Borrowed neutral

[SUNRAY]

Prompted by a recent thread I thought I'd put up a quick sketch of a neighbours handiwork.
I little history first, we had an access road put into the end of our rear gardens in 1964 when I was nine, Dad and I helped him build a garage and install power, some 10 years ago the fence was replaced and the power duct [1.5" yellow gas pipe] was chopped right through and I was asked to assist with the repair. The original installation had power fed from the house 2way switching for an outside light, in more recent times a second outside and linked PIR floods have been added.

 

[ericmark]

How will you correct? With the neutral being switched this is much worse than what we normally find, the problem to my mind is it works, so getting some one to correct it is hard.

I have been lucky, only got the neutrals swapped here, both were in the 4 gang switch, they had just picked up wrong one.

 

[SUNRAY]

How will you correct? With the neutral being switched this is much worse than what we normally find, the problem to my mind is it works, so getting some one to correct it is hard.

I have been lucky, only got the neutrals swapped here, both were in the 4 gang switch, they had just picked up wrong one.

The existig T&E's [over 50 years old] in duct had been chopped right through and damaged in another couple of places and needed replacing.

It was very easy as they were doing a lot of landscaping including a new block paved path, they were happy to dig a decent trench under and buried 10mm² 3C and 1.5mm² 7C armoured cables.

Also added RCD's for the powerfeed and the lighting circuit these lights are all now on.

I wanted to upgrage the size of power feed and used 10mm² as it was something I'd recovered from a temp supply.

 

[AndyPRK]

my shed is probably similar. (but no PIR)

 

[ericmark]

I need to do my own outside lighting, not sure how as yet, think likely a wifi socket so I can switch on from car with phone, as at moment the PIR does not detect me until half way up hill from where I park car. There are not functional lights in the silly garage I have, doors don't open wide enough for car and not tall enough, but I would guess some where there is cable, found a FCU supplying nothing and assume that was garage.

But think they are 300 watt quartz at corner of house lights up well beyond the range of PIR, on my to do list to swap for LED, but don't really want to light the way for local cat, or intruder, there is enough to trip him up without light, which is likely more of a deterrent, don't want to help them avoid the hazards. And it is not the way valid visitors would enter the house.

Today with all RCBO I am sure no borrowed neutrals, but in time gone by it was common.

 

[SUNRAY]

but in time gone by it was common.

Oh yes it was VERY COMMON and not only on lighting circuits.
I recall a whole terrace of council houses with a cast iron box outside the front door containing 2 fuses [5A light and 10A power] with a single neutral feeding 3x5A 3pin sockets and 5 lights.

 

[ericmark]

In 1964 I would have been 13, so a little older than you, but I can remember granddads house with just 2 x 15A sockets and a fuse box with a fuse for it would seem every light, a row of fuses, more than 3 at least, but only thing I remember was Y fittings in the light fittings with bulb in one, and iron in the other, only 15 amp sockets were in hall and landing, non in rooms.

Dads house 1954 has the new fanged ring main (ring final) and one socket in every room plus on on landing, so I think 7 x 13A sockets, plus one 15A socket for immersion heater, back boxes all wood, seem to remember 4 fuses, but can't work out what the 4th was for? Electric cooker was fitted a lot latter and not part of original wiring, maybe it was a spare? But seem to remember henley block with mini fuse box for cooker. But as time went on, two eclectic showers fitted, and spurs from spurs from spurs. Even some FCU.

By 2004 when mother lost her leg and the kitchen needed doing plus wet room fitting it was a real mess. My son and I wanted to DIY all the work, but sister said we never finished jobs, so she wanted to get a firm to do it, and the electrician for this firm fitted first consumer unit, it was when I visited and found he could not get the RCD to hold in, I realised the house was well over due for rewire. However the builders made a right mess, and my so and I had to finish the job, and not the time to re-wire. When kitchen was done it had its own mini CU.

My dad refused point blank to get a re-wire, it was "I'm fed up with living in a building site, you can do it when I'm gone." so around 2016 it was finally rewired, after mother with by that time alzheimer's put an extension lead in a bucket of water as she thought it was on fire, and speed was important £500 a week for mothers care while being done, so outside firm got in to do the job.

When I saw the stuff coming out, wanted to put it in a museum, noted all switch drops upstairs all with three and earth so either two way or switch needing neutral could be added latter, not my idea, it was it seemed standard method done by firm.