Picture Of The Week! (Apologies To RF)

[securespark]

 

[Steve]

Did anything trip?

As well as the exposed live with scorches on it, the terminations on the left side are poorly made. But at least theres earth sleeving!

 

[oharaf]

The insulation doesn't look to clever!!!

What is the fcu? supplying?

 

[oharaf]

Hard to tell, but the back box looks as if it is earthed and the twin cable has no earth!!!!

 

[securespark]

It's not an FCU.

Steve: yes, the MCB and the RCD.

 

[oharaf]

Looks to be some scorching on the neutral on the left as well.

Caused by the live on the right? Short!! hence the MCB tripping?

Ant the earth sleeving on the right looks a bit charred? hence RCD tripping?

Is it a 20A isolator??

 

[jockspark]

hi the cable looks to have been nipped by the top lug.
on a 4 lug box i always remove or bend flat the bottom and top lug

 

[oharaf]

well spot jock

 

[securespark]

It's a ceiling flush-mounted 45A isolator for a 10.8kW shower.

The box is 25mm & has no grommets.

A lug did indeed damage the conductor's insulation, but not the live: the neutral of the 4mm² T&E is nicked by the lug.

The damage to the live of the other cable was caused by cramming that lot into the 25mm box & catching the insulation on the edge of the grommetless (is that a word?!) back box.

The CSA of the other cable? 2.5mm²...

 

[oharaf]

You know I hummed about it being a pull cord for a shower but then the angle of your pic convinced me it was in a wall!!!!!

And niavely i didnt think any egit could attempt to wire a shower in2.5mm.

So a right cockup of a job SS

 

[securespark]

If you think the electrical side is bad, consider the joinery!

The box is flush-mounted on a joist then the holes for cable access are drilled vertically through the joists. That corner you see in the piccy is the supporting wall for the joist. How much is that joist weakened by??

 

[ColJack]

you got the start of some of that green goop going on as well be the looks of it? on the neutral on the left?

 

[electronicsuk]

The CSA of the other cable? 2.5mm²...

Did it ever work and, if so, how long had it been in use for? The cable looks to have held up remarkably well under such a load.

 

[securespark]

Yes, it did work! In fact, because I was nosy enough to see if it would, I cleared the LE fault & fired it up.

It ran quite happily, although the 2,5 got quite warm. I did not have a digi thermo with me so could not measure surface temp.

 

[sjwkmje]

Yes, it did work! In fact, because I was nosy enough to see if it would, I cleared the LE fault & fired it up.

It ran quite happily, although the 2,5 got quite warm. I did not have a digi thermo with me so could not measure surface temp.

The company I worked for last gave us all thermocuples for our Fluke meters with built in temp, 179 model I think. We could never work out why we needed them and hardly used it. I measured temps on a few undersized sub main cable cores for my own intrest but that was all. Apparently we were supposed to be checking the CPDs were running at the correct temps, XLPE 90deg etc. Supposed having one of those meters on you could come in handy for times like that.

Adam