old wylex stranded cable and an electric shock

[emphasis303]

Hi

I went to see a friend today, He needed some sockets changed, he has 2 old wylex fuseboard one for upstairs one for downstairs, so i pulled the 30amp fuses and turned it back on but still the plugs worked, so i pulled the two 15amp ones and it didnt work, checked with the lightup screwdriver and nothing.

First of all, his cable is stranded cable, so it was a hell of a job getting the cable twisted round, i think it must have been a spur as there was only one set of wires.

The second socket, I went and pulled the two 15amp fuses for upstairs and the sockets were dead check the live wire with the screwdriver and there was nothing, this i think was part of his radial as two sets of wires stranded again. So i was twisting round the live with a pair of pliers,twisting round the earth.

Then the neutral wire was stuck so i had to use my hand to undo it and as soon as I touched it I got a shock that whent through my whole body and threw me back a bit.

I am guessing that the idiot who wired this place whenever it was probably half a century a go had one of the neutrals coming from downstairs on to this one??

Not sure why this happend, I have attempted to ground my self by standing bare foot outside lool but not sure whether i need to do this further? Any suggetions about if theres anything I shud do and also how much voltage went through me?

I have told him he needs to get the whole place done as I wont do anything more on such a difficult and dangerous system.

Another thing is his neutral and earth wires are both black, the earth just had a small piece of green sleeving sort of stuck ontop of the terminal for the earth on the socket. The rubber for the wires is crumbling in my hands when i touch it so is another hazard, if you guys have any comments on this it would be great, this is the same guy i posted about his thermostat earlier, Im not even gona bother with that Ive just told him he needs to sort this asap.


Thank you very much

 

[Lectrician]

Photos?

It is likely there was a shared neutral, and you open circuited it when you split the neutral.

Common one is wall lights - Live from switch, and neutral to where is most convenient! (common fault that is!)

 

[ricicle]

1) Do not rely on a neon screwdriver to test anything.

2)In my opinion you do not sound competant to be working on any electric system

3)You are right to not touch it again and advise your friend to seek the services of a competant electrician.

 

[RF Lighting]

Depends on how well grounded you were, but you probably got a 230V (albeit neutral feedback) shock.


Another victim of a stupid lighty up screwdriver

 

[emphasis303]

the funny thing is, if i ever do any work i always check all the wires, this time i just check the live one and as I presumed the circuit was off I thought It would be.

It was my fault for not checking them all but surely if the electrician had done his job properly this wouldnt have happend?

 

[emphasis303]

I guess I should invest in a multimetre?

Or what do u think?

 

[mdbalson]

The rubber for the wires is crumbling in my hands when i touch it so is another hazard

That sounds like he has old VIR cables which are starting to break down, the best thing to is to recommend that he has a PIR done first, & then to have a rewire if the PIR recommends it, & to have his earth bonding redone as it will probally not be up to standard.

 

[RF Lighting]

but surely if the electrician had done his job properly this wouldnt have happend?

I'm sorry, but you really can't adopt that attitude.

You should test for live on ALL conductors, before working on an accessory, and then EVERY time you make / break a connection.


People do some utterly stupid things with electrics. You have to be prepared for tis.

 

[emphasis303]

thanks for the replies

I suggested that he gets an electrician in asap, and forget testing just get the whole place redone.

 

[securespark]

ANOTHER clear-cut case for always using two-pole testers!


And it's no good assuming they work, you have to check they are working on a known live source, then test for dead & check them again before trusting the circuit is dead.

Please, anyone reading this, NEVER use a volt stick or neon driver to test for dead, otherwise YOU may be.

Get a multimeter, they are not expensive. Many DIY'ers spend a small fortune on (for example) power tools. Make a small but very wise investment now that could be a potential lifesaver.

 

[emphasis303]

thanks very much for the reply securespark

First thing tmrw I am going to purchase a multimetre as this maybe could have saved me from something far worse. I agree, dont trust these neon screwdrivers, sometimes they dont pick up anything sometimes they do.

Is there anything else I shud purchase along with the multimetre?

 

[JohnD]

One of the introductory books (not being rude) and later an OSG

have a browse of //www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7553&start=0 It has some suggestions, you may find the rest of it interesting and useful too.

 

[emphasis303]

thank u very much, no i dont find it rude at all as u r trying be constructive and helpfull

I have now seen whats gone on and why i got a shock, as lectrician said it is a borrowed neutral that was there and as that circuit wasnt cut I ended up getting the shock.

Will keep reading

thank you

 

[ebee]

"I have attempted to ground my self by standing bare foot outside lool but not sure whether i need to do this further?"

This is the bit I`m trying to come to terms with!

 

[bernardgreen]

but surely if the electrician had done his job properly this wouldnt have happend?

Fatal last assumption...