Blowing sockets and popping RCD

[Josh555]

A client asked me to add two sockets in their bedroom

I took power from two sockets in the lounge which is behind the bedroom wall.

I ran a cable out of each socket for the new socket

The problem is it now is tripping the RCD and blowing the old Existing sockets and light switches

But the new sockets I added still work fine

The old existing sockets and switche are blown and unusable

When I try to reset the RCD It pops and Sparks down

Any idea to why this is happending

 

[littlespark]

if the old sockets were on a ring, and one leg has popped out... the new sockets, being connected will still work, but theres maybe another floating live touching the metal back box.

can you take photos of the back of the sockets? there might be something obvious to us that you havent seen

 

[Josh555]

if the old sockets were on a ring, and one leg has popped out... the new sockets, being connected will still work, but theres maybe another floating live touching the metal back box.

can you take photos of the back of the sockets? there might be something obvious to us that you havent seen

The thing is the client phone back saying there’s no power and the RCD is popping down and sparking so I went back same night, and opened up the sockets I touched the connections were fine the socket sparked and popped while the socket was open so no loose lives

 

[goasis]

Sockets "blown"?!! What does that mean?!

 

[mattg4321]

What are your IR results for that circuit?

 

[goasis]

What are your IR results for that circuit?

Good luck

 

[Josh555]

Sockets "blown"?!! What does that mean?!

The actual sockets I took power from sparked an blew

 

[goasis]

The actual sockets I took power from sparked an blew

The wind blows. You mean the mcb tripped off? If that happened there's no way the new sockets could be still live

 

[Josh555]

The wind blows. You mean the mcb tripped off? If that happened there's no way the new sockets could be still live

no the actual sockets sparked and blew in front of me
The mcb never tripped once only the RCD

 

[goasis]

no the actual sockets sparked and blew in front of me
The mcb never tripped once only the RCD

I still dont know what you mean. But anyway, if the RCD tripped the other sockets def were not still live. Did you do any testing?

 

[Josh555]

What are your IR results for that circuit?

No tests on the ring were carried out

 

[mattg4321]

No tests on the ring were carried out

So how do you expect to find the problem without testing? Apologies if I’ve got the wrong end of the stick here, but if I’m dealing with a symptom of tripping pretty much the very first thing I do is IR testing

 

[Josh555]

I still dont know what you mean. But anyway, if the RCD tripped the other sockets def were not still live. Did you do any testing?

No testing

 

[snowhead]

no the actual sockets sparked and blew in front of me
The mcb never tripped once only the RCD

On the assumption you're trained and experienced, what does that tell you ?

so I went back same night, and opened up the sockets I touched, the connections were fine, the socket sparked and popped while the socket was open so no loose lives

Did you leave the socket sparking and popping when you left or have you isolated it / them?

 

[Dave OCD]

Well with all due respect you'll be hard pushed to get much help with that admittance, not good.

 

[goasis]

Going back to your original question, "any idea as to why this is happening " I'd suggest it is because you are vastly underqualified/experienced to be carrying out this work. The fact you called the customer a client suggests you are being employed to carry out this work which you probably shouldn't be doing and are probably at risk of endangering property and life.

 

[westward10]

From your profile I see you are a trainee so is this a private job?

 

[Josh555]

On the assumption you're trained and experienced, what does that tell you ?



Did you leave the socket sparking and popping when you left or have you isolated it / them?

Yes they were isolated the socket was removed completely and connections put into a choc box

 

[westward10]

Yes they were isolated the socket was removed completely and connections put into a choc box

Are you doing this as a private job?

 

[Josh555]

On the assumption you're trained and experienced, what does that tell you ?



Did you leave the socket sparking and popping when you left or have you isolated it / them

don't have much experience with fault-finding so that's why I'm asking that question. I've been doing electrics for 2 and a half years

 

[Josh555]

Are you doing this as a private job?

Yes

 

[westward10]

In this day and age it is a bad idea to undertake such works without the necessary experience and insurances. Unless you know someone who can help you your 'client' needs to seek the services of an electrician and you are likely to foot the bill, a harsh lesson but you don't have much choice.

 

[Josh555]

Going back to your original question, "any idea as to why this is happening " I'd suggest it is because you are vastly underqualified/experienced to be carrying out this work. The fact you called the customer a client suggests you are being employed to carry out this work which you probably shouldn't be doing and are probably at risk of endangering property and life.

I'm an apprentice with 2 and a half years experience I work for a company we call all our (customers) clients thank you. I have completed electrical tasks 10x harder than this one anything from 2-3 way switching to DB uprgrades. I have done the above countless of times without problem.

 

[Josh555]

In this day and age it is a bad idea to undertake such works without the necessary experience and insurances. Unless you know someone who can help you your 'client' needs to seek the services of an electrician and you are likely to foot the bill, a harsh lesson but you don't have much choice.

Understood I do have someone with the necessary experience and qualifications who has seen be do this type of work so many times. So they know I can do it correctly.

 

[Petej999]

Good luck

eDo you know what IR testing means????

 

[goasis]

Right, to clarify:

-You spurred off 2 sockets to add in 2 additional sockets
-Assume they were OK when you left?
-Now the sockets you spurred from are 'sparking' and "blowing", (still don't know what you mean by this)
-The rcd is tripping
- but the new sockets are still live? There's no way the rcd can trip, and your new sockets still be OK. There's only one rcd covering all the circuits.

 

[westward10]

I don't know what has happened here but from you you are saying you don't have the knowledge to interpret what has happened. It is all very well undertaking things '10×' harder than this but you must have introduced a fault, it happens to us all but experienced people can normally resolve the issue.

 

[Josh555]

eDo you know what IR testing means????

Insulation resistance. I'm not a newbie dummy so stop asking these dumb questions I just don't have 10byears experience

 

[goasis]

Insulation resistance. I'm not a newbie dummy so stop asking these dumb questions I just don't have 10byears experience

Dude, don't get offensive, you've attempted to undertake a fairly basic task, somehow created a fireworks show. Don't be surprised if you get asked "basic" questions.

 

[Josh555]

Right, to clarify:

-You spurred off 2 sockets to add in 2 additional sockets
-Assume they were OK when you left?
-Now the sockets you spurred from are 'sparking' and "blowing", (still don't know what you mean by this)
-The rcd is tripping
- but the new sockets are still live? There's no way the rcd can trip, and your new sockets still be OK. There's only one rcd covering all the circuits.

No so basically the the sockets were working perfectly fine when I left use my kewtech socket tester. Client phone back about 6-7 hours later saying the RCD was popping and tripping the mcbs never went down once only the RCD. I then opened up the sockets I added the connections were fine. I then opened up the sockets I spurred of from connections were fine. The light switch then popped this was busted then the socket I took power from physically blew with sparks. Alot of the old switches and sockets blew but My new sockets were fine. I know this because I removed the sockets I took power from and put the connections in wagos and everything worked fine.no more tripping

 

[westward10]

Have you checked for conductor damage to the socket back boxes.

 

[Josh555]

Dude, don't get offensive, you've attempted to undertake a fairly basic task, somehow created a fireworks show. Don't be surprised if you get asked "basic" questions.

I'm not offended I asked a questions and want advice. I don't want to be asked irrelevant questions and be ridiculed

 

[Josh555]

Have you checked for conductor damage to the socket back boxes.

I'm going back tomorrow will have a look at this but I don't think that's the case because when I put them in wagos they worked fine

 

[goasis]

I'm not offended I asked a questions and want advice. I don't want to be asked irrelevant questions and be ridiculed

I said don't get offensive.

Asking you about your experience and knowledge of testing is about as relevant as it gets.
Have you disconnected your new cables from the old sockets and now everything is fine?
Either your new sockets are faulty (unlikely), or you've made a mistake.
Aside from trying to get a bit more info out of you about what you actually did I'm.not sure what else you expect from an Internet forum. There's not too many ways you could balls up a job like this really.

 

[westward10]

Have you left these conductors live on exposed Wago connectors.

 

[Josh555]

Have you left these conductors live on exposed Wago connectors.

No they are in connector blocks in a choc box

 

[Josh555]

I said don't get offensive.

Asking you about your experience and knowledge of testing is about as relevant as it gets.
Have you disconnected your new cables from the old sockets and now everything is fine?
Either your new sockets are faulty (unlikely), or you've made a mistake.
Aside from trying to get a bit more info out of you about what you actually did I'm.not sure what else you expect from an Internet forum. There's not too many ways you could balls up a job like this really.

Thing is there isn't really a way to make a mistake it just running 2.5 out-of one socket into another. That's why I'm so baffled

 

[westward10]

Were the new sockets on steel back boxes.

 

[Josh555]

We're the new sockets on steel back boxes.

No dryline boxes

The old ones are steel

 

[westward10]

No dryline boxes

The old ones are steel

And you have only disconnected your socket outlets but the new cables are still live and in place.

 

[Josh555]

And you have only disconnected your socket outlets but the new cables are still live and in place.

The new sockets are still in place but the cable going from the new sockets to the old ones has been disconnected

 

[Josh555]

And you have only disconnected your socket outlets but the new cables are still live and in place.

So basically it's all back to its old setup and working fine

 

[westward10]

Well I suggest your 'client' now employs a competent electrician and you hold your hands up and walk away.

 

[Josh555]

Well I suggest your 'client' now employs a competent electrician and you hold your hands up and walk away.

 

[mattg4321]

You really need to be doing some IR testing to solve this. It sounds pretty basic and should be easy to get to the bottom of with the right test equipment. Can you get someone you work with to help? Someone with proper test equipment. A £10 Kewtech socket tester doesn’t count!!

 

[Josh555]

You really need to be doing some IR testing to solve this. It sounds pretty basic and should be easy to get to the bottom of with the right test equipment. Can you get someone you work with to help? Someone with proper test equipment. A £10 Kewtech socket tester doesn’t count!!

I will have a go at this tommorow I have megger testers

 

[Grant1987]

I will have a go at this tommorow I have megger testers

Josh, please ask a competent/skilled person to come and assist you. You should not be touching a megger without the knowledge or experience. Or in this instance carrying out installation work. Please please get help with this because it will come back to bite you.

 

[littlespark]

I don’t understand why a light switch is now sparking? (#1) You didn’t touch that circuit.

You’ve removed old sockets, and the fault is gone… so is there something wrong with the old sockets?
Just the act of disconnecting them to add another cable could cause damage internally if they were seized up when you took them off.

When you go back, disconnect the circuit from the mcb and IR test the cables… then connect up the sockets, old and new and test again.
You should know the difference between a ‘good’ reading and a ‘bad’ reading.

Only when you are satisfied with good IR results do you energise the circuit.

Let us know how you get on, and perhaps ask @Dan or @Lou for access to trainee section.

Then answers to your questions will be better catered for your level.

Admittedly, I read the first post, and instantly thought ‘out of depth handyman’ but later posts stated you were trainee.

I would repeat my colleagues that you should still have a qualified tradesman supervising. Your company shouldn’t be letting you do jobs on your own yet.

 

[marineboytim]

And you have only disconnected your socket outlets but the new cables are still live and in place.

Damn this is getting interesting, I'm waiting for his continuity, IR, Zs and RCD readings using the new x1 AC test now amendment 2 has been published. I also can't wait to find out if the 'client' gets his minor works cert. More importantly, did it get fixed and what the problem was

 

[Grant1987]

Damn this is getting interesting, I'm waiting for his continuity, IR, Zs and RCD readings using the new x1 AC test now amendment 2 has been published. I also can't wait to find out if the 'client' gets his minor works cert. More importantly, did it get fixed and what the problem was

I think he is out of his depth and probably doesn’t have a clue what your message is all about. This is the dangers of knowing a little but not a lot.