Earth touching Neutral somwhere

[bmouthboyo]

Just had some bathroom electrics completed by electricians and while conducting the signing off testing they say there is a Ground shorted to Neutral somewhere in the home wiring. (wife relayed message to me so that's all I know).

Only a small bungalow but wondered if anyone can recommend a way I could go about trying to locate this. Are there DIY plug testers that would show me the same issue from which I can try to isolate the circuit at the CU and then find the appliance, socket or light fitting etc.

Thanks

 

[DetlefSchmitz]

Was it a neutral shorted to ground perhaps?

 

[bmouthboyo]

Was it a neutral shorted to ground perhaps?

Sorry yes, it is a Earth shorted to Neutral somewhere. I was wondering if any of those outlet testers might be worth buying and trying to locate it.

 

[DetlefSchmitz]

Not really, because the are joined at source anyway. This needs work in the consumer unit, so probably not a diy job.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Why have the "electricians" left without finding this apparent fault?

Do you have RCDs in the consumer unit?

I was wondering if any of those outlet testers might be worth buying and trying to locate it.

No. The socket testers cannot distinguish between Neutral and Earth - because the two are (usually) connected when the power is on.

You will just need a multimeter set to Ohms and test each circuit.

 

[bmouthboyo]

Why have the "electricians" left without finding this apparent fault?

Do you have RCDs in the consumer unit?


No. The socket testers cannot distinguish between Neutral and Earth - because the two are (usually) connected when the power is on.

You will just need a multimeter set to Ohms and test each circuit.

Not sure I just had a message relayed from wife saying they could sign off the work due to this fault showing. No idea if it is due to recent bathroom work they wired or something wider in the home.

I was hoping I could at least have a go at trying to find the fault in the rest of the home wiring as it is a bungalow so fairly easy to get to everything.

Not going to cut corners, just wanted to get ball rolling and see if it is something simple.

 

[DetlefSchmitz]

You will just need a multimeter set to Ohms and test each circuit.

With the main switch OFF.

 

[ericmark]

These are the meters used, the first one uses 500 volt and is not really a DIY tool, the second measures the imbalance, they need skill to use, so it is a case of them returning to find the fault, and you clearly will not be paying them until sorted.

I had it with daughters house, I quickly worked out which circuit, but it was a case of split in half, and test each half, then the bad half in half, and test again and so on, until I found one fixing screw which was touching a neutral wire where some one had been careless with a Stanley knife.

It can take some time. But they should have tested before they started, so it should have been no surprise, and really the fault should have been corrected before main job started, not after completed, so if they have done the job right, the fault must be their doing. If they took a chance and did not test first, more fool them.

I had this in around 2006 where an electrician swapped a consumer unit to give RCD protection, turned out house needed rewiring, it had old rubber cable, he as able then to remove RCD protection for some circuits until re-wired, today you have not got that option.