Electrical Advice

Hi all - I'll be relocating to the UK in a few months (South England and Wales), and I am looking at becoming a qualified electrician.

TLDR Version:

I've got a general understanding on the C&G qualifications I need to have along with having a portfolio to get a Gold Card/etc.

The part I am trying to gain some insight on is what minimum qualifications I need to work as an electrical mate/trades assistant /installer/helping hand.

I've looked at job listing requirements seem to...

 

Just setting up a new sticky thread that unlike the dodgy trade pics thread is focused on showing the result of failures in electrical installations IE - damage caused which may be due to various reasons. Please do not post pics of poor workmanship if there is nothing else to show like the consequences, use the dodgy pics thread for that.

I will start off below with an example. I am hoping the fresh faced members and inexperienced can get a visual incite of what to expect when you come...

 

Hey guys as some of you may know that I'm studying electrical installation at York college. I haven't really worked on site yet.

Just wanted abit of help. As I'm doing cable calls etc which I've got the hang off.

Only issue I have is suggesting improvements as to smaller cable. Etc. Plus I don't know what the cable size means 🙁 as in if their too big for a domestic property or wherever we doing the calculations for.

Is there anywhere I can make myself familiar with cable sizes. So I can...

 

I am away from the regs book (but who needs it anyhow Lucien!😀) but I think the minimum size for the Main earth conductor for a TT is 2.5mm or perhaps 4mm as opposed to the minimum for a TNC-S being 16mm for new builds.

It is very likely that a TNC-S will have a greater PFC ( compared to a TT) as the Ze will be <0.35Ω but a TT can have a very low Ra (sometimes very low... as Trev would have confirmed ... RIP :sad_smile🙂 so its PFC could be as high as a TNC-S but it may have a main earth...

 

Had a couple of run ins with gas fitters in recent times, y'know those guys known to chop bonding off and fling it away if it's in their way in the not so recent past... but suddenly if theres not an earth clamp <600mm from the gas meter you've got gas fitter histrionics

One recent one I'd passed on a EICR where the gas pipe was bonded just after it passed through the external wall, with the gas meter ~ 15M of externally clipped pipe away.

Another, I'd bonded the gas where it...

 

Hi all,

Just recently moved into a renovated house in the UK where a desk is quite high, so the plug socket above it has had to be put in upside down! Other than a bad case of OCD, is this normal/ok?

Please see attached photo.

Cheers,

Will

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Hi,

Renovating property, done most & unfortunately (stupidly) now realized there is fair bit of VIR rubber cable still installed in the lighting circuits.

The ring has been done, all circuits proctected by RCD etc.

The cable surprisingly seems in good condition but appreciate only whats visible but where able to & moved it is not breaking & seems OK.

I know it should be replaced but wondered IF it passes restistance test is this allowable, expecially being rental.

If it was the ring...

 

Hi - FInishing last leg of my training with some real-world installations which will be supervised by my NAPIT mentor when I find one - I'm looking for some orthodox guidance as to the proper fixing of SWA cable in exterior situations - I recall from training that, for example, fixing to wooden fences may or not be OK, and I'm seeing a couple of places where catenery wires will be neccessary ( replacing Heath Robinson dangled T+E between house + shed, for example )

Not sure if even a...

 

Hi all,

I'm technically a 'trainee' but in a months time I will finally have all the qualifications to apply for an approved electrician jib card.

The first job I will be undertaking is getting a house up to HMO requirements, which are outside the scope of bs7671 so it's all a bit alien to me.

I know the areas I need to cover with emergency lighting, but I'm unsure as to the requirements of a key switch?

The existing lighting installation is obviously wired in two core so the key...

 

Anyone know if its possible for a rooftop solar array to cause an RCD trip even when the solar circuit is isolated at its rotary isolator ? I've had no dealings with solar atall so wouldn't know . The solar circuit is in a split load RCD board. I'm assuming the solar install was bonafide as its on a fairly newbuild. Stray earth current leakage from the panel/inverter perhaps ??? is this a known issue with solar ?

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I have been asked to fit some new sockets and lights in a room on the external wall,the wall is insulated with kingspan and there is no gaps between any framing or the kingspan.
There are no other sockets/switches on this wall.I can get above the room and limited access at floor level if I lift the chipboard.
My question is how do I get the cables down/up the walls ?

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Hello i have just rewired a friends house i have installed a 32 Amp cooker circuit with a DP switch above the worktop and also a Cooker Connection Plate behind the cooker.

He is using his old Ceramic hard wired hob but has just bought a new cooker and its one of them that has a plug on the end.

My plan was to hard wire the Hob into the Cooker Connection Plate and also connect a 2.5mm cable into the plate and take it into a FCU in the cupboard to fuse down the new cooker.

How does this...

 

Hi, is it acceptable practice to spur off an existing 20A D P switch to provide an additional single socket adjacent to this very switch? (The D P switch serves an existing 2-gang socket for a washer and a dryer).
Thanks in advance.

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Hi all first time posting on here, my friend is currently living in a flat in South Wales, with an Independant main fuse as you can hopefully see.. It uses a 63a RCD as a main switch
6a lights and smokes
16a storage heater
X2 32a cooker and sockets

To introduce heating (no gas) he wants to just swap the 16 to 32 and make it ring, adding electric heaters(6/32/32/32). I've put him in touch with an electrician so no rush on replies, but just interested in learning more myself as I'll be...

 

Hi, need more advise as getting two different views from electricians. Ty

Detached double garage 10m from house, split equally into garden room and garage on 32a supply from cu in house. Looking to convert into 30m2 granny annex with small kitchen (induction hob, single oven), shower room, heating, sockets, lighting etc. No gas so everything electric and as not much space prefer to avoid hot water tank / immersion heaters. So thinking electric underfloor heating, electric shower and...

 

Hi all,

I am trying to calculate a SWA 4 core that will be protected by a 250 amp switched fuse isolator. It is going to supply a 3 phase electric boiler that pulls 209 amps each phase at most. I'm filling in the parameters to an online cable calculator ,when asked for the voltage i've put 400 v, when asked for load in amps i've put 250 amps. Is this correct or should i be putting the total amps 627 because thats the total 3 phase load?

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Hi All,

My first post - starting with a question and looking for your help/guidance.

I'm looking to rent out my house 4 bed mid-terraced and I am looking to have an EICR certification done.
Reading it seems I don't have to change the CU but the electrician says I will have to as I am going to be letting the place out.

This CU was installed in 2013 it's in the Kitchen within a wooden shelf cabinet. Pictures attached. Kindly share your thoughts. Many thanks...

 

Let's say in the conventional single phase electrical schematic drawings there is a pc motherboard. All the voltage lines, MCB's etc have been done. How would you now show for instance ; USB from the PC motherboard to a peripheral device such as a printer.

Would it be a straight solid line same as the voltage/earth lines or would it be a dotted line?

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I have Generac Homelink Upgradeable Manual Transfer Switch (Model: G0068521 Serial: 3009887938).

The neutral is switch and I believe when this happens it is a separately derived system.

The manual recommended the generator attached to the transfer switch needs to have its neutral bond to the generator frame and the generator needs to be attached to a grounding rod.

My question is why does a grounding rod need to be attached to the generator when the house the transfer switch is on is...

 

Hi all looking for some help. I was looking for the minimum height of a catenary over a road, i cant seem to find it in the regs, can anyone help? I need to know where to find it in the regs book, thanks for your help in advance.

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