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The biggest cause of accidents with semi-permanent extension leads is not electrical overload, (which shows up pretty quickly as a burning smell..)_ but un-noticed mechanical damage - flex is much softer than fixed wiring cable, and is generally 'installed' in more exposed manner than a fixed...

Usually these things only fail at one end or the other where the connections are made, and the effective cross=section for current carrying is suddenly reduced from the full diameter to one green and furry brass M3 bolt, loose or overheated or both... However, while burning the house down is...

Yes, probably. If you want to be sure, without blowing something up, measure the voltages again but with something connected in parallel with the meter to give the capacitance something to work against as a voltage divider. Either a real capcaitor (for test a few uF taken from a scrap motor...

The instructions assume you are wiring the cooker as 3 phase - 3 separate phases of <10a each would be fine on 2.5mm, and is the common way in W germany and parts of france.. However, from a single phase supply, as others have noted, all the elements could be in parallel at onjce, and a supply...

If you mean a neon indicator built into the switch, the burnt bit in the middle of the thin wire you describe is the series resistor -typically a 220k resistor is needed inseries with a little glass capsule of neon gas that glows to provide the 'iam on' indication. If it goes low reistance...

The severity of voltage drop depends on the resistance between the substation transformer and the point in your wiring where lighting and power splits - normally fixed lights are on a separate circuit so this point is at the consumer unit. A plug-in light experinces the full drop of the final...

The "50mm separation or additional insulation" rule does not normally get applied to domestic TV coaxes as the mains twin andd earth is already double insulated by its construction, and in practice there is no real danger of a double insulation fault making the coax live, even if you were to...

I on the other hand possess a wide selection of electrical and electronic test gear, and still find some occasions when hammering the screws in works a treat, particularly in softwood :D

Its OK, we have gone to bed and will respond tommorrow if you are lucky. :shock: :D :lol: Seriously, with Email and bbs like this no one waits up for you to post, so dont feel guilty. There are some night owls here. Seriously wait and see if anyone has any more thoughts tommorrow before...

Let us here at least be correct about this, and not propate the same hogwash. Absolutely No one is banned from doing any sort of domestic electrical work, it is just that non-scheme members have to notify the local building control office 48 hours before they start work. The local authority...

OK, i'll mention it. As this work involves new fixed lighting outdoors, you may wish to notify your local council, who will charge to inspect it under part P of the building regs. Or you may decide you don't give a rats fuzzy behind about subsidising the local council building control office...

Or if you would like us to try and help, and this is not a wind-up then please describe, if your existing cooker point is fed from a 30, 40 or 45 A radial, and the type of cable that feeds it, and then the rating of the new cooker in either watts or amps. From this we can tell if your existing...

Yes, safe providing suitable cable was used, routed carefully and protected against ingress of moisture. Loop supply from one lamp to the next, and use 3A fuse at the plug. I suggest the fittings will say in the instructions what lamp wattage, but looks like probably 60 or 100 watts.

There is no part P police, and as far as I know, the idea is it will be like gas work "police" i.e there is none, it rely on accidents and complaints to trading standards either by upset custmers or tiop off by other tradesmen etc to draw it to local authority attention. Even then they may...

Indeed, and for a long time to come, old reels of cable kept in good condition in lofts and understair-cupboards will be used up by people who do not know or do not care about the change in rules, and will be as dangerous as if it was done last year, i.e. probably not dangerous at all really...

I'd do almost any thing to avoid a buried joint, including attempting to re-thread through steel capping or pulling more wire through exixsting pipes, but if no option, either twist neatly and solder or use barrel crimp butt jointa (NOT connectors), of the type with built in primary insulation...

It is your DNO, what ever they say, see this map http://www.energylinx.co.uk/map.html and list of contact people... http://www.greenenergy.org.uk/pvuk2/reference/grid_con/dno_contacts.html

Don't worry, its a much bigger pain in the proverbials to ham radio folks, as fo ran HF setup it is possible that earthing wires, RF transmitter cables, antenna relay switching signals and all sorts go down the garden and no 'ordinary' sparks is really going to be happy certifying it, and as the...

only permanent joints may be buried, so crimped and sleeved, soldered or brazed, or resin encapsulated joins may be buried. Normal joint boxes, or anything with screw terminals should be accessible for inpsections.

You can do it, but the local authority will need to inspect it, as it goes in, they will tell you when in the process they want a look see, or you could use a sparks who belongs to an approved scheme who can do it uninspected. Don't let your authority charge you extra for inspecting your...