Today's electrical SNAFU - a reminder to check!

[nothanks]

In the process of removing an over-sink light and shaver outlet I switched off the ceiling switch (I presume there used to be a light fitted that did not have an integral switch), the light went off so I was about to get to work but something made me check first. Long story short: inside the ceiling switch the red wires were joined and the blacks went to the switch (one of them had red sleeving on it) resulting in neutral switching and a permanently live feed to the light! I'm getting a bit blasé in my old age so this near miss is a good reminder to check! I've just stripped the paper underneath where the light was and someone has written "live!" on the wall - presumably, 20 years ago they got the surprise that I narrowly avoided today.

[AlanC]

I've come across the same thing in the past. About 10 years ago my sister-in-law asked if could change the bulb in their outside porch light. I turned the wall switch off and proceeded to remove the old bulb and received an electric shock. Turns out the previous owner had fitted the light and switched it on the neutral!

[John Rumm]

You mean they had wired the over sink shaving lamp so that it was on the switched feed to the main room lamp? Might be ok from a lighting point of view, but you can only shave or charge your toothbrush with the light on!

Or just turn off the whole circuit...

Well done to the writer of the note, shame the person doing the wallpaper did not re-instate the warning. Having said that, you would probably not be able to see it until the lamp was removed anyway!

[T i m]

<snip>

Wouldn't that have just been a warning indicating that piece of cable was 'live' when the place was being wired or re-wired / worked on, rather than the wire (colour) use not being correct?

eg, Wasn't it obvious that it was (all) live (now) because it was working?

Cheers, T i m

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

So why after getting that did they not trace the wires and fix it at the switch end once and for all? Strange. Brian

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

The worse ones are those old brass lamp holders and stranded wire badly fitted into it so after a while a whisker of the live stranded touches the brass which is not connected to anything else. That made me swear big time. It does not help when the lady of the house asked, well I wondered why it tingled last time I put a new bulb in.. ahem.

Note, do not use metal stepladder in such circumstances with one hand to steady yourself. I was young then.... Brian

[newshound]

I'm a great believer in the volt stick!

[nothanks]

Me too, and I always verify its performance before and after each use

[newshound]

Absolutely! Learned that one in the days of neon screwdrivers!