New Electrics Tripping the RCD

[Chri5]

Salad Fingers, why do you continue to act like a moron and constantly have a sig that is pointed at a certain member of the DIYNot community?

It makes you out to have the maturity of a pre school bed wetter


OP if you know nothing about electrics then you will need to employ a spark to investigate.

Classic fails with external electrical service tends to be stupid placement of junctions, lack of saleable on junctions and fittings.

Turn off the circuit, make sure it's completely off and on the next bright day go round everything that was done externally, remove covers and check for water ingress and / or insects such as spiders having made a home in a fitting.

Every external fitting should be ip rated, check for cable entries, drip loops on cables and any gaps or holes that might have allowed ingress. Sealant should be used if you find any moisture access after removing the offending item and either drying it out (swmbo hair drier) or replacing the item.

Have you ignored me

 

[JohnW2]

...the DIYer's only test - see if 'it works'.

Err, Hmmm ... some DIYers' only test

With that provisio, I otherwise agree with you!

Kind Regards, John

 

[EFLImpudence]

 

[JohnW2]

Apology accepted!

It was rather ironic, in context, since your sweeping generalisation about DIYers was no more correct than would have been a sweeping genralisation that "all electricians are competent" that your post was effectively challenging!

Kind Regards, John

 

[EFLImpudence]

I blame the times we live in when, if you are deemed competent, you are an electrician.

Therefore, John, you are not a DIYer but an electrician who works for free.

Plus of course even electricians do it themselves.

I was confused. [/squirm]

 

[JohnW2]

I blame the times we live in when, if you are deemed competent, you are an electrician. Therefore, John, you are not a DIYer but an electrician who works for free. Plus of course even electricians do it themselves.

They do, indeed - except, of course, for those who delegate the work to a less competent apprentice, whilst they supervise from the pub

"Seriously, though" .... the "qualified=competent" and "competent=qualified" assumptions are both sweeping generalisations which will both sometimes fail - in almost any walk of life - not to mention the fact that there are usually varying degrees of 'competence'. The other crucial part of the equation is, of course, experience, which I'm forced to frequently admit (in relation to electrical work) is one thing which I definitely don't have (at least, not on anything like the scale of a practising electrician).

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

.....and it's in the Garden (therefore you aren't allowed to work on it anyway)

Really?

No, not really.

 

[rjm2k]

.....and it's in the Garden (therefore you aren't allowed to work on it anyway)

Really?

No, not really.

Confused by BAS, are you saying that someone "who knows nothing about electrics" is allowed to work on an installation in the Garden? Is that with the caveat that they notify and pay LABC for testing, or that it's now an existing installation and can be maintained?

 

[JohnW2]

Confused by BAS, are you saying that someone "who knows nothing about electrics" is allowed to work on an installation in the Garden? Is that with the caveat that they notify and pay LABC for testing, or that it's now an existing installation and can be maintained?

I presumed that BAS was referring to the fact that anyone is allowed to do any electrical work - provided that they are competent, comply with Part P (i.e. do it safely) and, if so required, notify LABC and pay the notification/inspection fees.

Kind Regards, John

 

[SaladFingers]

When he's not talking crap, then yes that's what he means.

Anyone can do it, so long as they comply with relevant regulations and legislation.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Confused by BAS, are you saying that someone "who knows nothing about electrics" is allowed to work on an installation in the Garden? Is that with the caveat that they notify and pay LABC for testing, or that it's now an existing installation and can be maintained?

You've mixed 2 issues together here.

1) I meant that generically anyone/everyone is allowed to work on garden electrical installations, there is no prohibition.

2) There is no explicit prohibition of work on garden installations, internal ones, bathrooms, kitchens, whatever, but of course people have to be competent enough to comply with Part P. In the specific case of the OP who knows nothing about electrics, the fact that Part P applies to all work on fixed electrical cables or fixed electrical equipment located on the consumer’s side of the electricity supply meter which operate at low or extra-low voltage etc means that it's not just garden installations he's not allowed to work on - it's everything.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Woah there buddies.

rjm2k's statement

....and it's in the Garden (therefore you aren't allowed to work on it anyway)

Is not correct. this external installation has already been installed. That's the bit that requires competency.

Now it doesn't work. There's nothing in any law, legislation or (even in SaladFingers) imagination that prevents the OP, or anybody, from going out to the garden to inspect, maintain and repair that installation.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

There's nothing in any law, legislation or (even in SaladFingers) imagination that prevents the OP, or anybody, from going out to the garden to inspect, maintain and repair that installation.

He wasn't the one who suggested there was.

It's rjm2k who doesn't have a firm grasp on the regulations...

 

[JohnW2]

Woah there buddies. rjm2k's statement

....and it's in the Garden (therefore you aren't allowed to work on it anyway)

Is not correct. this external installation has already been installed. That's the bit that requires competency. Now it doesn't work. There's nothing in any law, legislation or (even in SaladFingers) imagination that prevents the OP, or anybody, from going out to the garden to inspect, maintain and repair that installation.

A number of us have already pointed out that, even in terms of installation, there is nothing preventing anyone from doing anything electrical, provided they satisfy the requirements (compenency to comply with part P, and notification when required).

Are you perhaps now making the interesting point (which has never occurred to me before) that even competency may not be required by law (since Part P doesn't apply) in the case of maintenance/repair of an already-installed installation? If so ... I agree that 'the words' of Part P, only refer to "design and installation", but I think you may be interpreting 'instal/installation' more narrowly than intended - you taking those words to refer only to the initial installation. In practice, one cannot effect many repairs to an electrical installation without 'installing' something, even if one is merely 'installing' an exact replacement (of accessory, cable or other component). By including provision for replacement of components and even of damaged cable, Schedule 4 certainly seems to support the idea that this is the way in which Part P is meant to be interpreted.

... or were you meaning something totally different from what I have assumed?

Kind Regards, John

 

[rjm2k]

So as long as you 'forget' who did the initial install you can do whatever 'maintenance' you like without notification even if the original person didn't do so or test or certify? I remember asking about such a situation before only to be jumped on by the same people who are now suggesting that someone who knows nothing about electric is ok to work on a faulty garden power setup.

I'm all for people being responsible for their own home safety but still think in the case of op the best advice is to get an electrician in.