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[luciddreamer]

Hi

I'm a qualified Electrician and willing to give advice to anyone using this website.

So if you need any help i will try my best to give you an answer.

Or if you want a rough pricing of an electrical job you need doing, i can give you that too so you can tell if you're getting ripped off or not.

Beware of NIC EIC one man bands i know for a fact that some electricians claim to be NIC EIC have all the stickers on the van and look official but are not! (if you're unsure get their NIC enrolment number from them and call the NIC yourself to confirm it)
also i'm not saying this is true of all NIC registerd firms but i have worked for some that could be considered "cowboys".

I will post more information at a later date.

Paul

Okay i've been away for a while because of family problems, but now i'm back and here to help
you can either contact me by one of three methods

this site (which i don't always check)

my e mail: electrician74@tiscali.co.uk

or on my mobile: 07958 598 964 (between 9am & 7pm)

[droopsnout]

Wow! That's brilliant, Lucid!

You any good with French domestic electrical systems? ;)

Seriously, I reckon you're going to be snowed under! Very kind of you, and typical of the generosity of this Message Board.

[Sorry if that sounds creepy. It's hard these days to express genuine feeling without coming across as either sarcastic or condescending.]

[luciddreamer]

sorry i'm not versed with french electrics but its pretty much the same the world over barre voltages and colour of cables. (i think!)

[Wishfairy]

I don't know if you'd be able to help but there's 2 questions I'd like help with :-[
1) My Creda Condensair Tumble drier is blowing cold air only and we can't figure out why! We've had it apart and can't find a reset button and the heating element unit seems so intricatley wired in we don't think it will come off ???

2) In a good few years we are hoping to 'self build' a house (log cabin style). Plumbing is all fairly straightforward but we've no idea on electrics! I'd love to be able to do it myself and have it looked over by a qualified electricion but I've no idea if this is possible or just too big a project for someone who's electronics experience will just about stretch to wiring a plug and changing a fuse. :-[

Thanks lots for any advise.

[MisterT2]

Scuse me for butting in........

1) My Creda Condensair Tumble drier is blowing cold air only and we can't figure out why! Normally the circuits are quite simple, usually a capacitor and motor, and a thermostatically controlled heating circuit. If you can see the element and it looks intact, then check the ends (where the cables join) for charring or arcing (blackish marks). If all looks well, have a look at the wires connected to the heater and trace them back.

One of these should go to a thermostat (unless its integral in the heater). Disconnect one of the wires and, if you don't have a meter, use a torch with a couple of wires to check to see if there is continuity.

If you warm the thermostat up, it should switch off the bulb (which simulates switching off the heater). If this is fine, you can use your meter to check the heating element (if using a torch you might only see a very feint glow) due to the resistance of the element.

If that looks okay, have a look at the connections to the heater from the mains switch. The switch itself is working (as it turns), but you may have a bad connection.

If that looks okay, have a look at the condenser. Depending on the design (a long time since I played with these), they may have a resevoir that has a cut out that will also affect the heater. If it has, perform the same test as with the thermostat.

2) In a good few years we are hoping to 'self build' a house (log cabin style). Plumbing is all fairly straightforward but we've no idea on electrics


There are a lot of DIY electric books around and most of these offer fairly sound advice as far as they go. That shouldn't be taken as demeaning, its just that they have limited space. For example, you would be hard pushed to find a book that explained why you had to have at least a 1mm cable for lighting that could carry 11 amps on a 6 amp circuit. When you know the answer its pretty simple, but the fact they haven't told you then means that you might not be aware of the consequences of running a cable in a particular situation. As with those books, I can only answer some of those points here.

I personally have taught people before and then performed an inspection of the work once it was completed. I have also picked up after 1st fix (this is where all the cables have been run and boxes fitted). So all that was left to do was the connection work. This may be a useful compromise.

There are a few things that you need to be aware of:
Log cabins have special rules that govern the routing and fixing of cables. Most electricians will need to go back and check the regs (and I would not accept a tender from anyone that says otherwise).

As far as wiring houses go (and just so you know). All metal work must be "equipotentially bonded". What this means is that wherever you have exposed pipes, you need to bond them together using 10mm cable and earth clamps. If there are multiple pipes in a room, e.g. bath, sink radiator, then all of these must be bonded together. There are also regulations that state that if there are socket outlets within a certain distance, then they have to be bonded too. So for example, if you change a kitchen sink from plastic to metal and have sockets within a couple of metres, then you bond the pipes to the outlet to the sink and to the socket. This means that if there is an electrical fault, all the items will be at the same potential.

Also, it is recommended that the pipes around boilers and cylinders are also bonded as rubber/cork insulators could insulate one from another. Also, you will need to bond the water main .....normally street side of the stop !!!!, or if its plastic on the house side. Well thats pretty much the plumbing. (You also need one for the gas meter (bond within 500mm of the meter).

Earthing really depends on the type of supply and so best to find out what the electrical authority want.

Installing ring mains is pretty easy. The only quirky bit of electrics is the lighting. So long as you mark the switch lines - everything else will be fine. Intermediate switches can be a bit tricky but there is a lot of guidance available.

Showers, cookers, supplies to garages etc can be a bit difficult to calculate and there are several cable derating factors that you might need to take into account. It should not take more than a couple of minutes to perform a calculation assuming they know what they are doing.

Most electricians don't know how to wire consumer units (fuse boxes), or if they do, they are too lazy to do it properly. You can check yours. Open it up and look at the ratings of the fuses or mcbs (minature circuit breakers) - are the biggest ones nearest the switch?? Probably not.

If you are running low voltage cables (including satellite cables) then you should also be aware that there are a bunch of regulations for that (always good to know especially when SKY put a clip at the top of your house, one in the middle, and one at the bottom).

The other thing you need to be aware of is building regs. These govern drilling holes in beams, maximum size, number of holes, proximity, residual strength and so on. The majority of cables should be run through holes drilled at an angle (definitely not straight) through beams to comply with the building regs. !When you run cables, its 4 times quicker if there are two of you rather than one. Never pull a cable too hard or sharply round an angle as you may chaff the outer sheath. Avoid over bending cables as this can change the properties of the copper.

Errrrr - so overall its pretty easy. Don't over tighten screws as this will thin out the connections. Remember to run cables for networking, outside lights, alarm systems, places where you might want sockets in the future, bedside lights etc all at the same time. Most cable I installed in 1 house was 4 miles (block of flats actually).

if you have your house wired, make sure you understand that you realise that the installation !certificate that you might be given only means that it is safe to connect your house to the national grid and not that its safe!!. !If you are unsure about anything - seek professional advice. Always have it checked by a competent engineer (and make sure that you know that they are competent).

No I don't run classes anymore.

Biggest problem you will have is allowing for settling and if running cables, watching out for thermal derating factors on the stuff they use to insulate between the logs.

Other things to note is that any cable/socket needs to be protected within 6" of a surface (work surface or floor), so move sockets up. Recommeded height is 1 meter but I personally don't like that.

As a bargain tip - when you buy electrical goods there are 3 things to note:

Cable: 1. Always buy british 2. Make sure it has a !kite mark 3. Make sure it is Basec approved. Watch out for cheap cable. There isn't a lot to go wrong with cable, but sometimes the insulation is not so good. Avoid cheap stuff from Europe - even though it is half the price.
Aim for at least 60% off trade price

Aceessories: Umm - pays your money takes your choice. I always used to use Tenby (from Wales). 10 year warranty and in all my years only had 1 broken light switch. They do some really nice paddle light switches that are very hard to get hold of. Avoid cheap makes. Discount varies by make but aim for at least 30% off trade price
Light fittings - always get the heat resistant type and 0.75mm heat resistant cable (not that cheap 0.5mm pre made stuff).

Junction boxes: I always used to use Ashley.

Consumer unit: Generally the updated regs mean that you will need a split load consumer unit. Make sure you get a couple of spare MCBs in case you want to extend it in the future as they can be very difficult to get hold of when the range changes.

If you get someone to wire it for you, look for a minimum 5 years parts and labour warranty. Thats what I used to give and because I used decent stuff only had 1 call back in 15 years of trading (an MK fused spur went bang). Before you think I must have been expensive, I would say to people to get a quote from the electic board and I would guarantee my quote would be 50% less and I would do a better job.

My advice - at least run the cables (agree with the electrician on the sizes) and fit the backboxes as this is the most expensive part of the job. After that wiring sockets is the easiest. Light fittings will be easy by then (so long as you know which is the switch line - usually marked with a red sleve on the black wire). Leave the consumer unit to a professional. As they connect each of the circuits, they should perform various tests to check the safety of each circuit as well as performing overall loop and visual checks.

If its in a few years, watch out for new regulations as these change every few years (just so you have to buy new books).

[trafalgar]

I have noticed posts giving electrical advice :-/

While this is great lots of people read these threads and while reading them I have noticed.......................nobody is mentioning SAFETY :-[
People should not mess with appliances until they have unplugged them(seems daft that people won't do that anyway but trust me someone won't)

Electricity can kill, so if you don't know what you are doing, or don't know all the safety measures you should take, then Please..........................get someone in who does. ;)

[MisterT2]

Oh yes - electrical safety.

When you perform an installation on a new property you will need a "temporary supply". There are another raft of regulations that cover this but basically its an ELCB with an earth rod and a small consumer unit on a fixed board. Usually you need to have a 110V supply for safety. Its a bit pricey as its generally throw away (well for you it will be) but well worth having as it will probably save your life.

Lowest recorded voltage causing death was 24 volt I believe.

Err - just realised the size of the post. Sorry. But then I did write a 970 page book a couple of years ago.

[Wishfairy]

;D Wow

Thank you soo much! That was a fantastic reply and much more than I was expecting! I've already saved it as a document so I'll be able to read back over it when the time comes ;D

I've got the confidence to at least do part of the work now and (hopefully) cut down on the price of an electrician.

I don't need to know the whys and hows so long as there's someone (like yourself) to say "have at least a 1mm cable for lighting " then I would! Are there any books on the subject that you would recommend for the novice (ie laymans terms)? Maybe your own? And who do I ask for a copy of current regulations etc?

:-* Thanks again.

[MisterT2]

Um - no my book was very specialised on making big computer systems go faster. Probably about as interesting as the mating habits of a slug if you aren't into that type of thing. ! :-/

Start with some basic books that give you the basics. Check the sizes with someone fairly competent at the time (the trade counter of your local electrical wholesaler is always a good bet). !

Have a look at "guides to the" IEE wiring regulations. These are a lot simpler to understand and some include practical worked examples.

The only other bit that you will really need are the cable capacity and derating factor tables which you can probably photocopy from the IEE regulations at your local library (check copyright terms first!).

While these will help with any special cable runs, mistakes are very expensive (such as using 6mm cable for a 7Kw shower and then finding out you needed to use 10mm just because it was a long run, or ran through the loft, or was in contact with thermal insulating plaster). !

A course of evening classes should prove their worth and should save you a lot of money.

PS 1mm is the minimum, many people use 1.5 as this saves having to think when running cables through an insulated loft space that also gets really hot in the summer. So, if someone gives you some advice that you think is different to some you have had before, always ask them to qualify it.

[plumb1]

There are also regulations that state that if there are socket outlets within a certain distance, then they have to be bonded too. So for example, if you change a kitchen sink from plastic to metal and have sockets within a couple of metres, then you bond the pipes to the outlet to the sink and to the socket. This means that if there is an electrical fault, all the items will be at the same potential.

With all the DIYer,s useing plastic push-fit pipes now,MOST dont realist the risk they are takeing by not cross bonding.Plus the risk of insurance companies not paying out.Although you have a job claiming when your brown/bread.

[Wishfairy]

So, Plumb1, would you recommend that we don't use plastic pipes?

[MisterT2]

To be pedantic, if using plastic pipes you still need to bond the taps to each other then the sink and to any electrical socket(s). If in doubt - ask someone who is "qualified to answer".

Most kitchen fitters don't know how to cross-bond and so its always good to negotiate discount for them leaving you with a life-threatening situation. ! :-/
Without writing another huge essay, people who put showers in bedrooms should also check out all the extra bonding requirements.

Always use 10mm - you are allowed to use smaller sizes but only if mechanically protected/supported.

If you have specific questions you can pm me as I don't usually revisit threads.

[MisterT2]

wishfairy - I'm not a trained plumber but .....

Have a look at a construction site next time you visit Florida. Their wiring and plumbing is very different. They use a central manifold with pipes that lead to one outlet. At each appliance or tap, there is an isolation valve on the wall. This is a really good idea.

I generally put isolation valves in circuit whenever I do plumbing. They only take a couple of minutes and cost £2.50 or so. They can save so much time. It leaves me to mess with one room at a time without affecting anyone else.

In the UK, I have no problem with plastic pipes - just the connections that seem to leak whenever you twist them. However, in a log cabin, you might be better off with these as they will give you more flexibility as the logs dry out.

Also, you can quite often catch a series on Discovery Home and Leisure (on sky) to do with log cabins. I was amazed at the number of things you needed to consider. Its an American series - husband and wife team (or at least male and female). Last cabin was in the snow.

[aussielle]

This is taken from NICEIC Connections - The Niciec Journal for Approved Electrical Contractors.

Question. !Does a metalic kitchen sink, such as a stainless steel sink, require supplementary bonding?

Answer. !Supplementary bonding to a metallic kitchen sink is not required.

Explanation. !Supplementary bonding is required in certain locations of increased shock risk such as those covered by part 6 of BS 7671 (bathrooms, saunas, swimming pools etc). !A kitchen is not considered in BS 7671 to be a location of increased shock risk, hence supplementary bonding is not required.

Furthermore, a metalic sink will almost certainly not be an extraneous-conductive-part in it's own right (as defined in part 2; definitions of BS 7671) and therefore the need for main equipotential bonding is unlikely to arise.

An extraneous-conductive-part is defined in part 2 of BS 7671 as;
A conductive part liable to introduce a potential, generally earth potential, and not forming part of the electrical installation.

A note in the 15th Edition of the IEE Wiring Regulations stated that sinks might need to be bonded in areas where local supplementary bonding was provided. !However, such a note was note included in the 16th Edition.

Hope that helps !:)

[MisterT2]

I was waiting for that ......

Well we could debate the regs, but this isn't the best forum. The full quote from the NIC site actually reads:
The 15th Edition of the IEE Wiring Regulations required supplementary bonding to be applied to all sinks where extraneous-conductive-parts were not reliably connected to the main bonding, and many examples still exist today.

So let me ask - what's safest? Where is the best practice?

Not letting off steam .... just common sense and best practice ...... This is a forum and therefore it is always best to offer best practice. As pointed out elsewhere accreditation does not necessarily mean that they know what they are doing and hence to ask someone who was "qualified to answer".

Don't forget that the regs change from time to time and policy regarding extrusions etc has changed every time

[ksh123]

Dear Lucid
its very generous of you to offer advice like this. Hope you're not regretting it already :D
I have 2 light fittings, one in the bathroom and one in the kitchen, that flicker on and off a lot and also blow bulbs pretty frequently (the kitchen one has halogen bulbs in case that's relevant). Both fittings were installed by handymen as opposed to qualified electricians. Do you think there could be something wrong that needs checking out? If yes, how much should I expect to pay an electrician to do that?
thanks, if you can help that would be great. Dont want to go up in flames one of these days! :D

[Glad]

my ariston dishwasher is 3 yrs old
6 mnths ago it stopped washimg, didn't seem to be taking in water although sounded as if it was washing

left it for 2 wks and suddenly it started working again

now same thing is happening
and it is also tripping the fuse when we start it up

help

[MisterT2]

ksh123It sounds like you have a poor connection somewhere in the circuit. Three ways of saying this:

1. Definitely a priority to get it fixed as there is a potential fire risk
2. It could be that there is an isolated problem at the ceiling rose or poor connectivity in the lamp fitting. This will quite often cause light bulbs to blow.
3. It could be that you have a batch of dodgey bulbs.

Nothing against "the handyman" - just cowboys - after all 12v systems are generally intended for the DIY (though I have yet to see a pack that tells you all the regulations that affect its installation).

I would say that if the problems were reasonably coincidental then go for 1 as 2 and 3 are probably caused by the same poor connection (that is possibly arcing). It should be a simple problem necessitating remaking the connections and possibly replacing a junction box (if they used cheap junk)

I would have it checked asap. aussielle posted a phone number as top thread on another forum. You pay your money, take your choice. !You can also check upmystreet.com for local electricians.


glad.
First unplug it now. Ignoring the safety aspect, which I hope is blatantly obvious, it might save you money. I presume that you are referring to "tripping the fuse" as tripping an mcb (minature circuit breaker). This sounds like you have an earth leakage fault on the machine (the insulation on something has failed and is causing the circult to trip) or it could be that there are certain motor characteristics that cause the same problem (but these are very rare).

So lets assume its the first. Continuous tripping can cause problems with some mcbs/trips which would then also need to be changed (so be aware of that).

I would say that most probably the heater element has corroded and this can sometimes be that one of the seals on the end of the element has broken down. This means that you won't be able to see a problem, but it can be easily measured using a megger (this does a test at a much higher voltage to spot problems like this). If you take it apart then you might see that the element is corroded and has holes in it. Either way, you will need a megger to confirm the problem. Like I say, probably the element but it could also be something dripping onto the electrical components (which would dry out over a couple of weeks and explain that). If you want to save some money, unplug it, take the back off and have a look. You have nothing to lose apart from having to put the back on it again. Leave it unplugged till the problem is fixed anyway (for a number of reasons) and especially if you have a fridge/freezer on the same circuit.

If you can't see anything visible, you will need to find someone with a megger.

Just so noone bites my head off, it could be a couple of other things, but this is a good starting point.

If you want a different approach and regardless of the fact that you don't have an extended warranty, you might have reasonably expected it to last more than 2.5 years. You could pay for an independent inspection. If that finds it was a manufacturing fault that didn't appear for some time, then you will have recourse against the supplier(retailer not the manufacturer) - or so I am told.

[MisterT2]

Just to clarify - "I would say that most probably the heater element has corroded and this can sometimes be that one of the seals on the end of the element has broken down."

What I meant is that either:
1) The heater element had corroded and water was getting through the corrosion.
2) One of the seals that keeps the moisture out of the element has broken down (a bit like margins around fillings breaking down).

Just wanted to make it clearer.

[luciddreamer]

Dear Lucid
its very generous of you to offer advice like this. Hope you're not regretting it already :D
I have 2 light fittings, one in the bathroom and one in the kitchen, that flicker on and off a lot and also blow bulbs pretty frequently (the kitchen one has halogen bulbs in case that's relevant). Both fittings were installed by handymen as opposed to qualified electricians. Do you think there could be something wrong that needs checking out? If yes, how much should I expect to pay an electrician to do that?
thanks, if you can help that would be great. Dont want to go up in flames one of these days! :D


Hi KSH123,
No i'm not regretting it at all otherwise i wouldn't have posted it, and besides MisterT2 is keeping it up to date! ;D
As Mister T2 said It sounds like a loose connection which is arcing (can you hear a crackling sound when this problem occurs?) and cauing the flickering (this can cause a fire so you do need to get it checked out).

You say the lamps you are using are halogen, are they enclosed? If they are not and you're touching the lamp itself the grease from your fingers weakens the glass when halogen lamps are turned on and this often blows them, you should use a tissue or the protective covering that comes with them.

Altough you don't have to be a qualified electrician (Just competent) to do electrical work, i would never let just a handyman do electrical work.

Electrical firms around London Charge around £25-£35 call out fee and then around £15-£20 per hour and it shouldn't take more than an hour or so to sort this problem out so long as they don't have to go lifting carpets and floor boards. but it does sound like a dodgy connection or transformer (if they're low voltage) so they shouldn't have to do this!
If it turns out that the handymen were at fault you could try charging the bill to them (i would, and if they say they won't pay tell them you're reporting them to trading standards), but then it's gonna start getting legal and thats not my area.

Hope this helps

Paul

[ksh123]

Hi Lucid and Mr T2, thanks both for your replies.
I will indeed get these lights checked out. However I don't hear any crackling or sound of "arcing" from them but safe is better than the other thing!
Its useful to know the sort of costs and timescales I can expect so thanks for that too.
Mr T2 not sure what you meant about aussielle leaving a phone number somewhere? Sadly my area does not exist on Up My Street, apart from a query I submitted so its back to Yellor Pages, lol.
Thanks again.
ksh123

[aussielle]

Ksh123

This may help you


http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=Home;action=display;num=1085815169

[ksh123]

ahaah, now I understand. Thank you Aussielle. :-*

Hi,
I was recently going to replace the bathroom wall strip light (above sink/mirror) with a similar one that also has a shaver socket. However, when I took the old one off I noted that it only has the live and the earth wires connected to it (i.e no neutral). The neutral was just cut short and taped over the end. I decided not to go ahead because I was a bit confused, shouldn't al three wires be connected. Whithout the neutral what is the return path of the circuit ?

Thanks.

[MisterT2]

I hate to say it, but get an electrician. Definitely sounds like you have some duff wiring.

[Fran]

I thought I'd hang a picture on the wall yesterday in the kitchen. Now I knew something about the wiring going from the switch upwards but wasnt' sure if it goes straight up or along (in this case to the door) and up. So I got one of them picture hanging hooks and gently tapped it in to start so that I didn't need to hold the pin (as it's metal I thought) and thought well I'll try it anyway. "Phoooooffffff!!!!!". Out went the lights! What a shot, bet you couldn't do it if you had to. What I would like to know is, should I have been able to do that? I thought wiring had to be encased? I know I was stupid to risk it but there must be other people like me who are just not sure about where to bang things in. Also, someone told me there should be a cover over the fuses because it's a fire risk. Someone installed a shower at some point and the shower fuse sticks out so a cover wouldn't fit on even if it was there. Does it matter? Thanks for offering your advice, I'm sure there's plenty of idiots like me who take a chance on things, you could help improve our quality of life (by making sure we don't get electric shocks!!!!)

[MisterT2]

Depending on the age of your wiring there are a lot of different regs that might apply. If cables are covered with conduit - its usually just the cheap plastic type - that won't stop a nail. If its in direct contact with the plaster, then the plaster should not be the thermal insulating type (unless they have increased cable size to take that into account).

The only good thing about your experience is you know where not to put the next nail. Remember that if you are fixing it yourself you will need to use a junction box and not those cheap plastic chocolate blocks.

Fuses should be covered for mechanical protection if nothing else. Whether it offers any additional fire protection depends on the type of fuse. I don't understand why a cover won't fit on it - presumably there is a door that closes onto it.

I could waffle on about checking the fuse is the correct size, but then would have to talk about the size of the cable, power of the shower and length of the cable. If you have any doubts, have someone take a quick look at it.

[luciddreamer]

I thought I'd hang a picture on the wall yesterday in the kitchen. Now I knew something about the wiring going from the switch upwards but wasnt' sure if it goes straight up or along (in this case to the door) and up. So I got one of them picture hanging hooks and gently tapped it in to start so that I didn't need to hold the pin (as it's metal I thought) and thought well I'll try it anyway. "Phoooooffffff!!!!!". Out went the lights! What a shot, bet you couldn't do it if you had to. What I would like to know is, should I have been able to do that? I thought wiring had to be encased? I know I was stupid to risk it but there must be other people like me who are just not sure about where to bang things in. Also, someone told me there should be a cover over the fuses because it's a fire risk. Someone installed a shower at some point and the shower fuse sticks out so a cover wouldn't fit on even if it was there. Does it matter? Thanks for offering your advice, I'm sure there's plenty of idiots like me who take a chance on things, you could help improve our quality of life (by making sure we don't get electric shocks!!!!)

Hi ya Fran genrally cables should be run vertically behind plaster ie up or down from switches or sockets, but in my time i've seen cables run diagonally across walls. if a socket is below where you want to place a nail you can unscrew it to see if the cable runs up or down!

i've never heard of a cover not being over fuses being a fire risk!! (i'd like to know how? this is rubbish advice ) it sounds to me like you have the old wylex type rewirable fuses and the retro fit MCB type fuse (in case you don't know an MCB is like a switch that you can turn on or off )for your shower (also the shower and i don't want to be more technical here, should be RCD protected! an RCD is like an MCB but has a little button with a T on it for TEST which you should check every month! (by pressing this button and this should make the switch turn off, which you then switch back on) to make sure it works ok) these always make the cover usless but it is not dangerous in any way.

The only cover should be to stop direct contact (that is where you could touch the exposed wire and recieve a shock) with any wires or Bus bar (the bar connected to the fuses) in the fuse board (ccu)

I've just had British Gas give me an estimate for a new boiler. The guy said that my main equipotential bond was not up to standard and would need to be upgraded.

He also said that he was surprised that the company who installed my kitchen plus all appliances last year had not fitted one. He implied that they had broken the law. Is he right??? ???

[MisterT2]

Hey luciddreamer. There were a lot of ways you could have responded that would have been a little more diplomatic.

There are plenty of examples where fires have started in fuse boxes from failed circuit breakers (regardless of type) and I can certainly find a couple if you are interested. There was a suspicion that this was the root cause at a nursing home earlier this year.

Admittedly I missed the fact that they were possibly calling an mcb a fuse. All this tells me is that the person who installed it didn't cut out the knockouts from the front panel. I would have assumed that even a semi-competent person would have done that.

With regard to your comments regarding unscrewing a socket to see if the cable runs up or down. I personally would recommend against this as people would generally need to pull the socket away from the wall. When they pushed it back, they might not check, or not have noticed that the cables had moved to the side of the socket. This may mean that when screwing it back up that they may catch one of the cables, such as the neutral or earth without realising it especially if they don't have an elcb/rcd. I have seen several examples of cables that have been caught through the years putting all manner of faults on their circuits.

In the case of a plastic back box then they could catch the live wire with one of the screws resulting in the screw being live. I have only seen this once on a light switch - but once is one time too many.

[MisterT2]

Hi Vicky,

Basically, the main bond should run from your fuse box to the gas meter. If you have a look at the gas meter, you should be able to see the cable.

Depending on when your house was wired it could well have been that the recommended cable size has changed since it was installed.

I think it is standard practice for the gas board to check these things, but there is nothing wrong with getting a quote from an electrician - or running the cable yourself and just getting them to connect it. You will probably pay a premium for the cable (as rolls are generally 100m or 50m) and so check whether its worth you doing it yourself first.

In terms of breaking the law ..... the IEEE has a set of regulations that should be followed at the time of installation and during inspections. But that's it, it is a set of regulations and not a set of laws. There are several forums where this is debated time and time again. Last time I looked (2 years ago) the net result was that nothing is legally enforcible in a court - which is really what the question should be. I am sure someone will comment if this has changed since. Regardless, that doesn't mean that you don't have a complaint though.

The kitchen fitters could well have bonded the pipes behind or below a panel. My point is that you need to double check first. There are several comments about bonding sinks earlier in this thread.

[MrB]

Hi Lucid and MisterT2, I've not got a problem, but would like some advise please. In the next few weeks I intend to build a conservatory and the electric points within. Will i be able to tap into the ring that currently exists in the house and feed it back at another point, as this was my plan. Cheers

[MisterT2]

First point is that a ring should be a ring and so you shouldn't tap in and out at separate points. Not sure why you would need to as its probably easier to run two cables as one. Not sure I fully understand this point.

3 main concerns:

What type of conservatory is it - wood/plastic/bricked to knee height?

Do you have an earth leakage circuit breaker on the main supply or fuse panel (or mcb board)?

Is it attached to the house (some aren't)?

---------------

If attached, personally, I have always treated these as if they might get wet and only ever put waterproof sockets on the house wall or bricked section. They are a little more expensive, but well worth the safety cost. You can put them elsewhere, but this is usually the best option. Cavity trays/lead flashing might not always be that effective and you might get damp issues - especially in the winter.

If you don't have an earth leakage circuit breaker or rcd then you could consider protected sockets but I generally find that these are more expensive than the real thing (i.e an rcd/elcb with integral fuse box). Unfortunately this will mean running cables. If you don't have a protected ring, then it might be a good idea to protect it anyway. You shouldn't get carried away and protect the whole house as this is a very bad thing to do (some old lady died by falling down the stairs when it tripped and the whole house fell into darkness). This is the reason why they produce split consumer units where part is switched and part protected.

The thing to watch out for when breaking the ring is that it is a ring and not a spur of a spur. You will need to switch off and check continuity through both sets of wires. If you don't have continuty, then you are not on the ring.

If the ring is protected and the conservatory is fixed to the house, don't use chocolate blocks - use a decent 30Amp junction box (Ashley etc) to extend one of the cables (the other will go into the back of the socket) - not that cheap imported trash.

I would never recommend, but if you want to put sockets on a wooden/plastic panel then the cables must be protected - white conduit/box section is the cheapest.

All cables must be protected within 6" (approx) of the floor anyway. You should use 2.5mm cable (you probably knew that bit).

Finally if the conservatory is separate then it will need to have its own circuit so that it can be isolated. It will also need to have its own consumer unit locally so that it can be isolated.

Once you have done it all don't forget to check the ring is continuous, the insulation using a megger and the sockets are correctly wired using a tester.

I presume that you are also going to put a light in. This should ideally come from the existing light circuit, but I have seen several instances where a fused spur has been used. I forget the exact regs that apply suffice to say that its not a good idea for lights to go out if the ring trips.

Hmmm so many if but's and maybe's. Will read through tomorrow and check it makes sense as its pretty late now and I am tired. Probably quicker to do the job by the time you have read to here

[MrB]

Hi MisterT2, thanks for the advise. to answer some of the questions raised, the conservotory is to be bricked at either side and knee hight at the front(some would say this is a verranda, I think it will be more permenant)
Unsure about the earth leakage cb but will check before strting anything else, and the conservortory will join the house in two places. The point of waterproof and rcd protected sockets is a very valid point and I shall be contacting my local Denhams to see if I can get a good price. As the brick walls will be plasterboarded, I thought new regs state that cable has to be run through conduit, or was my leg being pulled.

Cheers, Alan

[MrB]

Hi MisterT2, thanks for the advise. to answer some of the questions raised, the conservotory is to be bricked at either side and knee hight at the front(some would say this is a verranda, I think it will be more permenant)
Unsure about the earth leakage cb but will check before strting anything else, and the conservortory will join the house in two places. The point of waterproof and rcd protected sockets is a very valid point and I shall be contacting my local Denhams to see if I can get a good price. As the brick walls will be plasterboarded, I thought new regs state that cable has to be run through conduit, or was my leg being pulled.

Cheers, Alan

[MisterT2]

Denhams - Plymouth/West country? Used to deal with them from time to time. Some good deals on their newspaper...... also try Edmundsons. I used to get 80% of my stuff from there.

Personally I can see no point in using conduit if platerboarding - just with paster especially as some of these have thermal insulating properties or are acidic.

However, you will need to clip the cables (used to be 9" vertically = 1 hammer length approx and 6" horizontally = 1 terminal screwdriver length) Probably now some European metric measurement that I really don't think important enough to look up. You will probably see arguements about using channelling/conduit in case you need to change the cable in the future. Personally I wouldn't waste your time.

[zebra55]

Hello

I wonder if you're able to help with my broken video recorder.

It was perfectly fine on Wednesday morning when I left for work. When I got home, there was no display and it won't switch on or operate at all.

I've put a new fuse in, because I thought it might be that, but no joy.

I've not changed any connections or SCART leads or anything and am at a complete loss as to why it doesn't work.

Any help gratefully received.

Many thanks

zebra

[MisterT2]

Hi Zebra,

Well if you have changed the fuse then you might be lucky and an internal fuse has gone. Sometimes these will blow when spiked or once or twice, just because they are "old and fed up"

I am not sure if this is something you should attempt or not. Probably not, but if you do, you should see 20mm glass fuses on the PSU. Is it blown? If not then down to the video repair person. Otherwise, you will need to get one that is identical (approx 6p-> 40p). If that blows then there will be a fault condition.

If it isn't blown, then there are other things that can be wrong, like some of the old Fergusons had a lamp which had to be working. Difficult to say without more info. There could of course be something more serious wrong, in which case its back to the video repair person.

I would get a quote before you agree to any repair as these things are pretty cheap nowadays.

[zebra55]

MisterT

Thank you so much for replying to my message.

I don't think I will attempt mucking about with any electrics as I know nothing about them! I think I will ask someone to look at it (and I will get a quote).

I have looked into buying a new one as I know they're very cheap these days, but just wanted to see if it could be repaired first.

Many thanks again

zebra

[MisterT2]

Welcome - if you know any hobbyists then they could tell you whether the fuses had blown or not. Its a very simple test and they should only need to take the cover off. (Make sure its unplugged first).

[ioscorpio]

2 Problems

1) Electric cooker - oven and grill only work occassionally, either will heat for about 45 minutes at a time, then will not work again for weeks, but the hotplates work all the time.

2) Not sure if this electrical or plumbing? My central heating timer switches on and the central heating does NOT work but the hot water DOES work.

Any cheap resolutions welcome.

[MisterT2]

1) Electric cooker - oven and grill only work occassionally, either will heat for about 45 minutes at a time, then will not work again for weeks, but the hotplates work all the time.

Could be a few things. Are the oven and grill combined? Assuming they are I would suspect the thermostat first and heater element second and connection block third.

Thermostats are pretty self evident. It could be that the heater element warms up and then goes open circuit. When it cools it would then contract again - but this would not explain a 2 week delay. Any more info?

2) Not sure if this electrical or plumbing? My central heating timer switches on and the central heating does NOT work but the hot water DOES work
First thing to check is the thermostat ......quite often these can lock up. Rotate and see if it clicks on and off. Second common problem is that the motor siezes up. Can you hear it turning? If not, you can take the end of the motor off and give it a spin (depends on type). Alternatively - its usually a new motor.

Need to find someone with a meter to check if this is right as these things can be expensive. I always run mine every few months in the summer for a minute or two. Alternatively, it could be a solenoid problem but these are very rare - and not all heating systems have them.

[ioscorpio]

1) Oven and grill is combined and it does only work periodically, that's what I don't understand.

2) Sorry I didn't understand your explanation,is the problem with the boiler or the timer box? ! The timer control panel is in the porch Honeywell ST7100 and the boiler is in the garage Glow Worm Fuelsaver Mark II. !Hot water and central heating are both controlled by the timer, the hot water works but the central heating does not. The central heating had been programmed to run every day when it stopped working.

[MisterT2]

Okay - with the cooker - the only way is to get someone with a meter and check it, or else you can buy a multimeter yourself for around £4 - maplins probably. Basically you need something that will test for voltage and continuity. Nothing special.

With the cooker isolated from the mains, connect one probe at either end of the element and check for continuity (Resistance scale). It should give a reading of around 20 ohms. !If you get no reading (or very high resistance in Megohms) then it is open circuit and will not work.

If thats okay, switch the cooker on and then the grill. On the AC volt scale, check for 240v across the element. If not then its not getting the voltage and the problem is most likely the thermostat. Switch off at the wall, check all the wires to/from the element and thermostat. If all are ok then it can only be the thermostat. You could check the voltages around the thermostat to be sure, but this is a bit more dangerous and its impossible to tell you which proble to put where without having it in front of me. Unfortunately you might need to take a lot of the cooker apart to get to it.

2) Heating......
is the problem with the boiler or the timer box? !
I presume you have a thermostat in one or more of the rooms. First check these by rotating them. You should be able to hear them click on and off.

The timer control panel is in the porch Honeywell ST7100 and the boiler is in the garage Glow Worm Fuelsaver Mark II. !Hot water and central heating are both controlled by the timer, the hot water works but the central heating does not. !

Forget this bit for a minute. If you get hot water, then the boiler is working. Locate the central heating pump. a) Can you hear it rotating (have someone switch the heating on/off). If not then this is most likely the problem.

b) Check to see if the motor has a speed control on it. Mine has - a small tri-positiion level. Try changing the speed. Any difference?

c) If still not rotating, take end cover off - spin the armature. It might have got stuck. If no end cover then skip this.

d) Take the connection cover off and use the multimeter to check the voltage to the motor when the heating is switched on. If you have mains voltage on the motor, and you cannot hear it turning then the problem is with the motor. If there is no voltage to the motor then possibly there is a problem further back - either with the timer or thermostats.

e) Some timers are exceptionally complicated while others are very simple. You will have a supply cable (this is obviously ok). The cable to the boiler is fine as you get hot water. So you will need to check to see if you have voltages to the CH pump (follow the cable back). If this looks ok, then its probably that one of the thermostats have failed. Depending on what I thought at the time, I might be tempted to test the stat with a meter (remove all power to the central heating first!!!). Disconnect and check with a meter. Note position of wires or you will have to get an electrician in.

f) finally - if the stats are okay then I would buddy the pump wires with the hot water wires as a quick test . If the CH now works then its a timer fault.

Hope this is of more help. Its worth the investment in a cheap meter. You can probably get one at a market for a couple of quid.

[terrierlady]

:-/Problem its me.!..
.I have a double dimmer switch on the wall that controls the center light and also the wall lights.
Center light works ok but wall lights dont. Is it the switch and can i buy a replacement one easily?

[Uncle_Cuddles]

Hi. I want to electrify my loftspace, just a couple of double plugs and a couple of light fittings. Should I get a seperate ring(s) off my fusebox or run it off the existing bedroom light rings.

How much should an electrican charge for this?

hi, I need to know a little about voltage converters?
im planning on buying a laptop from the US and thus need to figure a way of plugging it in.

Is there an adaptor I will need to convert the voltage? and where is cheapest place for this

Many thanks if you can help,
Matt

[MisterT2]

Well this is turning into a full time job :)

terrierlady with a double dimmer:
I guess you have changed at least one of the bulbs in the wall lights. I once got called out at 2am to change a light bulb! It is most likely that the dimmer has become defective. Switch off the lights at the mains (turn the lights on first and make sure they go out). Take the switch off the wall. You should see 2 separate dimmers each with a red and black wire (the black wire should have a red sleeve). Can you see anything visibly wrong? Sometimes you will see that the triac or scr (a black square thing) has gone bang. Are there any fuses? If so you can switch them over - retest the lights. If a fuse has gone, you need to get a special sand filled fuse.

If not, switch over the black wires (don't worry about the red ones for now). Switch the power on. You should now have wall lights but no centre light.

Double dimmers can be quite expensive, but if you have a look at yours, the only thing holding the circuit board is a nut on the thing you turn at the front. Your cheapest option would be to buy another single dimmer and replace the defective unit. You should be able to see if its the same size etc. Some have an interference supressor (a coil of wire on a ferrite rod or circle). You can move these quite easily to make the other one fit. Alternatively, the normal search engines return a lot of places to get another.

Uncle_Cuddles and power in the loft:
You cannot run sockets off a light circuit. You have to run power from a socket or from the fuse box. I normally use the most convenient socket. The socket must be on the ring main - in other words it must have two cables in it. You are going to take a spur from it. So, with all power off you need to check that you have continuity across the reds, blacks, and earth. If not then the socket you have is a spur and the second cable feeds another spur (this is very bad practice). If you don't have a tester then you need a mains test screwdriver. Pull the red cables out of the back - separate them and make sure they are not touching anything. Switch power on and make sure that they are both live. If so, you are then fine to take a spur off. Get some 2.5mm 6242Y twin and earth cable, some earth sleeving (approx 5p per meter) and you are away.

With regard to lights, you can go in the back of any ceiling rose and take a supply from there. You should use a minimum of 1.0mm 6242Y due to the cable being in contact with at least one insulated surface and the heat that you get in the loft. In the ceiling rose, you have all the live cables stuck together in the middle. Put your red in here. The neutral cables will all be bunched together and connected to one side of the lamp (put your black in here) and the other black wire (possibly with a red sleeve but to be clear only 1 wire) will be the live-return from the switch (so you don't want that one). If you get the wrong one its easy to spot as the loft light will only work when the other room light is switched on.

You will usually need a long pole with a drill bit in the end to get down through noggins in the wall to get to the socket. If its easier, you can drop a plumb bob down through the cavity to the consumer unit but its not necessary.

PS To any sparks reading this. Yes I know that colours of cables are changing - I shall keep my opinion about that to myself as its pretty much unprintable. Yet another piece of Eurotrash and nothing but another money making scheme.

Matt Farrington Smith Voltage covertors:

I have replied at length on one of the forums. Many laptop PSUs operate from 110v-240v. So this could be one of the things you could ask. If so, all you need to get is an extension lead from the US which would cost about $3, and change the plug.

If its only 110v then you don't want a cheap voltage convertor that will frazzle a laptop if it goes wrong. Safest bet is a 110v transformer like they use on building sites. It weighs a lot, but the likelihood of it going wrong is very low. Usually about £45. Alternatively you might be able to pick up a cheap power supply from Maplins/Ebay.

[ioscorpio]

Mister T2
Thanks very much for all your advice.
iomexico

Hello,

I have a couple of problems with some kitchen applicances that I bought on ebay, any help would be muchly appreciated! :)

Firstly is a Whirlpool hob. I've wired it in, but the spark ignition shows no sign of life. I've pulled the ignition button out and my voltage testing screwdriver shows one side of it is live, but when the screwdriver connects the two contacts on the button (in order to test whether the button is at fault) still nothing happens... but the light on the voltage testing screwdriver goes out, which suggests to me that the spark ignition is using the power but not making sparks... any ideas?! ???

Secondly is a Whirlpool dishwasher. Initially I had a problem with this where a hose connected to a motor (which I think is used for pumping the water around the insides of the unit) had come loose during transit, so as a result it filled itself up and then leaked all the water over the kitchen floor... :o That was easy enough to fix, but now it just fills up, then sits there for quite a long time (say 10-15 mins), and then empties, without ever blasting any water around inside. - that's on a "rinse and hold" cycle, but it does similar things on the normal wash cycles too. Any thoughts on what I could try, or any estimate of how much it would cost to get some dude to come and fix it would be superb... :)

Cheers,
Rich

[luciddreamer]

Hi

I'm a qualified Electrician and willing to give advice to anyone using this website.

So if you need any help i will try my best to give you an answer.

Or if you want a rough pricing of an electrical job you need doing, i can give you that too so you can tell if you're getting ripped off or not.

Beware of NIC EIC one man bands i know for a fact that some electricians claim to be NIC EIC have all the stickers on the van and look official but are not! (if you're unsure get their NIC enrolment number from them and call the NIC yourself to confirm it)
also i'm not saying this is true of all NIC registerd firms but i have worked for some that could be considered "cowboys".

I will post more information at a later date.

Paul


Okay i've been away for a while because of family problems, but now i'm back and here to help
you can either contact me by one of three methods

this site (which i don't always check)

my e mail: electrician74@tiscali.co.uk

or on my mobile: 07958 598 964

[robby-01]

misterT2

why do you recommend cross bonding pipework in 10mm cable ? When the regulations state that 4mm or above can be used without additional protection.Also the only rooms in a dwelling were the cross bonding of pipework and exposed conductive parts is required are rooms containg a bath or shower.This is known as Supplementary Equipotential Bonding there is no requirement in Bs7671 to supplementary bond any metal pipes or sinks in kitchens.All of this is clearly explained in the IEE on-site guide [16th edition wiring regulations].This guide also provides useful information regarding bonding in plastic pipe installations.

[travel_freak]

Hello,
What a great thread this is - thank you luciddreamer and Mr T. I just posted a "help" thread in another area about my oven before spotting this one. Here goes. We have an Electrolux EOB976 electric oven/grill. Out of the blue it has stopped heating up. The fan comes on but no heat. I've read the similar message above but didn't really understand it and have no idea where to find the thermostat. Any advice - and, if it is the thermostat how much ought that to cost to fit - is it economically repairable? does it come as a unit that I could just fit myself (I'm not especially electrical/technically minded!). I don't know how old the oven is - we've been here for 3 years and I think it was fairly new when we moved in. Any tips gratefully received. Thanks!

[John_M_Business]

Hi

We've just had our home re-wired (amongst other things) and got loads of nice stainless steel switches fitted. One thing we did, which I ran by the 'leccy' on the job was whether it was a good idea to have two dimmers on the same set of lights.

He said it'd be fine. I was concerned, but trusted his judgement... however, what I find is that the dimmers work, but not in conjunction with each other. i.e. if one dimmer is full on, and the other is used to dim, it's fine; but if one is even slightly dimmed, then using the other causes the lights to flicker.

So, getting to the question: is it likely that the two dimmers being on the same circuit is causing this flickering and, if so, would it be a good idea to spend a few quid and change the two 'shared' dimmers to on/off switches to stop this happening?

Advice appreciated.

Thanks

[sce37]

Hi wondered if you can help

We have a fourway switch in the hallway two switches for the hall and two covering outside lights. The hallway lights were already on and I went to switch on the two outside switches simultaneously which resulted in the hallway, outside and a couple of other room lights cutting out. I have checked the main box for this and all the fuses are ok. On replacing the bulbs the lights still do not turn on. Have I caused something to happen behind the mains box or the wiring itself? Would welcome your advice and if an electrician is required to resolve the fault an estimation of the likely costs.
Much appreciated.

[Mozilla]

Lucid Dreamer,

I need to have my house rewired but need an indication of cost.

Roughly speaking, how much would it cost to rewire a 3 bed house with 2 receptions, a kitchen, bathroom, hallway with an external socket for the lawnmower?

And advise would be greatly appreciated!

[MisterT2]

Been ill for a while - sorry. Might not be back for a while.

Re: Earthing debate - also see all the debacle about earthing back boxes with fixed or movable lugs. We can debate the merits of hard earthing elsewhere (and the problems it may cause), but as far as I am concerned, best practise presides.

Re: the light dimmers - If you mean they flicker very quickly then it sounds like you have somehow got the dimmers wired in series i.e. the first is chopping the sine wave and then feeding that to the second which is chopping it more - causing the rapid switching on and off. You need to have two dimmers where you push a know or something to switch the circuit from the remote switch to the local switch. This dimmer will then set the intensity. If you have that then one switch should interconnect to the other with a 3 core and the other will also have two cores that go to the lamp. If you have that then its simply that its wired wrongly.


Note: Disclaimer - if you don't understand 2 way switching then ignore the following!!
Not sure of the markings that you have on the dimmers but from the 3 core cable there should be a cable between C (common) and then the other two wires should go from L1 to L1, L2 to L2 and then the red/black (black should also have a red marker) from the lamp (or new colours) go into L1 and L2. Note if you are not happy and or the explanation - get a pro in. Just don't blame me!

re fourway switch - Well I guess you !might have had it fixed by now but if not...... If all the rest of the lights in the house (or some that were connected to this switch) work, then it is unlikely that there is an issue with the fuse box UNLESS you have more than one circuit and only these are connected to the one circuit. The quickest way to find out is to get one of those electrical test screwdrivers. Take the switch off and you should find four cables each with a red/black wire. Each of the red wires should be live. If they are then there is no problem with the supply. If you switch the light on, then the other wire (the black wire) should go live, and this will tell you that there is power leaving the switch. !After that, if its easy, you can check at the light fittings.
1) A few words - get a decent make of mains testing screwdriver and be very careful!
2) I got a call from a hotel once where they said all teh lights were out and basically the bulbs they put in were already blown.
3) If the live cables aren't live, then you may have a defective minature circuit breaker (mcb) (looks like its on but its not working) or there could be a small problem with the wiring.

re House Rewiring - pretty much depends on where you are and the quality of the sparky. I think http://www.niceic.org.uk/consumers/index.html has a freephone somewhere for "qualified" electricians. You should still take up recommendations regardless. Sorry if this offends some people, but one of my houses that I bought new was wired by an idiot and I am sure his claimed accreditation must have been fraudulent. (18 major faults as inspected by the local electrical authority). Personally, I would still run all the cables, chop out/fix the backboxes etc and just get someone in for a day to do all the connecting up. You will save your self a fortune.

I used to perform inspections for MK many moons ago and to give you the 1 probing question to find if anyone is any good......ask
"how will you arrange the circuits in the consumer unit".

Most cowboys don't have a clue - and the answer is common sense. If they know how it should be done, they will explain why it is done that way in one sentence that doesn't have any technical terms in it. If its any longer than one sentence then its probably waffle. Its so simple when you think about that I am not going to say what it is here. If nobody can answer the question, then none of them are any good. The answer should start "the circuits are arranged in ....... order because ...........

Oh yes!! Ask the electrical inspector (from the electric board) to drop by to check the supply. Some are more stringent than others and the supply regs have changed. You might need to move the consumer unit from its current location even if they are not changing the supply and they will be only too happy to advise for free.... You might also ask them about earthing which is another area they will happily discuss. If you need to sink an earth rod, its very easy to hit one with a hammer - its also easy to go through a sewer etc!!

Hope this lot helps.

[robby-01]

mister t2 this site is about saving money.So why do you constantly advice people to do things that are not required by the wiring regulations.Before you start on about best practice etc.Let me remind you that bs7671 (thats the wiring regs if you didnt know) while not statutory is the accepted code of best practice for the electricity at work regulations which are.Therefore if your work complies with bs7671 it is deemed to comply with the electricity at work regulations.Read the book.

[MisterT2]

Read the book thanks – you see I had to when I completed my apprenticeship and graduated as a fully !qualified engineer and then went on to become an electrical inspector. !!I don't understand objections to best practise. Perhaps this is a sore point.

Apparently being more affable leads me to perhaps deduce from the somewhat sarcastic undertones is that you are desperate to help the people here. Please don’t let me stop you from your first helpful post in this section of the forum. !

[MSE Abuse Controller]

Whilst a lot of what is being said here is going over my head, i think the key thing to remember here is that you should NEVER attempt to rewire or mess around with electrics if you are not a qualified electrician and are unsure what you are doing.

I am happy to leave the information here as it seems to be helping a lot of people out (at least giving them an idea of what might need doing and related cost, which i see as practical moneysaving advice). But please all be very careful and if in any doubt, get a professional.

ELECTRICITY KILLS

Regards,
Abuse Controller