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Checking electric socket if faulty
- Thread starter yartin
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You can do it.
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Interesting question. Don't need an NICEIC or NAPET qualified electrician, but as to socket tester, I use this
which will test most of what we need, it is clearly a plug in tester, but very different to 
but there are some new testers, 
still cheap, but clearly do more. I have criticised the more expensive socket tester 
where the pass mark for loop is often 1.7Ω to 1.9Ω and with a B32 MCB/RCBO the pass mark is 1.38Ω, and when you look at the definition of an electrician, it really does not help. "A person who possesses sufficient technical knowledge, relevant practical skills and experience for the nature of the electrical work undertaken and is able at all times to prevent danger and, where appropriate, injury to him/herself and others." I have wondered if someone downloaded the EICR forms from the IET and completed the form, how could, unless they admit it, show they did not have the skill?
So in real terms, anyone can use a socket tester. There was a court case "Emma Shaw" where an electricians mate did tests, and when he did not get the expected results, he fudged some up, and it was the forman who got the blame for using unskilled labour. Which did not seem fair, had he simply written down what the meter said, then the forman would have got the problem invesigated.
which will test most of what we need, it is clearly a plug in tester, but very different to but there are some new testers, still cheap, but clearly do more. I have criticised the more expensive socket tester where the pass mark for loop is often 1.7Ω to 1.9Ω and with a B32 MCB/RCBO the pass mark is 1.38Ω, and when you look at the definition of an electrician, it really does not help. "A person who possesses sufficient technical knowledge, relevant practical skills and experience for the nature of the electrical work undertaken and is able at all times to prevent danger and, where appropriate, injury to him/herself and others." I have wondered if someone downloaded the EICR forms from the IET and completed the form, how could, unless they admit it, show they did not have the skill?So in real terms, anyone can use a socket tester. There was a court case "Emma Shaw" where an electricians mate did tests, and when he did not get the expected results, he fudged some up, and it was the forman who got the blame for using unskilled labour. Which did not seem fair, had he simply written down what the meter said, then the forman would have got the problem invesigated.
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Many socket testers have this short coming.
what makes you think its faulty
Tenant thinks it could be faulty because MCB tripped once on 11/04. I had a builder doing some some work few days ago, he was testing one socket so asked him to test the rest and no fault was found, it was documented in the invoice. I sent a copy of invoice to T, they don't want to accept builder's test and want me to send an electrician. Builder had a socket tester.
The trip most likely to one of their many appliances .... or a one off event.... also there was washing machine left in the elements for 3 months and they re installed against what I told them to not to be used again, they say WM was off when tripped but still possible even when off if internally invisible water/damp shorting L and N I think?
Anyways, it's been no more trips. I did ask an electrician at the time and he said a one is fine no need to investigate at this stage.
The trip most likely to one of their many appliances .... or a one off event.... also there was washing machine left in the elements for 3 months and they re installed against what I told them to not to be used again, they say WM was off when tripped but still possible even when off if internally invisible water/damp shorting L and N I think?
Anyways, it's been no more trips. I did ask an electrician at the time and he said a one is fine no need to investigate at this stage.
I would say the only thing you can do is to get an electrician to inspect the circuit but that might not satisfy your tenant who probably doesn't understand.
The cause of random trips is very difficult to determine so a single one four weeks ago will be impossible.
The cause of random trips is very difficult to determine so a single one four weeks ago will be impossible.
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Since at least 2019 maybe before this
Has been shown again and again to try to explain the earth - neutral trip, so that washing machine does not need to run, only be left plugged in.
I would, have, given what you have said, put my insulation tester between neutral and earth pins of the washing machine, easy to show if faulty.
alternative can measure the leakage with one of these 
then unplug until reading goes down. Note it is around both neutral and live, so will show the diffrence which is leakage to earth.
Has been shown again and again to try to explain the earth - neutral trip, so that washing machine does not need to run, only be left plugged in.
I would, have, given what you have said, put my insulation tester between neutral and earth pins of the washing machine, easy to show if faulty.
alternative can measure the leakage with one of these then unplug until reading goes down. Note it is around both neutral and live, so will show the diffrence which is leakage to earth.You say the tenant has damaged the washing machine by leaving it on the balcony, and they’ll have to pay for it.
They say that the electrics have a fault and you need to pay for them to be inspected.
This sort of back-and-forth could ruin your relationship with the tenant. You need to decide whether to want to escalate or de-escalate at this point.
FWIW, a socket tester can detect various faults but not the sort of thing that would result in a single random trip. But the sort of testing that an electrician would do would quite possibly also not reveal the cause of that trip.
They say that the electrics have a fault and you need to pay for them to be inspected.
This sort of back-and-forth could ruin your relationship with the tenant. You need to decide whether to want to escalate or de-escalate at this point.
FWIW, a socket tester can detect various faults but not the sort of thing that would result in a single random trip. But the sort of testing that an electrician would do would quite possibly also not reveal the cause of that trip.
All socket testers do. There is no reliable way to distinguish earth from neutral.
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I would have thought the RCD would fail to trip in time if the earth and neutral swapped, never tested it, so maybe wrong, but would have expected problems with RCD testing if neutral and earth swapped?
*if* there is an RCD and *if* the N-E reversal is downstream of the RCD then the reversal will be pretty obvious, the "RCD test" button on the tester will likely fail to trip the RCD and conversely any significant load on the socket will trip the RCD.
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