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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_2

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.  

Former_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