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Accidentally of course. We were doing a bit of fault isolation. He was doing the probing with some test wires , I was pressing the button ( old Megger BM10 analogue unit) . Me: Are you clear ? Him: Yes Me: Zap ! Him: Ahhhh.... Bloody hell, That hurt, you zapped me ! Ouch, ouch...

Hello folks, Although I'm 'only' a home DIY'er I have invested in some test equipmemt a few months ago, when i was both doing some work myself and getting work done by a local spark. I bought an RCD tester, EFLI tester and Cont/Ins tester as i just had the inclination and a bit of spare...

Hello folks, My eldest daughter got married a couple of weeks ago and has just moved into a new rented house. Her fella is in the RAF and they now live in a forces married quarter, just down the road, so their house has been looked after and well maintained. When they first moved in and...

Going by pictures that I've seen in books, and on the .net I assumed that my Earthing arrangement was a TN-C-S one. However looking more closely at the pictures on this forums Electrical info pages, i see these two pictures below look superficially just the same, save for the internal...

I have two wall lights in my living room presumably fitted by some previous occupant. They are connected as a spur from one of my downstairs socket outlets, into a switched fused outlet. The faceplte had become loose so i took a closer look inside. I found that the person who fitted it use...

Hello Folks, I have been doing a bit of Electrical work in my services cupboard which also houses my Worcester Bosch gas central heating boiler. I've notice a few times now that the Water presure guage on the front of the unit is a bit low , the red pointer is preset to 2 bar, but i keep...

I would like to have a single Non RCD protected socket in my house. This will be use purely for testing purposes, predominantly periodic testing of RCD plug type adaptors. All of the socket outlets in my household are currently RCD protected from a split load CU. I do have 3x Non RCD...

There is an existing single light in my loft, it looks like it is supplied via a junction box tapped into the upstairs lighting circuit. i.e. a three way JB with a supply cable then going to a pull cord switch with a pendant light next to it. The pendant light fitting and pull cord...

As per thread title. Q: Legally, How often do you have to get your test instruments calibrated ? Q: What is considered to be good practice for an instrument that is used infrequently ? I know that the calibtation houses will recommend that they are done annually , however they are...

Hello folks, I've just discovered that the pendant light in my downstairs dining room is conected to the upstairs lighting circuit, and switches on and off with the upstairs light circuit MCB. I've not touched, any of the light circuits and so can only assume this was done by a previous...

I bought a Miele washig machine last year. It was a little more expensive than I'd planned to spend but i'd heard that they were really good quality. It is the heaviest washing machine that i've ever owned, which is about 5 over the last 21 years of marriage. I am a maintenance...

Hello Folks. I have the luxury of being able to access the entire under (ground) floor area of my semi. This is where all of my services enter and exit the house. I was under the floor today installing a compyter network cable when i decided to have a bit of a mooch around to check all of...

Do any of you Pro's bother buying these specialist Modulo type screwdrivers. They seem to be a cross between a Phillips/Pozi drive and a Plain slot drive. I have noticed that more and more electrical screws seem to have these hybrid heads on them though. I'm increasingly finding that it is...

OK perhaps just for fun, but I have recently noticed that after getting the trench dug for my shed power supply the local cats and more than likely my own 2 ! ( or more accurately my wifes 2 cats :) ) have been using the now bare flower bed that the trench was dug through as a toilet, as you...

I am going to add an outdoor socket outlet to the wall of my wooden shed. The socket outlet will be at the end of a short ( approx 2 metre max ) radial circuit of 4mm T&E protected by a 20A MCB and 30mA RCD. The socket outlet assy is rated at IP55. I have a waterproof 20mm Glandseal that i...

Can anybody recommend a voltstick type live wiring detector that isn't too sensitive and can pinpoint hidden live wires behind plasterboard fairly accurately. I do have one that I use at work as a quick checker to see if the windsreen heaters on the Aircraft that i work on are working, but...

I recently invested in a new Megger RCD tester , and then set about checking some of the RCD's that i own. My house doesn't currently have a Modern RCD protected Consumer Unit, I'm having one fitted in the next week or so. The new Garage CU in my shed works perfectly and passes all of the...

with reference to Home domestic , (not industrial or agricultural) installations. Is it OK to use clipped Twin & Earth cable for the exposed, fixed, internal wiring installation in a shed, garage, or similar garden outbuilding. I can see that it would be good practice to install conduit...

Hello folks I've been terminating some 3 core SWA cable the last few days. I've been using a stanley knife and wires strippers for any plastic sheathing and a pair of snips on the steel wires. Surely there must be an easier way to cut the wires , or do you guys all have apprentices to do...

So I've waited patiently for nearly 3 weeks for my appointment. The guy from the Electrical power distribution company has come out on time to fit my isolator and within 5 minutes or so told me that he can't do it ! Reason's: i) The electrical connections at the bottom of my meter are...