Need an electrician.

[pyrocam]

is anyone around today that could lend me a hand. I've done some wiring in my ceiling for my server. and thats all working fine.

but when I came down I noticed the lights wernt working, the circuit breaker just trips everytime you turn it on.

so I undid all my wiring (coming off the hot water cylinder mains)
and it worked, put it back together (swaped my red blue brown black arrangement) and my wiring still worked but the lights kept on breaking.

so I undid my stuff again. lights still not working. so I must have jiggled another cable somewhere

so I mash some cables about above the switchboard. and that worked. so I turned the mains off and screwed my shit back inside its plastic box. jumped down. flicked the switches and now as well as the lights, the range and another power outlet switch has failed as well as something else. I thumped the wall above the switchboard and that fixed that other thing (I forget) but now lights and range and 1 power thing all dont work at all. ive fiddled with the wires heaps but to no avail.

suggestions? any sparkies want to get paid in beers?

edit: im turning my pc off now to go fiddle some more. if your a sparkie and want to get in touch with me its 021 47 79 76. otherwise ill restore power in 20mins.

cheers in advance

[Dafe]

What are you doing swapping the red black green aorund??? You're asking for some serious trouble.

[pyrocam]

Does your house have a RCD module located at the meter board?
I don't have a sparkie ticket but I do have EST A&B ratings, so my best guess is that you are confusing a RCD line to a standard MEN line.

i.e. An RCD line, the neutral and phase are both sitting at 230V.
If the neutral or phase goes unbalanced the RCD trips out.
Main point to note: Neutral is at 230V.

The standard house system will usually have your neutral sitting near ground potential. Thus, you could meter 230V between Phase and Neutral.

My suggestion to you...

Do not power off of your HWC line, You should be going off of a hotpoints circuitbreaker.
Beware of Ripple Control hotpoints too, If you have Nightstore etc that is.


thanks Dafe.

I thought Id try to remove all my wiring and give it another shot, which I have done again now. So the only wireing I tinkered with has been restored to its normal glory.

but alas my lights, range and kitchen power is still tripping.
I also turned the mains off at the box outside hoping that would reset it.

also for the record. the switches are 'clicking' ie breaking even when the mains is OFF.

I called my landlord but hes not here till 10 or so.
so gay
anyone want to get pissed in a house with no lights?

[pyrocam]

What are you doing swapping the red black green aorund???
You're asking for some serious trouble.

lol. I had red black green going in. red black green going out.
and on that box I split off the red with my blue and the black with the brown. it worked fine but other stuff was breaking and since that was the only thing I changed I thought my memory might not have served me right and swapped it so blue was to red and brown to black. still worked fine (its ac so shoulnt make a difference no?)

[Dafe]

also for the record. the switches are 'clicking' ie breaking even when the mains is OFF.

What do you mean by the above?

[Dafe]

lol. I had red black green going in. red black green going out.
and on that box I split off the red with my blue and the black with the brown. it worked fine but other stuff was breaking and since that was the only thing I changed I thought my memory might not have served me right and swapped it so blue was to red and brown to black. still worked fine (its ac so shoulnt make a difference no?)

It can make a huge different. It is quite a serious hazard to have these wired incorrectly.

Old Wiring Colours: Red = 230VAC (Phase)
Black = Neutral
Green = Earth

New Wiring Colours Brown = Phase
Blue = Neutral
Green/Yellow = Earth.

I strongly suggest you ensure the Red goes to the brown and the black to the blue. Otherwise somebody may get a nasty shock soon.

Also, This is why your lights and other things are tripping out! Because your switching 230VDC onto a neutral line that should be sitting near ground potential.

[pyrocam]

It can make a huge different. It is quite a serious hazard to have these wired incorrectly.

Old Wiring Colours: Red = 230VAC (Phase)
Black = Neutral
Green = Earth

New Wiring Colours Brown = Phase
Blue = Neutral
Green/Yellow = Earth.

I strongly suggest you ensure the Red goes to the brown and the black to the blue. Otherwise somebody may get a nasty shock soon.

Also, This is why your lights and other things are tripping out! Because your switching 230VDC onto a neutral line that should be sitting near ground potential.


cheers again dafe.
but now that ive restored everything. shouldnt that have rectify everything?

what I mean by the breakers.
is if it was one and it blew, it would got 'click' and the lever would move from top to bottom. but if its off and you move it up it clicks and tries to move down.

[Gremlin]

but if its off and you move it up it clicks and tries to move down.
That would indicate either:
1. Load is too high
2. Resistance is too high

It may be that adding the server onto that circuit you are over loading that particular circuit...

I'm not an expert, so don't take my word for gospel...

[Dafe]

That would indicate either:
1. Load is too high
2. Resistance is too high

It may be that adding the server onto that circuit you are over loading that particular circuit...

I'm not an expert, so don't take my word for gospel...

I hear you, but he's saying he's removed the extra load and that all is back to normal.
My only concern is that he has wired his neutral and phases in reverse.
So long as all is back together, if the circuit breakers keep tripping out then he has a short occuring, most probably at the panel location where he was pulling at the cables.

[Jantar]

Ok, here is what you must do.

1. Turn off ALL power at your mains.
2. Call an after hours electrician. Call him NOW.
3. Do not touch anything electrical ever again.

:sweatdrop

I just hope you survive to learn your lesson.

[N4CR]

Ok, here is what you must do.

1. Turn off ALL power at your mains.
2. Call an after hours electrician. Call him NOW.
3. Do not touch anything electrical ever again.

:sweatdrop

I just hope you survive to learn your lesson.

My mum called my uncle an 'electrical psycho', and it got passed on to me when we did stupid shit like soldering blown fuses across etc....

BUT EVEN I DON'T FUCK WITH MAINS jeeesus its not as easy as it seems!

You just totally and absolutely out crazied me mr p-cam....

And as Jantar says - I hope you survive ;d

[WINJA]

I DO A HELL OF ALOT OF ELECTRICAL WORK AND IVE FOUND CIRCUIT BREAKERS THAT TRIP THEMSELF EVEN WITH NO LOAD CAUSE THERE FAULTY , IVE ALSO FOUND A KTA 3 PHASE BREAKER THAT LEFT ONE PHASE STILL LIVE WHEN TRIPPED .
LOTS OF ELECTRICIANS I MEET ARE STUPID AND AT WORK WE HAD A POSTER ON OUR WALL THAT SAID " LAST WEAK I COULDNT SPEEL ELECKTICIAN AND NOW I ARE ONE"
BUT SERIOUSLY GET AN ELECTRICIAN IN TO LOOK AT IT B4 YOU BURN YOUR HOUSE DOWN

[Gremlin]

I hear you, but he's saying he's removed the extra load and that all is back to normal.
My only concern is that he has wired his neutral and phases in reverse.
So long as all is back together, if the circuit breakers keep tripping out then he has a short occuring, most probably at the panel location where he was pulling at the cables.
True, thats what kept me from commenting earlier when he said he had removed the server, and problems were still occuring... indicates that he screwed up :mellow: (P/T)

Anyway, as I'm definitely not an expert, never got circuits in college, that was the end of my advice. I'm certainly not going to try to advise beyond what I have come across...

[Storm]

Call a professional sparky before you kill yourself, burn your house down or blow your shit up

[Ixion]

Arggghhh. Put the wire strippers on the ground. Slowly. Now back away, keeping your hands in the air.

Don't ever wire anything through a hot water cylinder circuit. They have weird ripple switch stuff.

Circuit breakers can go silly if they've been tripped a few times, won't stay set.

But if you don't have the test gear to check out the curcuits, DON'T MEDDLE WITH THEM. Mains 230V can kill people.

Having things work/not work when you thump the switch board is a BadThing.

I think somewhere in the scene you connected phase to neutral (red to blue or brown to black) and you've damaged the actual wiring. This is NotGood.

You need to get a sparky to sort it out and megger test it

[Fart]

Do you have house and content insurance that covers electrical fires?

[Sniper]

Pyro, you still alive?

[pyrocam]

bah give me some credit. I have done stuff like this for a while with no probs (good old kiwi engunity)

landlord poped in and it turns out the breakers are dodgy so its the landlords fault. theres a knack to flipping them. im going to finish the job on monday when I get some more cabling and another box as im running it off a different curcuit now.

[Ixion]

bah give me some credit. I have done stuff like this for a while with no probs (good old kiwi engunity)

landlord poped in and it turns out the breakers are dodgy so its the landlords fault. theres a knack to flipping them. im going to finish the job on monday when I get some more cabling and another box as im running it off a different curcuit now.

I'm not sure which worries me more, Mr Pyrocam or the landlord :eek5:

[Jantar]

bah give me some credit. I have done stuff like this for a while with no probs (good old kiwi engunity)


I have done stuff like this most of my life, and on many occassions found problems with dicky wiring carried out by well intentioned but not comptent previous workers.

eg. wiring up a new fan and finding the earth and neutral transposed.

[Storm]

Yeah, theres nothing as fun as turning up to a house to find good ol' "mr kiwi ingenuity" has turned the joint into a fire waiting to happen. "But its worked fine for years" isnt much consolation when you are staring at the ashes or the melted carcass of expensive gear

[Ixion]

I have done stuff like this most of my life, and on many occassions found problems with dicky wiring carried out by well intentioned but not comptent previous workers.

eg. wiring up a new fan and finding the earth and neutral transposed.

I have seen this so often that I now always assume that "neutral" will be live until I prove otherwise. An interesting variation I have seen is double three pin socket fittings where one socket is "normal" and the other one has been reversed!

[Gremlin]

Our house apparently had that before we owned it. One of those DIY chippies who tried a little wiring.

Apparently two owners back, the entire lot failed in a big bang, but no fire. The whole house had to be rewired... we also seem to go through bulbs very quickly as well...

[Dafe]

Whens Pyros Funeral? :killingme

[pyrocam]

Whens Pyros Funeral? :killingme
If anything kills me its going to be (in this order)
riding accident
liver exploding
lung cancer
blowing my selfup with one of my inventions
electrocuting myself


see its way down there at number 5.
no probs.

[Ixion]

If anything kills me its going to be (in this order)
riding accident
liver exploding
lung cancer
blowing my selfup with one of my inventions
electrocuting myself


see its way down there at number 5.
no probs.

Aliens. You left out aliens.

[Storm]

Well thats all right then. If it was no 3 I'd be worrying:bleh: