Testing Nightmare

[Evans Electric]

Sorry

Was taught CCU, will try calling it a CU if that helps?

Thanks, I will keep this in mind as I start dismantling!

Neutrals seems to be a common suggestion here, I'll keep a close eye on these too.

This trade delights in changing the name of everything ....or just using initials of the new name .   They do it to annoy the elderly geezers like Stepps  :innocent    Just call it  ..."The Board"   . Other old geezer words are ...Earth wire ....Breakers .... Arsydees ...... Live .... Spur units  .... Pyro.......Brown Bread....insulation testing at 500V is known as " Meggering"   and an electric shock is ..... come on we all say it !!   .... ...."a pisser "    

 

[Wiksey]

Central Consumer Unit? Customer's Consumer Unit? Google says Coronary Care Unit.

Must have been bunking off on my short course when they mentioned that?

How did you manage to persuade them to test before buying?

I always thought Customer Consumer Unit, but apparently other options are also available

Easiest question yet, they are wanting to sell but we found out they have no completion certificate, so nobody who has a mortgage can buy the place, their insurance is invalid, and if they want us to buy, they have to get it sorted. They want top money for the house and won't do a discount.

This trade delights in changing the name of everything ....or just using initials of the new name .   They do it to annoy the elderly geezers like Stepps  :innocent    Just call it  ..."The Board"   . Other old geezer words are ...Earth wire ....Breakers .... Arsydees ...... Live .... Spur units  .... Pyro.......Brown Bread....insulation testing at 500V is known as " Meggering"   and an electric shock is ..... come on we all say it !!   .... ...."a pisser "    

Best reply ever

Will try to learn the local lingo and avoid the pissers as long as possible!!

 

[Evans Electric]

The original name for a domestic fuseboard  was the ..."Consumer's Unit"    ie:  The unit belonging to the consumer as opposed to the metering etc.  

 

[Rob_the_rich]

Enjoy your holiday Wiksey, happy Landing(light)s

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

You say you had Neutral disconnected at the CU but Live & Earth strapped at the CU?

If so forget the neutral paths first of all and make sure you weren't just reading back through another light that was still turned on that you thought was off....

i.e.

1/  When you were at a fitting with the "weird reading" did you take the lamp out as well to ensure no path via neutral?

2/ Are you 100% sure when you did your test that EVERY other light switch on the circuit was also OFF? 

3/ have a gander at my quick sketch...

If testing at first light (turned off) and you can still see a path back through for R1+R2 via switches 2 or 4...



(sorry its twisted...    turn your neck to the right hand shoulder!)

Guinness

the resistance would vary depending upon how many other lamps were still switched ON...

OR..

have you got an extractor fan in circuit that wasn't isolated?

Or TV amp...

Or Smoke detector...

Or anything similar??

opcorn

 

[Wiksey]

Enjoy your holiday Wiksey, happy Landing(light)s

Thanks, will try to. It'll be nice to not have my toolbox with me for once

You say you had Neutral disconnected at the CU but Live & Earth strapped at the CU?

If so forget the neutral paths first of all and make sure you weren't just reading back through another light that was still turned on that you thought was off....

i.e.

1/  When you were at a fitting with the "weird reading" did you take the lamp out as well to ensure no path via neutral?

2/ Are you 100% sure when you did your test that EVERY other light switch on the circuit was also OFF? 

3/ have a gander at my quick sketch...

If testing at first light (turned off) and you can still see a path back through for R1+R2 via switches 2 or 4...

View attachment 7832

(sorry its twisted...    turn your neck to the right hand shoulder!)

Guinness

the resistance would vary depending upon how many other lamps were still switched ON...

OR..

have you got an extractor fan in circuit that wasn't isolated?

Or TV amp...

Or Smoke detector...

Or anything similar??

opcorn

Thanks for this (using a laptop, so just turning it saves my neck!).

Extractor was disconnected, as was the shaver socket, but did I disconnected every bulb AND turn off all switches... hmm... ok, you, got me on this. But, you've given me another thing to try, thank you.

 

[steptoe]

I am NOT reading everything in this thread,

You are thinking of buying this house,????!

Then at the least I'd be allowing a rewire, I wouldn't even be starting to find or diagnose a random fault in a house that had never been 'signed' off, as you put it.

 

[Lurch]

3/ have a gander at my quick sketch...

If testing at first light (turned off) and you can still see a path back through for R1+R2 via switches 2 or 4...

This is why I suggested stripping it and testing it bit by bit, you may be able to find where there is something connected that has been missed.

As for the lack of a cert, knock the cost of a rewire off the asking price, assuming this is something that hasn't already been taken into account. I wouldn't worry too much about this particular "anomaly" if everything else tested as OK.

 

[Murdoch]

I am NOT reading everything in this thread,

You are thinking of buying this house,????!

Then at the least I'd be allowing a rewire, I wouldn't even be starting to find or diagnose a random fault in a house that had never been 'signed' off, as you put it.

hit, nail and head spring to mind!

If you do want to buy the house then surely the lack of completion cert is something your solicitor should be sorting out.... and if I was the seller, I'm not sure I'd be trusting the EICR from the prospective buyer as it could be perceived that all you are trying to do is drive down the price.

 

[ProDave]

What's the history of this house?

8 years and no completion certificate? why is that? did building control just give up chasing it? What other non compliances have been missed? have you had building control to come and look at it recently to see what they think? Who actually wired it, an electrician or a builder or the home owner?

And what's the time limit before BC can no longer enforce non compliances? is it 10 years?

If you are going to issue an EIC for this, use the 3 part form, with you just signing for I&T. Whenever I do this (in a similar situation) I just leave design and construction blank and tell the home owner to get the original "electrician" to fill in and sign those bits. I suspect often they just fill in a name and make up a signature, anf I doubt building control care as long as they have an EIC (and that is all that's needed in this case due to your location)