Earth is reading 10v when tested

[kentmonkey]

I can try but as I say it's 9-10 feet up a wall and even with the ladder I have, I'm on tip-toes to reach it. I can try with a camera though and see what comes out.

Why so high up, is it a overhead supply or is yours part of a set of terrace property with a railway line of cables serving each property via the same height and position?

Is the board with the house fuses wire style or switch?

The more detail you give the better. When do you think the property last had major electrical work?

It's a semi but it's in the country and is served via overhead supply with the supply coming in at the same height for each property.

It's a board with switches. It looks like the board was upgraded when they had the extension done in about 1995, but how much upgrading was done I'm not sure.

As I say our lights flicker a bit and the survey said 'the electrics would benefit from modernisation', but the surveyor was appalling, missed loads of things (even though we paid for the top survey) and in the end I negotiated an out-of-court settlement with them due to their incompetence so I wouldn't be at all surprised if he even bothered checking the electrics, such was the nonsense in the rest of his report.

 

[Aragorn84]

doesnt seem very safe that you need a ladder and tiptoes to isolate the supply should an emergency situation emerge?!

 

[JohnW2]

The fuse board is, the meter is further down (eye level). Can I take a photo of the meter, would that suffice?

Ah. Yes, in the first instance, a photo of the meter and the cables (both ends) connecting that to the incoming supply would be a good start.

Kind Regards, John

 

[kentmonkey]

Exactly why I wanted to get a leccie in next year when I've saved up to get it moved and updated if necessary (I'm assuming we're looking at hundreds for that, hence the saving part). I'd assume with my lights going up and down, albeit in small amounts, that something needs updating.

Knowing that the shower has this '10v' issue though made me wonder whether I needed to accelerate the saving and get it looked at quicker.

Will upload an image tomorrow when I'm back and able to.

 

[kentmonkey]

I don't hold up much hope for the wiring though.

In the utility room there are two wall switches, one for the tumble dryer and one for the washing machine.

The one for the tumble dryer works fine. But the one for the washing machine only works if you have the one for the tumble dryer on as well. Meaning that they must have spurred off of that. So I have to have both switches on just to use the washing machine.

The former owners had loads of money, but seem to have cut corners at every corner.

 

[viewer]

Does your neighbour have similar problems with the lights?

 

[kentmonkey]

Not according to him no. It looks like it's just us.

 

[Scoby_Beasley]

I would hazard a good guess you have a TT system. Can you see a green or green/yellow cable emerging from your house and disappearing into the ground (may even be in a cupboard somewhere!! Seen that before)? Should be attached to a metal stake.

I'd also hazard a guess that your "flickering" lights will be due to loose connections which could be anywhere on the circuit(s).

 

[ban-all-sheds]

That's a ridiculous place for a consumer unit.

I can recommend getting something like this:

Doesn't take up much room, unfolds in a trice, and makes it easy to get a few feet off the ground to reach ceiling height.

 

[Taylortwocities]

And take in lots of loverlee advice from the government on how not to fall off BAS's suggestion:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/falls/stepladders.htm

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Nothing about inappropriate clothing....

 

[kentmonkey]

Here are some (really bad, sorry) images as promised.

There appears to be one cable coming in (there's one line coming in from the upstairs of the garage, down to the meter, encased in black rubber I think, or plastic. Quite thick. Then it comes out of the meter, as separate cables, up to the fuse box).



View media item 52637 View media item 52636

 

[kentmonkey]

Also could the lights 'up/down' issue be due to lack of power?

When we turn the shower on, the spotlights in the kitchen dim. Not just dim then come back up, they dim, for the entirety of the shower, until it's turned off and they return to full brightness. I'd say they lose about 10% light, possibly slightly more.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Here are some (really bad, sorry) images as promised.

There appears to be one cable coming in (there's one line coming in from the upstairs of the garage, down to the meter, encased in black rubber I think, or plastic. Quite thick. Then it comes out of the meter, as separate cables, up to the fuse box).

The left hand picture. It shows the black box to the left of the meter. That is the cable head. We need a picture of the bottom of that, where the main cable comes into that (big black thick cable).
Need to see how that cable is terminated, and if there are any earth cables attached to it, and how.

No need to rush, take your time..........

 

[kentmonkey]

Cool, I'll do that tomorrow with a better torch. I tried to get a picture of that but it was too dark with just the iPod light.

I don't think it shows anything though, from memory it was just a thick cable and no sign of the cables inside, but I'll check again tomorrow.