Search results

Yes, I meant the MCB was off. Could you possibly explain in simple terms why a trip happens when to a DIY'er like myself there is 'no current' in the circuit.

I managed to cause a neutral/earth short when the neutral cable touched the metal face-plate. The RCD tripped even though the circuit I was working on was switched off. Is this expected behaviour?

For the record! I understood sufficient even before the work started that a structural engineer and Building Regs were required. The builder said, of course, 'don't worry - that's the only way to do it'. The truth is that I don't think the builder ever went to a Structural Engineer until after...

I think you probably mean where piers (not beams) support an RSJ (that's the beam) is it okay to hack the pier? You will defintely receive different answers to this. I am currently going through a nightmare where a builder has taken out a load bearing block partition and the council Building...

NTL are complete a*ses in the call centre but the technicians who have visited us over the years have been good blokes and not some sort of jobsworth. So you could be economical with the truth to the call centre and negotiate with the techie when he comes out. The cable (should) be laid...

Understood about using singles rather than T&E but why not just strip out the single-strand inners from T&E rather than buy multi-strand singles? Yes, I did get printed modules. And it's been a real battle with my local supplier to get the correct parts and with any haste. After 2 weeks...

I'll take that as a no minimum length recommended then! Thanks.

Does anyone know if there is a minimum or recommended length of cable to use when daisy-chaining modules in a grid switch? Eg 2" might work but 6" is recommended to avoid over-heating a short length etc? Thanks.

You might want to consider 1 transformer per fitting. They are only about a fiver each and just sit loose inside the ceiling. I took that advice from this forum and my local electrical store.

I just checked with the plumber. It is indeed a Myson but he assures me that it requires nothing more than regular electrical outlets and I trust this information to be reliable as he says he regularly fits them with the most recent one being just last week. I am using a neon grid switch...

Is it sufficient to just turn off the master switch at the CU when adding a new circuit/MCB? I'm thinking it might accidentally get knocked back on. Thanks.

If the unthinkable happens and a fire starts (even apparently unrelated), you can bet your bottom dollar checking the seal and for corresponding CU additions will be high on the list of a fire investigator or insurance assessor. A bit like having 1 pint too many, being in perfect control of a...

Like many things there will be different views depending on who you talk to. But I do speak with exposure in this field. Take a stroll into any large office and check the cable management under the desk. You will frequently find Cat5 strapped up tightly or in very close proximity to mains...

I can think of 4 things: 1) If this was a small-ish wall, eg at the end of a room as it were rather than the side, you could batten the wall out and clad it with plasterboard to gain the depth. Since you have 2-2.5 inches to play with within the original wall, you would only need to bring...

Good stuff. Thanks for that. The CU is a 17 year old Hager. Any idea on likelihood of getting the correct breaker for this?

I have finally seen sense and realised I have a golden opportunity with the ceilings down to put in a seperate circuit for the kitchen sockets. With the kitchen off the downstairs ring, should I do some calculations and see if this can be downgraded to be protected by a 20 Amp breaker, it is...

Why are you running phone cables alongside Cat5? Cat5 swallows up telephone cable and burps it out. It's very easy to run voice over Cat5. Check this Yahoo group out which exploits the versatility of Cat5. Mains and Cat5 have no problem sitting alongside each other...

I wanted a copy too and started checking availabilty out. I'd still like a copy but less desperately as I managed to get all the info I needed from other sources. Just reading through old messages on this forum is good, even if the title appears irrelevant as topic matter can evolve. You...

Don't forget that in terms of placement: a) You may be dictated by the position of joists and services b) Spacing out equally is not necessarily the best move as I found out, documented in this thread: http://www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=13842

The plumber is supplying the heater so I'll let you know what make it is when I find out myself. He lead me to believe it just required a socket and plug connection but I'll check before I cable it.