We've all done it, in many cases more times than we would care to admitSo there I was at the weekend, re-routing the cable supplying the boiler FCU. Turned off the MCB for the circuit, removed the cable, taped up the cpc - not going to catch me out with that touching N and tripping the RCD, no sir. Touched the N to a water pipe.
However, when we do admit it, I suppose that we may open ourself up to criticism for working on a circuit which was not 'properly isolated' - certainly in a TT installation, perhaps otherwise!
In the absence of any explicit DP 'isolators', the main switch in a CU, or a DP RCD (and any CU ought to have at least one of those, if not both), would often provide a means of isolating both L&N, but usually only at the expense/inconvenience of de-engergising circuits in addition to the one on which one was working - so I'm not sure how often that will actually be done in the real world.
Indeed - but I've never really understood the reason for that, particularly given that the installation's 'earth' take-off will obviously always be upstream of the isolator. Am I missing a good reason for not isolating the neutral?
I guess they must have their reason, but I don't really understand what you're suggesting. Once one has disconnected the installation's L, there won't be any current flowing in the installation's N (even if, upstream of the meter, some current is flowing from supply N via bonding to earth), so I can't see how disconnecting the N could then possibly cause any voltage change, anywhere!
Don't you worry, either - most of us have done that one, tooDon't worry. I nipped a supply neutral while screwing back an FCU today. So annoying. First time I've nipped a wire in years
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