Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: pauls on 27 December 2021, 18:12:24
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Long time no posts.
Hope everybody is having a great xmas :y
Anyway quick question my bathroom pull cord stopped working so I thought ok I will take it out and put in a normal switch outside the bathroom. So I went into the loft to find the wire into the light. When I pulled the insulation back that was covering the wires going into the light the insulation was black and burnt like it had been on fire.
I dont believe this has happened since we own the house but my question is we have a upto date board that was put in a couple of years ago if this fire happened now would it trip the board out. Also it looks like the yellow green wires are not connected to anything would this have cause the fire.
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Get yourself a qualified sparky asap mate. :y
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Thanks but doesn't really help as sparkys round here are few and far between and the ones that are never return your phone calls.
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Was the new fuse box / consumer unit put in by a qualified NIC-EIC or NAPIT electrician who supplied complete certification of the work/installation ?
an Insulation resistance test for that circuit will be should be :-X on the certificate
along with any departures from BS 7671 (wiring regs)
have you had the light replaced since ? extractor fan running off the same pull cord ?
"the insulation was black and burnt like it had been on fire" sounds like insulation break down (due to overheating) ,loose connection , or overload due to under-size conductor ;)
I dont believe this has happened since we own the house
how would you know ::)
but my question is we have a upto date board that was put in a couple of years ago if this fire happened now would it trip the board out. Also it looks like the yellow green wires are not connected to anything would this have cause the fire.
Even the very latest board with SPDs ,RCBOs, even AFDDs is unlikely to trip if the cables and connections are in poor condition or badly installed .
Yellow/green wires = CPC = Circuit Protective Conductor = "EARTH"
if class 2 (double insulated/plastic fittings, designed to operate without the need for a CPC/EARTH) fittings & switches are used then the CPC just protects the live cables .
As you are asking such questions ,I'd suggest you find a qualified electrician who will do a full PIR (periodic inspection report) and advise you what works are required to stop your house burning down /electrocution/shock etc .
better to be safe than dead :D
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Yep agreed the OP needs an electrician in to do a condition report and I think the last one I had done cost about £150, which isn't much for peace of mind! :y
Seems to be no shortage of Sparky's in and around Minehead either, but it's a fair point about trades not answering the phone! ::)
Maybe they're still stuffed full of turkey and can't get off the sofa! ;D
https://www.yell.com/ucs/UcsSearchAction.do?scrambleSeed=449162342&searchType=proximityadvance&filterDistance=10&keywords=electricians&location=minehead
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£150 for a PIR is VERY CHEAP :o
Take off the call out and cert fees there's not much dollar left to pay for time for testing .
I'd suggest £300+ a more realistic figure PLUS vat .
This is the problem, "Electrician" fits "latest" consumer unit for £200 ,no paperwork :-X
Had the board been installed well and installation fully tested ,there'd be an NIC-EIC sticker on the board with a phone number to ask about "crispy burnt wiring" :D
and a real test certificate :-X
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£150 for a PIR is VERY CHEAP :o
Take off the call out and cert fees there's not much dollar left to pay for time for testing .
I'd suggest £300+ a more realistic figure PLUS vat .
This is the problem, "Electrician" fits "latest" consumer unit for £200 ,no paperwork :-X
Had the board been installed well and installation fully tested ,there'd be an NIC-EIC sticker on the board with a phone number to ask about "crispy burnt wiring" :D
and a real test certificate :-X
I'll check my records, but it was nowhere near £300. :)
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Iam sure the board etc was fully tested I will have to dig out the paperwork. I could contact the installer but I dont think he will travel from Scotland. Yes we have lots of trade people here but they like to pick and choose.last time I needed one it took 12 calls and 18month wait
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£150 for a PIR is VERY CHEAP :o
Take off the call out and cert fees there's not much dollar left to pay for time for testing .
I'd suggest £300+ a more realistic figure PLUS vat .
This is the problem, "Electrician" fits "latest" consumer unit for £200 ,no paperwork :-X
Had the board been installed well and installation fully tested ,there'd be an NIC-EIC sticker on the board with a phone number to ask about "crispy burnt wiring" :D
and a real test certificate :-X
I'll check my records, but it was nowhere near £300. :)
was the inspection 20+ years ago ? ;D
maybe you've only got 1 socket and 1 light fitting :-\
some houses have lights in every room ;D
There are companies that do do PIRs / EICRs for cheap but the certs tend to be full of bogus results or N/As or pre filled in boxes ,unable to test ,limitations
not worth the paper they are printed on IMHO
£85 EICR.... of pants ,VIDEO (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqNZugQ1kI0) example
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Iam sure the board etc was fully tested I will have to dig out the paperwork. I could contact the installer but I dont think he will travel from Scotland. Yes we have lots of trade people here but they like to pick and choose.last time I needed one it took 12 calls and 18month wait
Good Electricians are busy people ;)
If you want the job done correctly ,it will cost more than a drink .
If the board has been correctly installed and NIC-EIC certified then a full EICR may not be required
just ask them to pop and look at the cable fault ;)
https://www.niceic.com/householder/find-a-contractor (https://www.niceic.com/householder/find-a-contractor)
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Probably just a lose terminal or failed contact in the switch adding a bit of resistance and hence it got hot.
Just replace the wire and fit new
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How old is the wiring?
My first house was built in 1954 and had rubber insulated cables. When I moved in (in 1988) the ends of the cables had perished but the cables buried in the walls were like new.
Some switches and sockets had loose screws (which caused overheating) and the insulation fell off as I pulled the accessories out of the wall to inspect them :o
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with the exception of Mark .... the house bashing equivalent is like saying just take your car to the nearest garage without even lifting the bonnet to take a look.
My consumer unit was put in by me years before Part P regs were introduced & the house hasn't set on fire yet. Ironically I'm
qualified to do sparking at work but not at home under Part P.
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Do you have any insurance other than contents etc, we have one with Anglian Water that covers for electrical & plumbing emergencies this would cover an " electrical burning" might be worth checking or obtaining doesn't cost much £15 per month, and attendance is within a few hours.
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with the exception of Mark .... the house bashing equivalent is like saying just take your car to the nearest garage without even lifting the bonnet to take a look.
The fact that the OP is asking the questions and doesn't know if "yellow green wires" should be connected :-X suggests the level of electrical competence quite low .
I'm all for people doing simple DIY jobs safely ,but would you advise someone to fix their brakes if they didn't know what the pads where ? :P
just like car brakes , 230 volts of A.C is dangerous if you get it wrong ,not only for the original "tinkerer"
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The fact that the OP is asking the questions and doesn't know if "yellow green wires" should be connected :-X suggests the level of electrical competence quite low .
I'm all for people doing simple DIY jobs safely ,but would you advise someone to fix their brakes if they didn't know what the pads where ? :P
just like car brakes , 230 volts of A.C is dangerous if you get it wrong ,not only for the original "tinkerer"
Fair points .... :y Everything is easy if you know what you're doing. ;)
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The fact that the OP is asking the questions and doesn't know if "yellow green wires" should be connected :-X suggests the level of electrical competence quite low .
I find the green and yellow wire annoying. It means everytime I give myself a proper belt I have to go around resetting all the clocks on the cooker, microwave etc. ::)
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The fact that the OP is asking the questions and doesn't know if "yellow green wires" should be connected :-X suggests the level of electrical competence quite low .
I find the green and yellow wire annoying. It means everytime I give myself a proper belt I have to go around resetting all the clocks on the cooker, microwave etc. ::)
RCD or RCBO tripping doesn't use them pesky yellow/green wires
that's assuming you have them ;D
I imagine many OOFers still have Wylex re-wirable "fuse boxes" with nails in place of the fuse wire :D
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with nails in place of the fuse wire :D
many many years ago I was in Mombasa. Sat in an outside bar I could see a 'junction box' in the roof area that consisted a block of wood with three 6" nails stuck in it with the wires wrapped round the nails .... all fully insulated of course with insulation tape! ;D ;D
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with nails in place of the fuse wire :D
many many years ago I was in Mombasa. Sat in an outside bar I could see a 'junction box' in the rood area that consisted a block of wood with three 6" nails stuck in it with the wires wrapped round the nails .... all fully insulated of course with insulation tape! ;D ;D
Yes , I've seen some SHOCKING wiring in Africa too :D
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Don't have to go that far, Spain amazes me with some of their electrical installations.
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with nails in place of the fuse wire :D
many many years ago I was in Mombasa. Sat in an outside bar I could see a 'junction box' in the rood area that consisted a block of wood with three 6" nails stuck in it with the wires wrapped round the nails .... all fully insulated of course with insulation tape! ;D ;D
Yes , I've seen some SHOCKING wiring in Africa too :D
boom boom ;)
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All fixed now. Old hot spot. Rewired new switch and light.
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All fixed now. Old hot spot. Rewired new switch and light.
:y :y
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Well done :)
( hopefully )
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Well done :)
( hopefully )
;D ;D ;D :y