If I look at the about for may of the people posting on this forum it tells me maybe how old they are and where in UK they live, I am sure there are some who do include their qualifications, but not many, we due to their answers tend to know which know what they are talking about, but only because we are also qualified. Even at work I have seldom needed to take in my qualifications, they may have looked at them in the interview, but seldom taken notes on what they are. Once one goes over level 3 one will have some letters behind ones name, however at least with mine they tell you very little as one can get same letters for many courses, so even if I include the letters, all it says is at some time I went to University, and I will admit what I learnt in Uni has very little bearing on my ability as an electrician.
It was so easy in the past to move to an allied trade, I did just that, started as a motor vehicle and bridge technician, and slowly made a sidewards move, with me while still doing my apprenticeship so I did do electrical courses in collage, but what I learnt in early 70's has little to do with what we need today, when was the last time anyone remembers topping up a dash pot, who even knows what they are?
I was sent on courses by my employer, and also did some on my own bat, and had to do a lot of reading to change for things like star/delta starters to soft starts and inverter drives, I have worked with auto transformer starters and resistor starters, but these have now long gone. Much of the design side was made easy with the use of PLC's and ASii, Probus etc. The whole trade has been transformed, and before I retired my lap top was my main tool.
I would do house bashing when I could not find an interesting well paid job, it was my fall back until around 2004 part P came in, it was simply not worth my while becoming a member of a scheme, not sure if being a member of the IET did much to help me either, but their lecturers were interesting and kept one up to date.
But I have kept an open mind, and have changed over time in view of modern innovations, the RCD for example, OK there were around in the 80's and replaced the old ELCB-v with TT supplies, but it was not until 2008 that they really started to be used for all new installations. Today we have the RDC and I am not really up to date with their use, however well aware of the problems with TN-C-S supplies.
But even before I retired we were seeing problems with 55-0-55 supplies using yellow bricks, the 64-0-64 from large three phase transformers would have overloads on the output as well as input, but the bricks were a real fire risk due to overload phase to earth being around the 42 amp mark before the 10 amp overload on input tripped.
Today it seems to be EV charging and hot tubs which are causing the problem, but how do you tell some one having a lead out of bedroom window to charge a car in the street is a problem. They have used patio heaters for years, they were class I so what is the diffrence? And I have a job explaining. I know the danger, but how to expain, to simply say don't use them is not going to work, people what to know why they should not use them, and if so dangerous why can we buy them?
And I can't explain why we are now having more reports of loss of PEN. But I no longer attend the IET leacturers. So at 72 should I stop posting? Am I past it? But most the people answering questions are around my age anyway. I know what I put in my about me, but don't know what others can read, do I seem to the non electrician to be some one who knows what he is talking about? po body is nerfect.
