DIY electrical health check.

BlueLoo

BlueLoo

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Having been in the house 20 years and spending most of that time unfukcing the builders electrical work, as well as adding my own adjustments.... I was in B&Q and saw a plug tester.
Correct polarity, earth check, etc and it got me thinking that for 10£, perhaps i should get one.

But then i wondered what the best thing to do is?

Don't wanna pay £150 ph for a sparks.


Will just a plug in tester be a good idea? Can i do anything else?

Can you service house electrics?

Worth a go?
 
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Visual inspection plus plug in is the best you can do as a diyer, will not cover things that a pro sparky will do like IR or RCD testing continuity at the board/condition of the board. Best get an EICR and highlight any circuits you want checking in particular.
 
blup said:
Visual inspection plus plug in is the best you can do as a diyer, will not cover things that a pro sparky will do like IR or RCD testing continuity at the board/condition of the board. Best get an EICR and highlight any circuits you want checking in particular.
Click to expand...
Is a health check a good idea?

The rcd gets tripped at least once a year for various reasons.
Can't help but feel that a MOT wouldn't do any harm?
 
You must have saved a fortune. Pay for an eicr, maybe £150-200. At my last house (where I had done loads of DIY stuff) I had to get one for a loft conversion BR application, my work was ok but the house had no earthing (something to do with lead sheathing on the supply side breaking down).
 
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cdbe said:
You must have saved a fortune. Pay for an eicr, maybe £150-200. At my last house (where I had done loads of DIY stuff) I had to get one for a loft conversion BR application, my work was ok but the house had no earthing (something to do with lead sheathing on the supply side breaking down).
Click to expand...
Ireland is er, a bit "Quiet" in this aspect.

The Irish don't do rules very well tbh so adding to the ones we already have won't do much except make needless criminals.
 
Last edited:
Any recommendations for a socket tester?

Cheapest on Amazon?
 
I have looked at socket testers, without a loop test they tell you very little, good in a caravan to ensure correct polarity, but of limited use, the ones with loop have the pass far too high for a ring final, typical 1.9 Ω where the pass mark is 1.38 Ω, and with the RCD test it is often way over 30 mA so it tripping does no better than pressing the button on the RCD/RCBO.

It is better than nothing, but the danger is it will pass when not within spec, giving a false sense of security, I spent 12 weeks doing a night class of 3 hours, so 36 hours to learn how to inspect and test, OK also time doing the practical exam so not quite that long, and I have modified my ideas since doing the course and exam, for one thing the codes changed from four to three main codes.

I have I will admit considered getting a cheap £50 plug in tester after my loop impedance tester failed, saves borrowing my sons, and to hire at around £60 for the week does seem a bit steep, but then it would be a proper job.

Before my loop impedance meter failed I would use it before and after working on a socket, if the reading before was 1.23 Ω and after it was 1.35 Ω it rang alarm bells and I would remove socket again and test to ensure ring was still a ring etc. So it was a very good tool, but a Martindale EZ365 is around £64.80 and it
1703377881524.png
as seen here says between 0 and 1.7 Ω but pass mark is 1.38 Ω so what is the point? OK for a TT shows under 200 Ω which is far enough, and with a radial 1.7 Ω is normally a pass, but in the main in the UK we have ring finals.
 
A plug in tester - as mentioned above - is fine for very basic tests on sockets. But your house electrics has more than sockets. There are many things connected to the socket circuits that fo not have sockets.
Also, you need to test all the other circuits that do not have sockets - lighting, cooker, immersion etc etc. A 2 probe test device is needed there. A simple multimeter lets you do voltage, polarity and continuity tests. But you need the knowledge of how to drive it and how to understand the readings! Then there are many essential tests to add - RCD, insulation resistance, etc
An EICR is what you really need.
 
BlueLoo said:
Having been in the house 20 years and spending most of that time unfukcing the builders electrical work, as well as adding my own adjustments.... I was in B&Q and saw a plug tester.
Correct polarity, earth check, etc and it got me thinking that for 10£, perhaps i should get one.

But then i wondered what the best thing to do is?

Don't wanna pay £150 ph for a sparks.


Will just a plug in tester be a good idea? Can i do anything else?

Can you service house electrics?

Worth a go?
Click to expand...
How do you pay £150 if you live in the R.Ireland?
 
ericmark said:
I have looked at socket testers, without a loop test they tell you very little, good in a caravan to ensure correct polarity, but of limited use, the ones with loop have the pass far too high for a ring final, typical 1.9 Ω where the pass mark is 1.38 Ω, and with the RCD test it is often way over 30 mA so it tripping does no better than pressing the button on the RCD/RCBO.

It is better than nothing, but the danger is it will pass when not within spec, giving a false sense of security, I spent 12 weeks doing a night class of 3 hours, so 36 hours to learn how to inspect and test, OK also time doing the practical exam so not quite that long, and I have modified my ideas since doing the course and exam, for one thing the codes changed from four to three main codes.

I have I will admit considered getting a cheap £50 plug in tester after my loop impedance tester failed, saves borrowing my sons, and to hire at around £60 for the week does seem a bit steep, but then it would be a proper job.

Before my loop impedance meter failed I would use it before and after working on a socket, if the reading before was 1.23 Ω and after it was 1.35 Ω it rang alarm bells and I would remove socket again and test to ensure ring was still a ring etc. So it was a very good tool, but a Martindale EZ365 is around £64.80 and it View attachment 326302 as seen here says between 0 and 1.7 Ω but pass mark is 1.38 Ω so what is the point? OK for a TT shows under 200 Ω which is far enough, and with a radial 1.7 Ω is normally a pass, but in the main in the UK we have ring finals.
Click to expand...
Great reply. Thanks
 
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