Recent content by boringoldcodger

I believe that should say: fatallyflawed dot org dot uk On my MK sockets (all at least 20 years old) the shutters aren't pushed down by the earth pin but they rotate (one goes up, the other goes down) when the Line and Neutral pins are pushed in. Does anyone know if MK still make them like that?

To this diyer, that sounds like balancing is needed.

No, both switches (1 on first floor, 1 on third) have to be (what's known as) 2-way switches. Has this ever worked as you want it to, or is this an enhancement?

I suppose they might have been frightened of blowing the fuse with so many sockets on the load.

If you google (other search engines are available) "retractive pull cord switch" you should find some.

I live in an area where normality is to have the gutter inside the parapet wall as in your case. Some houses (but not my one) do have a (properly done) hole through the parapet wall for when the downpipe can't cope. I believe this takes some careful planning as it needs to be below the level...

I don't believe that is OK because your blanking plate will not be visible and so there won't be a safe zone above it.

Ahh, I should have said "have an inductive (rather than capacitive) component". I didn't mean to imply "purely inductive".

AIUI when we have an inductive load the current sine wave lags behind (peaks after) the voltage sine wave, but in a capacitive load the current sine wave leads (peaks before) the voltage sine wave. However most loads are inductive, any coil of wire is an inductor so transformers (e.g. taking...

Residual Current Device which you expect to find in your Consumer Unit (CU) (aka Fuse Box). The usual advice is to post a picture of the CU so that we can see all the "switches" and their labels.

One of the Pro's on here recommends bending the 2 shorter pins on the plug towards each other so that the plug can't be pushed into a socket. But, as Marty said, as long as it's unplugged it's safe.

Does the new switch have a metal faceplate? If so, you'll need to ensure that it's earthed. I believe the most conscientious way of doing it is to connect the earth wire, which is currently in the back box, to the faceplate and then have a short flylead connecting the faceplate to the backbox...

You'll need to earth the faceplate.

I believe RandomGrinch is suggesting that, as a test, you connect the Live and the Timer terminals together, also connect (via the plug) the Live terminal to 240v and the neutral terminal to 0v and see if the fan works. I wouldn't suggest having a link wire connected at 1 end to the Live...

I believe he means hold the "sharp" end of a screwdriver against the disc you want to remove and then tap (with a hammer) the handle end to knock the disc out.