AC series-wiring special dimmer switch/remote control, but lights no longer come on

[endecotp]

I have always felt what feels like 50v on the backbox (similar to an old telephone ring voltage).

Simply not being earthed would not result in that sort of tingling, unless you're greatly exagerating with the telephone comparison.
That needs to be investigated.

Read up on "mainteance free junction boxes".

Do you have RCD protection in the consumer unit?

 

[carl0s]

It was a slight tingle. I presumed it was leakage from the twin+earth (red/red/earth) that feeds the lightswitch. I could feel it just before on the earth of that cable until I reconnected the earths. I've always felt a slight buzz on the metal dimmer switch face but it was hard to tell if it was an electricity buzz or if it was just friction from my finger. it was very subtle.

Maybe it was more like 30 - 40v. It was a definite tingle, just only slightly unnerving. I suppose a phone ring voltage is a bit more of a jolt, while this was like the finger equivalent of a very flat 9v battery on the tongue. Say a weak 3v lithium coin cell on the tonque

I realise that damaged wire sat on top of copper pipes that run to all my radiators and taps is a very bad thing and intend to have it looked at. If I could pinpoint the chunky white wire as being old/unused though then that'd obviously mitigate the risk of that cable at least. I was gonna buy a current clamp but I now realise it'd show zero anyway if around both conductors

In terms of RCD... you're not gonna like this. I have the old pull out fuses with wire on them. A couple of them have drop-in MCB type things in there but the lights are just on a fusey thing. i really don't think a full rewire is on the cards any time soon. Solid oak flooring and what not.

 

[carl0s]

Light switch / Remote touch panel is working a treat now BTW. Thanks

 

[endecotp]

Let me make some honest observations about your competence:

1. You had previously got a shock (or "tingle" as you called it) from the backbox but rather than investigating and fixing that urgently you're spending your time fitting these wireless colour-changing thingies. That's not the right priorities.

2. You think it's "obviously" right to join the two earth wires together, but consider this; one of them is perhaps at 50V for some unknown reason and you don't actually know where the other one goes. For all you know/knew it might not be connected to real earth either, so now MORE of your house could be at 50V - maybe your bath or your boiler or something.

Clearly you have some understanding of electrics, but a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. I'm sure you'd have no trouble at all working on a "known good" installation, but when things are known to be bodged then you need to exercise a great deal of care. In particular, you need to thorougly understand the problem (i.e. know where all the wires go!) before you change or "fix" anything.

I'm sure you're not going to stop, but do be cautious and continue to post here so people can advise. Some of the answers will take a tone that you may not like but they are worth reading anyway, as most people do basically know what they're talking about.

Not having RCD makes things significantly worse. Is there someone else in the house who will call an ambulance if something goes wrong? (Serious question. I live alone and there is stuff that I don't do because of that.)

 

[carl0s]

Let me make some honest observations about your competence:

1. You had previously got a shock (or "tingle" as you called it) from the backbox but rather than investigating and fixing that urgently you're spending your time fitting these wireless colour-changing thingies. That's not the right priorities.

2. You think it's "obviously" right to join the two earth wires together, but consider this; one of them is perhaps at 50V for some unknown reason and you don't actually know where the other one goes. For all you know/knew it might not be connected to real earth either, so now MORE of your house could be at 50V - maybe your bath or your boiler or something.

Clearly you have some understanding of electrics, but a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. I'm sure you'd have no trouble at all working on a "known good" installation, but when things are known to be bodged then you need to exercise a great deal of care. In particular, you need to thorougly understand the problem (i.e. know where all the wires go!) before you change or "fix" anything.

I'm sure you're not going to stop, but do be cautious and continue to post here so people can advise. Some of the answers will take a tone that you may not like but they are worth reading anyway, as most people do basically know what they're talking about.

Not having RCD makes things significantly worse. Is there someone else in the house who will call an ambulance if something goes wrong? (Serious question. I live alone and there is stuff that I don't do because of that.)

Well, I did query the tingle.. My dad didn't think he could feel it. But then he can never hear whistles whines and rattles either!

What you've written there is very fair and I take it on board and appreciate it actually. If I can find a known honest / trustworthy electrician then I'll get someone to have a look at making it all proper. There's oak flooring in the main bedroom (it's only a 2 up 2 down), but maybe they can still do something. I would like a proper consumer unit type thing. i'd show you a picture of what's here, but you'll all be in shock Ok.. i'll do it.. here it comes..

 

[endecotp]

The sort of tingle you're describing sounds like leakage through some sort of electronic device.
I don't think the capacitive coupling in 2-3 m. of twin-and-earth would be enough to notice in that way, though I haven't done the experiment.

 

[carl0s]

Oh the irony.. my dad bought me that book..

 

[oldbutnotdead]

That all looks a bit shoddy. Messy for starters (never a good sign having cables randomly draped), real concern is what looks like a bit of 2.5mm T & E in parallel with the main tails (heading towards the black fused breaker on the left). Did the survey mention poor electrics when you bought the place (or was it the normal weasal we advise you engage a specialist to assess blah blah)

There's nothing instrinsically wrong with your rewirable fuses but (from your pictures) the wiring is not in good condition and is a bit non-standard.

 

[carl0s]

That all looks a bit shoddy. Messy for starters (never a good sign having cables randomly draped), real concern is what looks like a bit of 2.5mm T & E in parallel with the main tails (heading towards the black fused breaker on the left). Did the survey mention poor electrics when you bought the place (or was it the normal weasal we advise you engage a specialist to assess blah blah)

There's nothing instrinsically wrong with your rewirable fuses but (from your pictures) the wiring is not in good condition and is a bit non-standard.

Those on the left.. the top white/grey 30A MBC seems to run the kitchen mains sockets. The one below seems to run all the other plug sockets in the house, except the conservatory. That's from a quick on/off test anyway.

With it being my first house and on my own, money was tight so I had the bare-essentials of survey. i really needed a house, and this one had a double garage (a rarity in my price range)

 

[oldbutnotdead]

Yerse- the feed for that assemblage on the left (the black and grey boxes) is deeply inadequate. The only fuse protecting that bit of cable is the DNO fuse (the one before the meter)- that piece of T & E could be glowing red and that fuse will not blow. You're also pushing your luck if all the sockets in the house are running off that one piece of 2.5mm- wouldn't advise running any serious (greater than 2 kw) electric heaters and please god you're cooking and heating on gas.

That setup could be regularised with some Henley blocks and (ideally) a replacement CU with RCD instead of those 2 boxes (alas that's a job for a professional, but it won't be a bad idea for someone with the correct test gear and knowledge to check the wiring over given your pics). And depending on the test results it might turn quite pricey (if the person that did that bodge at the meter also wired the power sockets they might not have done much of a job)..... your house, your call.

 

[carl0s]

Thankfully no electric heaters, and the cooker isn't switched by either of those on the left, but I take your point all the same. it is dinky cable for all those mains sockets.

Going back to the disaster that is the upstairs wiring, I'm going to try to shift the multi gym another day, and lift some more boards. As a minimum for now, i can relocate the mains cables to the next strip of boards rather than on top of the CH pipes. There literally is not enough room on top of the CH pipes, and the cables have been squashed up against the U-clips and their nails.

It gets better by the way.. a couple of floor boards along, a wider flatter T & E cable (4mm ? not sure), has had a frickin' nail right through the middle of it. The nail isn't around any more, but there's a hole right through the cable.

 

[endecotp]

A lot of work needs to be done quite urgently. You need to thoroughly investigate everything, then decide what has to be done first.
You might consider immediately replacing the fuses in the two boxes on the left with lower-value ones, if they are 30A.
Do you have a tumble drier?

 

[Mikefromlondon]

forget about the wiring, it is in total shambles, unsafe, etc, at some stage sooner rather than later -please have your house rewired, but aren't you spoilt for choice of having 16 Million colours! but seriously do you know that your eye can only see about 7 colours! (LOL) makes me laught when they specify 16 million colours even on computer LCD screens, never can a human eye distinguish difference between one shade and another out by 1 digital bit, so makes me laugh these claimers! perhaphs at best you might be able to tell difference between one shade and another by a factor of say 10,000 digital bits, so 16 million would equate to about 16 hundred different shades, that is a lot for human eye to resolute.

 

[carl0s]

A lot of work needs to be done quite urgently. You need to thoroughly investigate everything, then decide what has to be done first.
You might consider immediately replacing the fuses in the two boxes on the left with lower-value ones, if they are 30A.
Do you have a tumble drier?

Hmmm, yeah. Erm not a tumble drier as such. I have a washer drier - the condensing type or whatever they call them. It doesn't use much power to dry.
1.6Kw when drying

 

[carl0s]

forget about the wiring, it is in total shambles, unsafe, etc, at some stage sooner rather than later -please have your house rewired, but aren't you spoilt for choice of having 16 Million colours! but seriously do you know that your eye can only see about 7 colours! (LOL) makes me laught when they specify 16 million colours even on computer LCD screens, never can a human eye distinguish difference between one shade and another out by 1 digital bit, so makes me laugh these claimers! perhaphs at best you might be able to tell difference between one shade and another by a factor of say 10,000 digital bits, so 16 million would equate to about 16 hundred different shades, that is a lot for human eye to resolute.

I hear ya, but I was sick of dimmer switches dying on me. This gets around that. the transformer + 2.4ghz receiver + LED driver is all supplied with the bulb. They are good as white colour temperature (cool white to warm white), and dimming. Colours are rarely used.

Seriously. I have been through a lot of GU10 LED bulbs, and these 6w downlights blow them all away. they're a very shallow fit too. drivers included, wireless control. A little bit like Philips Hue, but they are one-way-communications, so in effect you control room by room, rather than bulb by bulb, and there are no 'scenes' or presets that you can save or anything. and the included remote control looks like a kids toy.. hence the start of this discussion!