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A clear picture in focus would be good .
I've messed up - electric shock after plastering wall
- Thread starter Larry1990
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/Looks again/ so there is, my apologies, two earth wires in fact, one in each cable.
As a temporary, put connectors on the exposed wire ends, to insulate them - then turn your power back on. Put the switch somewhere warm, on top of a radiator. It will be dry in an hour and fit to reconnect.
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Yes, but only one appears to go to the earth terminal...
A = Main switch, disconnects everything. Doesn't trip on it's own, it's just a switch
B = Circuit breakers which trip when there is an overload or short circuit. Mainly there to protect the cables from damage. Will not trip if someone touches a live wire.
C = RCD. Trips when an imbalance of current is detected, such as someone touching a live wire. Does not provide any protection against overload or short circuits. Supplies the circuit breakers D
D = Circuit breakers which are connected to the RCD (C). These provide overload and short circuit protection for the cables, and the RCD that supplies them protects people from electric shock.
An older design of consumer unit which probably complied when it was installed, but doesn't now.
Best the OP double checks, but to me it looks as if the grey earth passes behind the white and then it appears both earths are twisted together, up to the terminal.
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It appears that the centre breaker in the area marked "B" isn't an MCB but an RCBO .
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Only one CPC connected to earth terminal ,the other is clearly cut off short in the white sheathed cable.
Hi Guys,
I've managed to wrap each wire with some insulation tape I had in the garage and I've taped a plastic box over the top so no one can touch it. A trip to toolstation in the morning for a new switch.
A huge thank you to everyone for your help!
Cheers Larry
I've managed to wrap each wire with some insulation tape I had in the garage and I've taped a plastic box over the top so no one can touch it. A trip to toolstation in the morning for a new switch.
A huge thank you to everyone for your help!
Cheers Larry
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The switch only needed drying out on the radiator.
Blowing it with a hair dryer for 5 minutes would probably do the same.
When you do refit or fit a new switch, cut the exposed copper down to about 8mm max, what you have is way too long and it exposes live copper.
Try and out some sleeving on the earth wires. Green/yellow is preferred but anything is better than nothing.
Blowing it with a hair dryer for 5 minutes would probably do the same.
When you do refit or fit a new switch, cut the exposed copper down to about 8mm max, what you have is way too long and it exposes live copper.
Try and out some sleeving on the earth wires. Green/yellow is preferred but anything is better than nothing.
Green or, preferably, green/yellow. May be a sleeve or even pvc tape but should not be any other colour or you may cause confusion at some later date.
All sorted chaps, I had to buy 10 metres when I only needed a few centimetres haha. Thank you to all of you for your very kind help, I'll be trimming the rest of the exposed copper down tomorrow, the younger family memebers are only entertained by shadow puppets for so long 
Cheers
Larry
Cheers
Larry
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And hopefully bend the unused black wire end out of the way of the switch in case something touches.
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