Picture of the week!™

[RF Lighting]

Well folks, it's that time of the week again!

I got called back to a job this week. It is a socket circuit I installed about 12 months ago.

The customer said the RCBO was tripping maybe every two or three days, so I got out my MFT and set to work. The RCBO tested out absoloutly fine, so started to IR test.

I got readings of >200 megohms on P-N and N-E. P-E was reading around 35 megohms.

As the circuit was new(ish) and the IR readings were all >1000 megohms when it was first installed, I set to it, breaking the circuit down, and found that both legs of the ring to one socket had low IR readings.

Here's what I found in the crawl space under the floor

Untitled

• RF Lighting
• 19 Jul 2008
• 5

Mmmm yummy live cables

 

[comms]

Never fails to amaze me how the little feckers dont get fried.

 

[breezer]

bet owner none too happy when you showed cause

 

[rssteve]

is the cable just chucked in there

 

[Taylortwocities]

It was me....

 

[timtheenchanter]

wonder if its the same little blighter that had my shower cable, TWICE!

 

[securespark]

Can't see your piccy, Rob!!

 

[Lectrician]

Could earlier, but it has gone......

Odd, as it was DIYNOT hosted?

 

[securespark]

Cue twilight zone musak...

 

[RF Lighting]

Yep it was hosted on DIYnot.

I'll upload it onto photobucket if it hasn't reappeared by tomorrow

 

[flyingsparks]

Excuse me if Im being stupid but why was the RCBO tripping if you had readings of +200 and 35Meg?

 

[Spark123]

Mickey mouse might have been nibbling it when the RCD tripped

 

[securespark]

Good point..like the mouse's teeth...

 

[plugwash]

Excuse me if Im being stupid but why was the RCBO tripping if you had readings of +200 and 35Meg?

My guess would be that there was some form of movement causing it to short intermittantly.

 

[Lectrician]

Excuse me if Im being stupid but why was the RCBO tripping if you had readings of +200 and 35Meg?

It wasn't when Rob was there.....The readings just give a clue, as you expect better from a new circuit.

A little bit of damp, a little bit of debris, the mouse......all could cause it to trip.