Recent content by SimonH2

It's the stepping stone to rationing by price - the email says so if you read between the lines. With current policies, the only way the grid won't collapse when renewables let it down is to "manage" demand to match changes in supply. There already exist tariffs where industrial users can be...

But, AIUI, it's unmadeup ground level. So if the ground level has been built up - e.g. by levelling up the garden using soil excavated during building - then you have to use the original ground level. In some cases, that could be interesting - that applies to us as some of the garden is not the...

I was expecting a different tale there. Slightly related, my late dad had a story of going to a site (joinery workshop) where they sometimes struggled to start one machine. It turned out they were missing one phase, but with multiple machines running, generated it internally. All was fine for...

No, it just means that instead of the cores lining up nicely with the pins, they have to be physically crossed to reach the right pins. One way round will be slightly easier, the other will also work, but needs a little more work. It's very marginal with a 3-pin XLR and a single screened pair...

The fact that you can unplug it from the wall socket and ... IF the inverter fails to shut down, then you'll have live pins. While I'm sure it wasn't the reason they had in mind, there are practical reasons for pulling cables the same way. Thinking mic cables & XLR connectors, the lay of the...

They'll react the same way as if they were in the next socket on the wall. So that's no reason not to use an extension.

And then goes on to say that you can get extension cables for the job. There's no such thing as a "standard" household extension cable - there are many different types with different ratings. Other than leaving one coiled up, then provided it has the right fuse it shouldn't be possible to...

Or make brackets that fit on the bolts, but are either flat against the panel (so screw them to the back of the batten before fitting to the bolt), or parallel to the panel but spaced a batten thickness off (but then tightening the bolt/nut will be "difficult.)

Yes. All the meters are (in theory) connected to one network*, read by one company, and the reading stored in a massive database. The suppliers then get access to the readings for customers they supply. It all looks like a prime target for hackers, but we're all assured that it's totally...

There are different types of SPD - some are single (i.e. L or N to earth, and you need two devices), some are two way (L to earth and N to earth), some are three way (L-E, N-E, and L-N.) Also, depending on the rating, the components will be different sizes - so a higher capacity type may be...

There is another way. I once did this to work out how the house was wired (i.e. where the RFC ran from socket to socket). To be honest, for a few sockets, quicker to just reterminate them all. WITH THE POWER OFF, drop the CPC (earth wire) ends at the CU, use a 12V battery and light (e.g, I...

Yet another example of a tester who doesn't know how to complete the report correctly. The observation should be that the switches are not suitably rated given the rating of the MCB feeding the circuit. The inspector could then add that "one way" of correcting it would be to change the switches...

PLEASE NOTE: Just because a wire is black, it does NOT make it a neutral. It is (based on the discussion) likely that one of the black wires is actually a switched live - and should have been sleeved red when installed, would be blue sleeved brown these days.) If you treat all black wires as...

Indeed, and if the seller lies when filling out that form, then that can come back to bite them - in very expensive ways. If they don't admit that the CU was changed, then that's falsifying the information on the form. For transactions typically involving hundreds of £k, you really don't want...

He's asking about permitted development - as it's less than (IIRC) 2m from the boundary, then height limits apply. It's something I've looked into as I'm planning a (smaller) shed/workshop which will be right up to the boundary. According to...