Is it just me

[SUNRAY]

this one again

 

[ebee]

Well it`s a bit frightening really, if you let it get to you.
There have always been people who are totally wrong about some aspects. many aspects, of wiring a plug but amazingly compounded by these so-called aids to have at least one glaring omission of some good practice we were all taught by anyone half decent.
I have had people being offended because someone commented on their own handiwork of wiring a plug and they show it to me and say "Whats wrong with that?" in indignation and you think to yourself sometimes "Blooming heck, whats actually right with it?" so you patiently tell themhow to do it correctly without trying to cause offence" some still have indignation and show you some instructions they have read and hey presto those instructions are not good, sometimes very poor indeed.

The "Old Chestnut" so often encountered, even with the best of a bad lot, is no thought about the easy way of encouraging the last pull out to be E.

There are lots of other common "Old Chestnut" but the last pull out defence is very often omitted on otherwise half decent attempts.

 

[SUNRAY]

My #16 photo was on the second visit to a rental property for a faulty socket (on RCD but the other a few feet along the wall was no RCD)

...
I have had people being offended because someone commented on their own handiwork of wiring a plug and they show it to me and say "Whats wrong with that?"...

Several times I've had electricians fail to get something working (in the controls environment), depending on their attitude (especially if it's based on blaming me or other controls persons) when they've asked a similar question I may ask whether they want constructive criticism or the rude comments I really wanted to make.
The other approach has sometimes been "I'll be pleased to quote" or "I'll write a report and send it to your boss"

Makes me sound like an a*hole? I am very good at assisting and offerring advice but sometimes, just sometimes...

 

[Fred Blogs]

All these frightening examples are the very reason why appliances are now fitted with molded plugs.

 

[JohnW2]

All these frightening examples are the very reason why appliances are now fitted with molded plugs.

Usually/commonly. For years it has been a requirement that electrical items sold in the UK which have a 'power lead' must come with a fitted plug, but, although the p[lug is most often 'molded', that is not necessarily the case.

I have to say that I've always been a little uncomfortable about 'molded plugs', because they require total blind faith in the process (presumably often/usually an 'automated' one) that terminated the cable into them.

 

[securespark]

I've got a kettle lead somewhere from a kettle of a customer.

I looked for it earlier but can't find it. When I do, I'll post pictures here.

It belonged to an elderly lady I visited. Let's just say it was a total death trap and every possible thing that could be wrong and every possible hazard that could be present was present.

It was, quite literally, shocking.

The thing predated moulded plugs and the plug was fitted by the husband, who had since died.

I took the kettle and the lead off her and went out and bought her a brand new kettle out of my own pocket.

I've since used the lead as a teaching aid several times.

Found it.

1. Cord grip loose and not gripping sheath.
2. Conductors left too long.
3. Nicks and damage to conductor insulation, exposing conductor.
4. Damage to plug, exposing live parts.
5. R.P.
6. Excess copper exposed.
7. Earth disconnected.
8. Wire wrapped round blown fuse, almost touching earth pin.

And this was done by the elderly lady's husband. You'd think his mission was to do away with her!

 

[morqthana]

8. Wire wrapped round blown fuse

And capable of passing w a a a a a a a y more than a 13A one...

 

[JohnW2]

And this was done by the elderly lady's husband. You'd think his mission was to do away with her!

Can/could you be sure that it wasn't ?

 

[securespark]

Well that's what Will, my eldest said!

He said, "Dad, there's no way her hubby wasn't trying to bump her off!"

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I have to say that I've always been a little uncomfortable about 'molded plugs', because they require total blind faith in the process (presumably often/usually an 'automated' one) that terminated the cable into them.

It would be interesting one day, to see just how they are terminated, within the moulding.

 

[Echo the husky]

It would be interesting one day, to see just how they are terminated, within the moulding.

The last one I cut open the conductors were welded to the terminals.

 

[ericmark]

I seem to remember teaching my daughter how to select fuse size, and her coming home from school telling me I had got it all wrong. Maybe I had, I selected down to the appliance, it should be down to cable, but I was taught before we joined the EU.

My son, I was proud of, when he passed his RAE and got his amateur radio licence at 14, I am sure his teacher knew he had passed it, so one would have thought he would have been wary. However, my son comes home laughing at his teacher, who had said there were two types of transistor could anyone name them? Son answered bipolar and field effect, and was told wrong, it was PNP and NPN.

It just happened it was teacher / parent night that night. And I was told by his teacher how Mark my son when getting a question wrong in the class had just burst out laughing. I told him Mark had already told me, and all it needed was for the teacher to apologise, Mark did realise school text books may not give the full answer.

He tried telling me the field effect transistor was something new, I had to point out they were invented first, but developed latter, so one does need to ask about school teaching.

I returned to college to do 'A' levels, I wanted the maths, and it was cheaper if I did three, so did physics as well, the text book showed a fluorescent light, with the ballast completely missed out, this is the text book not the teacher, and the book had been out a few years, without the ballast likely the fluorescent would simply blow the heaters, and not work, but if it did fire, with no current limiter, god knows what current it would draw?

Watching students blow the fuses in multi-meters trying to measure volts in the amps range, and I realised the lecturer had not really explained how to use them, not the students fault.

I did wonder what the 'A' in 'A' level stands for, as it did not seem as high of a level as when I took my CSE, I was first year to take the exam, and latter combined with 'O' level.

 

[JohnW2]

The last one I cut open the conductors were welded to the terminals.

Same here, and I've taken several apart in my time.

 

[Sureitsoff?]

Found it.

View attachment 413092

View attachment 413094

View attachment 413095

1. Cord grip loose and not gripping sheath.
2. Conductors left too long.
3. Nicks and damage to conductor insulation, exposing conductor.
4. Damage to plug, exposing live parts.
5. R.P.
6. Excess copper exposed.
7. Earth disconnected.
8. Wire wrapped round blown fuse, almost touching earth pin.

And this was done by the elderly lady's husband. You'd think his mission was to do away with her!

That is scary!!!! And without photos no one would believe that it could be so bad.

 

[SUNRAY]

I seem to remember teaching my daughter how to select fuse size, and her coming home from school telling me I had got it all wrong. Maybe I had, I selected down to the appliance, it should be down to cable, but I was taught before we joined the EU.

My son, I was proud of, when he passed his RAE and got his amateur radio licence at 14, I am sure his teacher knew he had passed it, so one would have thought he would have been wary. However, my son comes home laughing at his teacher, who had said there were two types of transistor could anyone name them? Son answered bipolar and field effect, and was told wrong, it was PNP and NPN.

It just happened it was teacher / parent night that night. And I was told by his teacher how Mark my son when getting a question wrong in the class had just burst out laughing. I told him Mark had already told me, and all it needed was for the teacher to apologise, Mark did realise school text books may not give the full answer.

He tried telling me the field effect transistor was something new, I had to point out they were invented first, but developed latter, so one does need to ask about school teaching.

I returned to college to do 'A' levels, I wanted the maths, and it was cheaper if I did three, so did physics as well, the text book showed a fluorescent light, with the ballast completely missed out, this is the text book not the teacher, and the book had been out a few years, without the ballast likely the fluorescent would simply blow the heaters, and not work, but if it did fire, with no current limiter, god knows what current it would draw?

Watching students blow the fuses in multi-meters trying to measure volts in the amps range, and I realised the lecturer had not really explained how to use them, not the students fault.

I did wonder what the 'A' in 'A' level stands for, as it did not seem as high of a level as when I took my CSE, I was first year to take the exam, and latter combined with 'O' level.

I've helped my grandsons with homework (currently 17 doing A levels & 21) and quite honestly I fnd it very surprising how simplistic education is now.