some countries, as it is now in the UK.

And what a well thought out move that was. Would have been far better keeping it as it was.

 

[nicebutdim]

Worked in a large government building where majority of lighting was wired in blue, black and earth single, blue being phase and black neutral. The sheer amount of fittings with reverse polarity was scary.

Had similar last week. Building from around 2000, with emergency lighting using black for neutral, red switched live and blue permanent live. Strange thing was this was all in some sort of shielded flex, so I couldn't understand why these colours were present.

 

[MJPD29]

are you sure it wasn't black line and blue neutral?

most fittings can work reversed.... its just when line somehow gets connected to cpc that things get tricky... as the upside down sticker in the picture would could lead to

I thought it was originally but traced it back to find the circuits wired in red, yellow, blue singles with black neutral. All fittings had been changed to led and working with reversed polarity. Only realised when we went to test.

 

[Dave OCD]

Ah old Dave guessed correctly.

 

[MJPD29]

Had similar last week. Building from around 2000, with emergency lighting using black for neutral, red switched live and blue permanent live. Strange thing was this was all in some sort of shielded flex, so I couldn't understand why these colours were present.

That's a strange one. Was there a yellow in it or just red/black/blue?

 

[nicebutdim]

That's a strange one. Was there a yellow in it or just red/black/blue?

Red, black, blue & green/yellow, with shielding.

Was thinking maybe a yellow core had been cut back, but I'd changed a load of fittings and don't remember any signs of another core.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Was it the wasps or the mice that eat the phone cable?

Ahh photo too large for the server to process.

 

[littlespark]

Ahh photo too large for the server to process.

I screenshot a phone photo, then crop out the extra screen… reduces the picture enough to be under the size limit.

Or crop the original.??

 

[LewisM]

Was it the wasps or the mice that eat the phone cable?

Ahh photo too large for the server to process.

You can use an image compressor such as Easily compress images at optimal quality in seconds. - https://www.iloveimg.com/compress-image

To reduce the file size

 

[Mike Johnson]

Was it the wasps or the mice that eat the phone cable?

Ahh photo too large for the server to process.

Thanks guys.

 

[happysteve]

Mural wiring... looks legit

Wait, what?

A call to WPD National Grid, and 2 hours later...

 

[happysteve]

Can't really blame the workmanship or materials in this case. On the end of the 4-way extension lead was a small heater, a chest freezer, a fridge and yes, you've guessed it, a tumble dryer. I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did.

 

[timhoward]

Making sure….respect to the sparks who went the extra mile!

 

[brianmoooore]

Making sure….respect to the sparks who went the extra mile!
View attachment 107048

Probably a lathe and plaster wall. I've used every screw hole available on many occasions, plus a bit of adhesive on the back.

 

[timhoward]

Probably a lathe and plaster wall. I've used every screw hole available on many occasions, plus a bit of adhesive on the back.

Exactly this - only two of them were actually doing anything. This house has a mixture of L+P, L+P with plasterboard on top, and in one case L+P ceiling with OSB board and then ceiling-board which made fishing delightful fun...

 

[pc1966]

Probably a lathe and plaster wall. I've used every screw hole available on many occasions, plus a bit of adhesive on the back.

I absolutely hate lath & plaster.

Nothing to do with my parents house, my flat, and my sister's house all having the damn stuff and needing odd jobs done over the past few decades

 

[nicebutdim]

Exactly this - only two of them were actually doing anything. This house has a mixture of L+P, L+P with plasterboard on top, and in one case L+P ceiling with OSB board and then ceiling-board which made fishing delightful fun...

Just rewired a house in which old tongue & groove timber was directly behind plasterboard on ceilings and stud walls. An absolute pleasure to work with.

 

[123]

Making sure….respect to the sparks who went the extra mile!
View attachment 107048

Is it upside down or not?

 

[mainline]

Is it upside down or not?

Yes

 

[Dave OCD]

Yes

No it's not cos the MK logo and list no. are the right way up.

 

[mainline]

No it's not cos the MK logo and list no. are the right way up.

Ahh but to what did I say yes

 

[Raptor0014]

Call out today as a light switch kept tripping the MCB of the circuit. So after finishing another job I called in on my way home.

I'm surmising that some hamfisted clod has knocked a nail or screw through the cable and it's failed over time. 2 of the 3 conductors had a short when IR testing.

Replaced the 2gang switch then had to go old school to pull a new piece of 3C&E through to make a temp fix. Told them they need to find where the leak is in the property and stop that before I do anything else. The back box has almost disintegrated and the wall and ceiling are damp to touch. So will be back to fit new capping and back box once they have sorted that out.

 

[mainline]

Call out today as a light switch kept tripping the MCB of the circuit. So after finishing another job I called in on my way home.

I'm surmising that some hamfisted clod has knocked a nail or screw through the cable and it's failed over time. 2 of the 3 conductors had a short when IR testing.

Replaced the 2gang switch then had to go old school to pull a new piece of 3C&E through to make a temp fix. Told them they need to find where the leak is in the property and stop that before I do anything else. The back box has almost disintegrated and the wall and ceiling are damp to touch. So will be back to fit new capping and back box once they have sorted that out.

View attachment 107162View attachment 107160View attachment 107159View attachment 107161

And maybe a MF enclosure, you do get some lovely work though

 

[Raptor0014]

And maybe a MF enclosure, you do get some lovely work though

The MF enclosure is what I put in when I pulled the new bit of cable through.

 

[mainline]

The MF enclosure is what I put in when I pulled the new bit of cable through.

The wago light box isn't mf though just saying

 

[Raptor0014]

The wago light isn't mf ?

Ah, I misinterpreted what you meant. Yes I know it's not a permanent solution. They may have to replace the ceiling plasterboard so I am waiting to see what happens as I may just run a new complete section of cable.

 

[mainline]

Ah, I misinterpreted what you meant. Yes I know it's not a permanent solution. They may have to replace the ceiling plasterboard so I am waiting to see what happens as I may just run a new complete section of cable.

With the amount of water/damp they could do with a gel box

 

[TannedITGeek]

I absolutely hate lath & plaster.

Nothing to do with my parents house, my flat, and my sister's house all having the damn stuff and needing odd jobs done over the past few decades

Yes, my house is still full of Lath and Plaster. Bloody awful stuff. One day I will smash it all out..!

 

[brianmoooore]

One day I will smash it all out..!

I spent a few weeks of the recent 'lock downs' doing just that. Ceilings, walls, the lot. Not a bit left.

 

[mainline]

Think I found out why your immersion heater isn't working.

 

[Raptor0014]

Call out today as the RCD had tripped and wouldn't stay on. Narrowed it down to a circuit supplying a garden pond pump & shed. Traced the circuit and found this switch with a rather wet wall behind. Wish I had recorded the amount of water that came out when I undid the first screw.

Isolated the switch for now and drilled 2 x 4mm holes in the bottom to stop it filling up again and tripping the RCD. Will be back to put it all into a weather proof enclosure and route the cabling better to stop water tracking into it.

 

[mainline]

Looked like a decent job, apart from the fact it didn't last as long as the label ( ° ͜ʖ͡°) .

 

[Raptor0014]

To be honest it was a decent job. It’s the wall has started to allow water ingress (it’s in a garage) and it’s tracked down the cable and through the screws.

They’ve got bigger issues to sort now to stop the water seeping through.

 

[timhoward]

The point a 30% EICR turns into check absolutely everything....

 

[Simon47]

But we all know that thin foil is a very good fuse ... just not too good at specifying the rating.

 

[brianmoooore]

But we all know that thin foil is a very good fuse ... just not too good at specifying the rating.

Worked in the (13A) plug on my 180A oil filled arc welder for 30 years without any problems.

 

[SparkySy]

Worked in the (13A) plug on my 180A oil filled arc welder for 30 years without any problems.

Still not as high a capacity as the 6mm bolt in the plug on a farm I found recently!

 

[brianmoooore]

Still not as high a capacity as the 6mm bolt in the plug on a farm I found recently!

Now that is silly and dangerous. All that was required was a sufficiently high rating to cope with the spiky 25A odd maximum welding current and the Lord knows what inrush that temporarily extinguished every fluorescent lamp on the place.

 

[SparkySy]

I totally agree highly dangerous, it was on a home made extension lead with a 32a socket on the end for 'Welding round the farm' it had packed up with a large pop apparently and took out the sockets mcb.
I told them it had its last welder plugged in and was only good for the scrap bin!

 

[mainline]

But we all know that thin foil is a very good fuse ... just not too good at specifying the rating.

Wrapping tin foil around a fuse is totally wrong.
A suitably sized brass bolt is far better.

 

[ipf]

But we all know that thin foil is a very good fuse ... just not too good at specifying the rating.

If you wrap the tin foil round twice it'll double the BU rating though.....won't it?

(Burn Up rating)

 

[Simon47]

Worked in the (13A) plug on my 180A oil filled arc welder for 30 years without any problems.

Is there a farm that didn't have one of those (Pickhill Bantam is one name I remember) ?
At one of the farms I worked at in my youth, they had need to run one some distance from a socket - so extension lead, and obligatory 1/4" bolts to replace the annoying fuses that would otherwise blow. I wasn't there to see it happen, but I saw it afterwards ...
Fairly decent quality 13A rubber trailing socket and plug - both opened up like a peeled back banana with blobs of brass on the ends of the wires. Of course, this was long before we all carried mobile phones with cameras on them.

 

[brianmoooore]

Is there a farm that didn't have one of those (Pickhill Bantam is one name I remember) ?

Pickhill Bantam was the blue one, and the other was Oxford, in a tasteful shade of light green metallic.
Mine's now in semi retirement, having been replaced for most things by a Mig, but still comes out occasionally when there's heavy stuff to be welded. Fitted with a blue 32A plug now though, and doesn't trip out a 30mA RCD.

 

[Simon47]

Ah yes, the Oxford.
Weren't some of these oil filled units "a bit dodgy" in that if you mishandled them (no, that would never happen on a farm !) the windings could distort and make the casing(?) or secondary live ?

 

[brianmoooore]

Ah yes, the Oxford.
Weren't some of these oil filled units "a bit dodgy" in that if you mishandled them (no, that would never happen on a farm !) the windings could distort and make the casing(?) or secondary live ?

Can't remember the details, but mine shorted live to case once. Several bolts around the top to undo, then I lifted the innards out of the oil with an engine crane. Whatever was wrong was obvious, easily sorted and hasn't happened again.

 

[mainline]

Oxford 250 mig welder, the best welder I've ever had, sorry I sold it.

 

[DPG]

Oxford 250 mig welder, the best welder I've ever had, sorry I sold it.

Did you post it?