I suspect he might not be using the term "incoming cables" in the strct sence that you would use it.
After all, we would say "cable entry point" for all cables rather than "cable exit"
Apart from which, AC swings both ways ;-)
Graham. pretended :
+1..
I'm not sure I follow you: while such a crimp doesn't usually make contact with the whole circumference of the cable , when made with a ratchet crimper do they really give a smaller area of contact than in a typical (eg choc strip) screwed connector?
And there is nothing wrong with doing that.
I recently used one of the new Wylex all metal CU's, and was happy with it (using all RCBO's - don't look at the split load version). Amendment 3 version has metal hinged cover and metal fuseway banks.
This was a different solution many years ago to replacing my CU where the wires were not long enough (just predated brown and blue).
BTW, that's an industrial CU which gives you bags of space inside, although I don't think that MEM/Eaton range is manufactured anymore. If you use those DIN rail screw terminals, I would suggest getting one size bigger than the total crossectional area when more than one conductor is going into a terminal, as they don't have any spare space over the stated size.
My whole point is the metal part doesn't get crimped round the entire diameter of the cable because the insulation has some give to it. And more so when the wire is at the small end of the range the crimp says it can take. With a decent screw connection, the screw is nearly the width of the hole, so properly tightened will give a pretty near all round contact. Obviously if you choose the correct size connector strip.
A decent crimp *is* the best method. But those crimps often ain't decent.
The original wiring in this bungalow we recently acquired was done quite neatly, but unfortunately the property has been modified.
I wanted to remove a 13 amp socket to make it easier to put on wall paper so I thought I could just pull out the appropriate fuse.
I plugged a lamp into the socket and removed each fuse in turn. The lamp never went out!
Quite right! The cable in question is in a bungalow it runs from rafter to rafter in the attic and then down behind plaster and tiles to the fuse box. The cable is clipped to the top surface of each rafter and has no support until it reaches the next one. Either the cable has been broken by being stretched between the rafters or there is some fault behind the fuse box.
I will cut the cable just before it descends and see if I get a neutral.
Is your bungalow detached, or could a common owner of your and an adjacent property have been a little "unconventional".
Personally I would be very concerned if I couldn't identify the source of my Volts.
Mind You, you could turn off everything in the house and watch the meter as you plug a heater into the socket, it may help in planning a heating strategy this winter.
AB
Each fuse in turn until you had no fuses at all, or where your replacing the previous one as you moved to the next?
Its not uncommon to find someone has managed to bridge two circuits together so that you need to pull two fuses to get the circuit to go dead.
or even a ring with separate fuses at each end.
Best not mention that this has been done on separate RCDs:-)
Thanks for all your help.
En el artículo , Andy Wade escribió:
*Supposed*.This is a group comprised mostly of amateurs with a sprinkling of professional contributors. I wonder what proportion of us (the group users) would test each circuit when replacing a CU? Testing would require the use of equipment that I think most of us wouldn't have, beyond a multimeter.
I know I didn't test, but connected circuits to the new CU one at a time, powering on in between.
Easy to do with a ring where you terminate one end on each fuse, not so easy with a radial.
Anyone can make a mistake, its knowing how to find the error that makes the difference.
I would hope that anyone changing a CU would be able to do at least some basic tests - even if just with a multimeter. Its going to be the easiest time to check things like ring continuity, and making sure there are not obvious earth to neutral shorts since you have access to each circuits wires in isolation[1].
Even that achieved some level of diagnosis - had you connected a circuit with an earth neutral short or particularly poor insulation resistance, the RCD trip would have told you which circuit was a likely candidate. Certainly better then wiring everything up in one hit and then not knowing what was causing it to trip.
[1] The first time I did a CU swap, I bought the basic test gear s/h from ebay for £150 (that was for standalone Insulation resistance meter and low ohms meter, RCD tester, and Earth Loop meter). I knew that I could always flog it again for much the same money once I was done with it if I had wanted.En el artículo , John Rumm escribió:
Agreed, and yes, I do do that, having changed a few CUs.
Aye.
I'd certainly test each circuit after installation before connecting to the CU. Even a simple DVM will show up a major fault like a short. Or open circuit. And a leaky heater element, etc.
If you have a suspect fault and are installing just a new CU, I'd do the same. In my experience, the majority of faults will show on an ordinary DVM if you know how to use it. Although obviously the correct test equipment is better - but rather too pricey for most DIYers.
I bought an old Robin insulation & continuity tester, an ancient hand cranked analogue one, years out of calibration even then, but still works fine ...
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