Alway double check!

[patdee]

Just thought i'd post this.
Today I was changing the light switch and double plug sockets in my little girls bedroom, putting on brushed steel switches instead of the plain white ones. I have done this many times before without any probs.
Well it started off all good, I went down stairs and flipped the trip switch on the mains for the upstairs light ring main, Went back upsairs turned the light on and nothing happened, so I changed the switch, turned the ring main back on and it all works fine.
Now, I went and turned off the upstairs plug socket ring main, the tv and sky box went off in my bedroom, so all the power was off upstairs, I took off the white plug and started putting on the brushed steel one, I got the earth in, then all of a sudden a big bang and a flash! WTF!! I went and checked the circuit breaker and the kitchen plugs ring main had tripped out! So some cleaver spark had wired the back bedroom to the kitchen which is below. I finished off the plug sockets and turned the power back on, All is ok now!
Anyway I thought i'd just say if you are changing any of the plugs in your house always check that the power is off in the room that you are doing.

[Fraz]

There should be some kind of public health warning on assumptions.

[digit]

You can also get screwdrivers which will light up to indicate whether power is flowing when touched against a wire or terminal, very handy when carrying out any electrical work.

[TAKTAK]

You can also get screwdrivers which will light up to indicate whether power is flowing when touched against a wire or terminal, very handy when carrying out any electrical work.

yeah but people become too reliant on them... cos if you drop them then the bulb often breaks or if it's an LED one the contact is often lost so they arn't that great... the best thing to do is just pull the master switch.. thats what my dad does everytime he wants to do anything electrical.. it's just not worth the risk...

[2Cold Scorpio]

There should be some kind of public health warning on assumptions.

Indeed, sir. I agree.

[nails]

Is your house a fairly new one, by any chance.

Sounds a fairly typical 'short cut' taken by today's quality builders.

In my house the boiler was plumbed in so that the shower only got hot water when the radiators were on!

[Steve]

In my house the boiler was plumbed in so that the shower only got hot water when the radiators were on!

If it's a combination boiler then your flow sensor is most likely broken.

If you have a hot water storage tank then there's either a problem with the diverter valve, the wiring to it... or it there is no valve!

And I used to work for a boiler company... so I'm a boiler nerd as well as a computer nerd.

[mediaboy]

I know someone whose toilets flushed hot water and they had no cold water to taps and the like...


I also know someone who drilled a metal drill bit into a 300V wire..

Shortened it from 3 inches to about half an inch.

[patdee]

the house is from the 1950's, Just some plonker decided to rewire the bedroom off the kitchen!!

[Michael]

FWIW... the lights are not a "ring main", they are a radial... a ring main is sockets.