On a building site yesterday

[SUNRAY]

I was on site yesterday doing the PA system for the official opening of a new building, I got my power from a temporary dis board which is not protected with by RCD. I fitted my own RCD and 2 pole B10 mcb to a 16A BS4343 socket, followed by a 35m 2.5 blue flex extension lead and 4way 13A socket end. While I was setting up the rest of the kit someone plugged his grey extension lead in to it.
View media item 22317 when my RCD tripped for the 2nd time I looked to see what had been plugged in.
45m 0.75 4 core View media item 22318 10m g/y singles, 32A plugView media item 2231932A socket
5m 2.5mm, 32AplugView media item 2232032A socket, 5m, 1.25
16A plug, lock nut missingView media item 22321 16A modified socket, 10m, 16A plug View media item 22322 25m


16A plug View media item 22323 16A plug, 25m
note method of connecting 2 plugs together
allowing for 32A plug to have exposed live pins
View media item 22324
12m View media item 22325 12m View media item 22326 15m View media item 22327 10m View media item 22328 on the end of this there was a 110V electric drill.



As soon as they realised people were looking they packed their tools and were off site like a ferrit down a drain pipe.



This is what 175m of cable looks like pending further enquiries View media item 22330

 

[LoveRocket]

Seems sensible to me - no site transformer available, so use a huge length of (sometimes undersized) cable to drop the voltage down to 110v.

I was particularly impressed with the G/Y singles widowmaker!

 

[Spark123]

No transformer? I suppose the volt drop over such a distance could have helped.
I take it the 3 lots of g/y is from a plug to plug (widowmaker) arrangement?

 

[electronicsuk]

That really is a gem. Must have taken a fair amount of time to put together, too.

 

[sarkyspark]

Darwin award time.

 

[seco services]

looks more like your garden than a building site.

 

[thatbloke]

its just the way the sites are down saarf in kent , garden of england and all.

 

[SUNRAY]

Seems sensible to me - no site transformer available, so use a huge length of (sometimes undersized) cable to drop the voltage down to 110v.

I was particularly impressed with the G/Y singles widowmaker!

seems like a good plan to me too.

That really is a gem. Must have taken a fair amount of time to put together, too.

Dunno, I put my mains in, ran out the speaker cables and when I got back after 20 mins or so it was there.

looks more like your garden than a building site.

I wish I could afford a garden where over 200m of cable is required to get from the building to the front gate. Not all building sites are s****y factories and office blocks, this one is a big old house that has has an additional 20 or so rooms added to make a residential home.

 

[ColJack]

I call shenanagins..

that's set up on your lawn.. no way in hell that's a building site..

it MIGHT be a field for an event.

if as you say they left a drill on the end then the end would have been a lot muddier or at least next to a building..
and as if they would leave all that kit there just because someone was looking at it..
if they did turn tail and run, then where's the drill still on the end of it?
there's £60-100 worth of leads etc there..

 

[LoveRocket]

What do you think caused your RCD to trip?

 

[SUNRAY]

I call shenanagins..

that's set up on your lawn.. no way in hell that's a building site..

it MIGHT be a field for an event.

This is the front garden/drive area of a country estate [and yes it is mostly grass, I have avoided calling it lawn] where the house has been doubled [if not more] in size. The major part of the works are on the side and rear of the property and the site offices etc were in the old disused farm area on the other side of the building. This side of the building has remained inhabited by the owners throughout and has been virtually untouched by the building works other than minor repairs, signage and repainted windows etc.

if as you say they left a drill on the end then the end would have been a lot muddier or at least next to a building..

The cable was used to do something at the front gate (I don't know what and quite frankly I don't care). This is an area which has been totally untouched by the works and therefore the grass has not been damaged.

and as if they would leave all that kit there just because someone was looking at it..
if they did turn tail and run, then where's the drill still on the end of it?

As soon as they realised people were looking they packed their tools and were off site like a ferrit down a drain pipe.

there's £60-100 worth of leads etc there..

Pass

What do you think caused your RCD to trip?

I have no idea but I checked it with my RCD tester at installation. After this stuff was unplugged I had no more trouble with tripping and as above I don't really care as its not my problem.

I know there is a lot of c**p and argy bargy on here from time to time but please don't shoot the messenger, I have better things to do with my time than set up fictitious situations and I certainly don't have 200m of lawn to set it up on.
The safety guy on site wrapped all of the setup in a tarp and it has been locked away pending investigation, He has included all of my mains cables too as they were included in the circuit.

 

[SUNRAY]

A bit of a result.

I received a phone call in the middle of the week to say I can collect my cables. They had concluded their investigation and were unable to take it any further as the guys who created the hazard have dissappeared and are untraceable.

When I saw the safety guy he pulled out of the store the tarp with everything still inside it, all of which was put in the boot of my car by him. Having now PAT & repaired the yellow leads I have added 6 plus a 4 way to my stock as well as a new RCD DSSO.

 

[securespark]

Initially it was the site of a public opening ceremony.

But since a bloke came along and set up his electric drill, it became a building site.

 

[ColJack]

you might want to take a look here for something a little more robust than a 4 way extension lead

 

[plugwash]

Am I the only one who finds webites that don't list prices and therefore mean I have to contact them before I know if their prices are even in the ballpark of what I consider reasonable a serious turn-off for dealing with a company?

Also kind of dissapoing that the 13A sockets on thier products don't seem to be IP rated.