Electrical Inspections

[Ash Burton]

Looking at those photos where cable is visible, it seems as if you may have a mixture of pvc and vr into the fuse box. Only a proper check at the switch/socket ends will confirm.

[spuorgelgoog]

Agreed.

And a marked lack of anything that looks like circuit earths -- is the whole installation in steel conduit used as the earth and fitted flush behind the fuseboxes? But I can't see any sign of earthing apart from one new additional wire up the pipe.

Owain

[newshound]

I think someone smart enough to be asking here will know that!

OTOH there might be the odd exception

:-)

[newshound]

Nice pics. Could almost serve as a "Museum" example.

I agree, it looks as though you may have some rubber, but it does also look pretty undisturbed as you said elsewhere.

I don't think I would bother to try to replace the fuses with RCDs without replacing the rubber insulated cable. Much easier to do the rewiring in one pass, but doesn't need to be first priority if there are other significant jobs.

[Robin]

Or, as the case may be, switches (plural) as it seems the OP has a PV installation - though I was unclear about the label on the CU referring to the backdoor and the loft. The loft seems a bit out of the way if eg there's smoking coming out of CUs and cables.

With the PV, is this in the running for an ancient-and-modern prize?

[Chris B]

There is a PV isolator switch is by the backdoor (as shown in the photo), the inverter for the PV is in the loft and the labels would indicate an off switch/isolator in the loft (don't know for sure as I haven't been in the loft yet - hence haven't switched everything off and haven't removed any switch or socket faceplates.)

[Chris B]

On 16/08/2017 13:56, newshound wrote: ?

Thanks, that is reassuring, there is much to do on the house and an electrical update will definitely be there in the plan.

[Andy Burns]

Looks like that from what I could see, if you'd asked I would have said the installation was 50's not 60's ...

[John Rumm]

Its a tidy enough install, and was done using quality kit in the first place. There is some rubber there, and the condition looks ok in its undisturbed state - at least in that bit of the installation. However only a closer inspection and possibly an insulation resistance test will tell you for sure.

[tabbypurr]

Can I even be bothered? I have obviously never suggested soup as a solution for a diy problem, you're being too childish.

NT

[tabbypurr]

I can't tell from those pics what sort of cables you have, but where is the earthing? I'm not seeing any there. As someone said the equipment looks older than 60s.

NT

[Ash Burton]

Most of the cables shown appear to be VIR (vulcanised rubber).

'Earthing' for lighting circuits did not become a requirement until 1966 with the 14th Edition of the regs. Many of the fuses shown in the pics are 5A rated so would not have needed 'earths' before 1966.

[ARW]

Whilst that is correct ATM it will change with the 18th edition regardless of the cable and installation methods used.

[ARW]

You really are a colossal knob cheese.

[ARW]

Whilst unlikely to result in a full disconnection there are times you have to disconnect a circuit and make the person ordering the report aware of why you have done so.

[newshound]

My thoughts too. Does this look like a "proper" megger? If so, fairly affordable.

Doesn't actually state the test voltage explicitly.

Or better still, one with a handle

[Cursitor Doom]

Eh? It claims to provide a range of test voltages up to 2.5kV! Not a Megger, though; some lower-quality Chinese clone which may or may not do the job. At that price, though, you can afford to take a chance!

[John Rumm]

Well it claims to be an insulation test meter, so it may well work.

For a one off job it will likely be ok.

However usual caveats about cheap test gear and lack of input protection spring to mind. If using frequently then it becomes more likely you would accidentally connect it to a live circuit and then all bets are off -)

(TBH you can probably pick up a second hand megger branded instrument for not much more - and you can always flog it again after)

[Robin]

That's the max voltage in one of the photos of the A4430; the photos of the A4431 show a max 1000v which is what the text shows.

I think I'll still to my (long out of calibration) eponymous KMP 3050DL ;)

[tabbypurr]

What I stated has been my experience so far. YMMV.

And I don't abuse apprentices.

NT