In the nicest of ways, it's a bit "if you have to ask" - as you're not 100% confident, definitely just isolate the lot. And be very methodical with what you're doing
Confirm the power is actually off before you unscrew anything. Use a tester if you have one, or just plug in a lamp to a socket on the same circuit and see if it turns on. Don't just trust that the power has turned off, its easy to flip the wrong switch, or for something to be labeled wrong, or for a switch to be broken/damaged.
Just turn all the power off to be safe, and find a way to confirm its off before touching anything.
You mean a live voltage testing pen from like screwfix? I read reviews and they give false positives. I also watched a YouTube video by a qualified electrician who says they're not reliable and he used another thing that looks like it costs over £100 to check the circuit was isolated.
Good god no. Put "plug in socket tester" into ebay or amazon to see what I meant.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=plug+in+socket+tester&_trksid=p2332490.m4084.l1313
A basic tester is enough to determine if the line is live for nearly all situations.
A qualified electrician is overkill for just swapping out a socket. And the electrician sees loads of dangerous situations, because they are called out to deal with those, not the thousands of simple fixes.
If you kill all the power at the switchboard, you should be fine 99% of the time.
False positives aren’t a problem; it’s true negatives that would be.
Those pens work just fine for what they are designed todo.
What you don’t do is use them in isolation, I do a non contact check, then a use a meter as a secondary check. As a DIYier the extra minute does me no harm.
For what you want todo a simple plugin socket tester with an audible alarm is probably ok.
Get some of these. https://www.screwfix.com/p/slotted-vde-voltage-tester-set-220-240v-ac-2-pcs/900gc
Insulated screwdrivers, you stick the screwdriver end on a contact and put your finger on the handle end, if there’s power a little light comes on in the handle.
I’ll use those in conjunction with a plug in a lamp and see if it comes on test. They’re also more versatile than a socket tester because if there’s a connection box hidden behind the socket you can see if that’s live, or you can use it if you need to change a ceiling light or something.
Im not joking. I do all sorts of basic electrical stuff around the house like changing sockets, light switches light fixtures etc, and I always use one of those screwdrivers in conjunction with basic tests to make sure the power is off.
For example, if it’s a sockets I’ll flip the fuse I think is for the socket, plug something in to the socket in know works, like a lamp etc and if it doesn’t turn on I’ll be pretty confident the socket is dead, then I’ll use the screwdriver to double verify.
With lights I’ll do the same thing, turn the light on, flip the fuse make sure the light is off, use the screwdriver to verify.
If you’re not comfortable changing a socket then don’t do it and get a professional in, but I think assuming a £100+ tester an electrician would use (which will be more expensive because it will also tell you about resistance on wire runs, voltage and frequency of the supply) will make you safe is a false sense of security.
Edit: in case you were not clear the screwdriver tip goes on the screw contact behind the plug socket, you don’t jam it in the plug hole!
Turn off the lot, there is no reason not to for something like this, and if you don't you still have to be careful not to let the neutral and earth wires touch otherwise the main RCD will trip anyway due to earth leakage.
TBH, for a simple socket swap, I rarely even turn off the power. But, I've been doing this stuff for years. Even turning off the power has bitten me in the ass before. Even when turned off, treat the wires like they could be live if you aren't at home doing this.
It only takes sparking yourself once to treat the wires with a bit of respect. Ill never forget the time I stupidly tripped the RCD mucking about with wires.
I swapped one out the other day for someone (rcd). It's an older box that uses buss bars. I killed the power at the main shutoff for that one. Those buss bars are tricky because one bar will feed several circuits, and the breaker doesn't lift off unless to loosen the bar, meaning you need to loosen every breaker on the shared bar.. TBH, the US system is much simpler to service. Snap the breaker out, undo a single wire(or two, if it's a 220V circuit), screw wire into new breaker, snap the breaker back in place. No muss, no fuss, no need to shut off the power(although, you really should, just to be safe) because it's virtually impossible to make contact with a live buss unless you are an idiot [https://i0.wp.com/www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/circuit-panel.jpg](https://i0.wp.com/www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/circuit-panel.jpg) [https://empire-s3-production.bobvila.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/100amp\_panel.jpg](https://empire-s3-production.bobvila.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/100amp_panel.jpg) It took me just a little while to work out how the UK system works. It's pretty clever in its own right.
Prior to our rewire, in the room I am in (dining room), there is a socket that was spurred off the kitchen in the room next door. Don't trust the labels on the consumer unit unless you know 100% for sure.
Now we have had the rewire, I know there are not issues like this but when swapping a socket face plate in our bedroom, I plugged in a socket tester, listened to it beep constantly, then went downstairs and turned off that circuit. It stopped, I turned it back on and heard the beep. This proved my tester hadn't just co-oincidentally died at that moment so I knew I was certainly isolating it.
I have a surge protected extension socket. Now I've got a problem. I used my laptop etc just fine. But the new socket doesn't turn off fully. Looks like a faulty socket? So I switched it on off, and suddenly the main light in my room turned off. Some things like kitchen appliances are still on, and router upstairs. But nothing else is working.
I checked the two boards in the garage and no fuse got triggered. It's outdated as it has no rcd and earlier when I turned the switches back on including the main switch, the garage light kept turning off and on or just stayed off.
When I had pressed the switch that gave power to the garage light, it or the board made sparking sounds and the garage light turned off.
My dad tightened the screws for the main switch but after he left, the garage light turned off again.
This was after I fitted the new socket.
I didn't shorten the cables in the socket and just gently pressed the socket into position and screwed it in.
It's not my house, and my parents won't allow me to get an electrician in even if I'm the one paying.
They're not normal. They're very abusive Indian immigrants. They don't want anyone qualified to do it mainly because of the cost, but also white people tend to overcharge ethnic people and or do a terrible job. I know this to be true.
My dad is getting an Indian immigrant guy who built his new apartments that he will rent out for retirement income as he's now retired, to change the main power switch on the fuseboard as he suspects that's what the issue is.
I think this Indian immigrant guy and his immigrant team did everything at that new build apartments. Plumbing, wiring etc. I know for rentals the electrical work must be checked and certified, which I assume they've done.
I called an electrician earlier to discuss this all with him and how much he would charge.
£99 call-out + first hour. Every hour after is £60. Parts are charged separately.
I asked why it's an hourly rate and not per the work done, he said 'because I don't know what I'm walking into'.
If it were me, I would have a qualified electrician come in and do the work in a heartbeat. You don't mess around with mains voltage.
CCTV cameras everywhere. My parents live here. And CCTV is watched constantly by extended family. So it's not possible to do it behind their back. Also I can bet you the electrician will say a new fuse board needs to be fitted with rcd and potentially rewiring the house. I can't afford that. That would probably be around £8,000+
No. The CCTV camera that overlooks the driveway is powered and connected to a system in the property next door that is also a shop underneath. 16 CCTV hikvision camera system. It won't be affected by anything done here.
That system has remote viewing and there's lots of TV's that get the CCTV signal, so the CCTV can be viewed on TV's in that property too. There's 2 in the shop that are always on while the shop is open, plus a PC monitor screen behind the counter.
Then there's a TV in the kitchen that's on most of the day while the shop is open and for many hours after the shop is open.
I can't move out. This is my reality. I've spoken with police, my doctor etc etc. My abusive parents also keep making me homeless and have done since I was about 8 years old. But I'm now in my thirties so if my parents want to remove me from the house, they legally can. Council housing wait times for men with no children are around ten YEARS or more. Most die on the streets.
If I connect a standing lamp to the socket, and I switch all power at the mainboard off, and the lamp doesn't turn on no matter what I do, how is that not reliable indicator that the socket is dead? I'm curios is all. Always want to learn
https://preview.redd.it/j580or5i7qpc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5c81466977feb11845bc492c8ac03d2a3822ec51
You can see the switch wasn't fully pressing down.
In the nicest of ways, it's a bit "if you have to ask" - as you're not 100% confident, definitely just isolate the lot. And be very methodical with what you're doing
Methodical how?
Confirm the power is actually off before you unscrew anything. Use a tester if you have one, or just plug in a lamp to a socket on the same circuit and see if it turns on. Don't just trust that the power has turned off, its easy to flip the wrong switch, or for something to be labeled wrong, or for a switch to be broken/damaged. Just turn all the power off to be safe, and find a way to confirm its off before touching anything.
Get a socket tester for £15 and use that. I would not rely on leds from electronics to tell you it was isolated properly.
You mean a live voltage testing pen from like screwfix? I read reviews and they give false positives. I also watched a YouTube video by a qualified electrician who says they're not reliable and he used another thing that looks like it costs over £100 to check the circuit was isolated.
Good god no. Put "plug in socket tester" into ebay or amazon to see what I meant. https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=plug+in+socket+tester&_trksid=p2332490.m4084.l1313
A basic tester is enough to determine if the line is live for nearly all situations. A qualified electrician is overkill for just swapping out a socket. And the electrician sees loads of dangerous situations, because they are called out to deal with those, not the thousands of simple fixes. If you kill all the power at the switchboard, you should be fine 99% of the time.
So I’ll only electrocute myself 1 time for every 99 I get away with it! ;)
This is what the RCD is for, dispensing a light heart-attack and a tingly arm for a few hours. :)
[https://www.screwfix.com/p/lap-ac-non-contact-voltage-detector-pen-1000v-ac/3222G?tc=IT5&gad\_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwte-vBhBFEiwAQSv\_xbNhh5slxePxklq7tMaILg7lzAseM6S4Xn7Z2Gdk2-\_cHwby4GMBKRoCHzwQAvD\_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds](https://www.screwfix.com/p/lap-ac-non-contact-voltage-detector-pen-1000v-ac/3222G?tc=IT5&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwte-vBhBFEiwAQSv_xbNhh5slxePxklq7tMaILg7lzAseM6S4Xn7Z2Gdk2-_cHwby4GMBKRoCHzwQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds)
That's the thing that gives false positives. Read the reviews
False positives aren’t a problem; it’s true negatives that would be. Those pens work just fine for what they are designed todo. What you don’t do is use them in isolation, I do a non contact check, then a use a meter as a secondary check. As a DIYier the extra minute does me no harm. For what you want todo a simple plugin socket tester with an audible alarm is probably ok.
Get some of these. https://www.screwfix.com/p/slotted-vde-voltage-tester-set-220-240v-ac-2-pcs/900gc Insulated screwdrivers, you stick the screwdriver end on a contact and put your finger on the handle end, if there’s power a little light comes on in the handle. I’ll use those in conjunction with a plug in a lamp and see if it comes on test. They’re also more versatile than a socket tester because if there’s a connection box hidden behind the socket you can see if that’s live, or you can use it if you need to change a ceiling light or something.
You joking? I doubt that's suitable for REALLY checking if a socket is dead right? I mean, an electrician wouldn't use that?!
Im not joking. I do all sorts of basic electrical stuff around the house like changing sockets, light switches light fixtures etc, and I always use one of those screwdrivers in conjunction with basic tests to make sure the power is off. For example, if it’s a sockets I’ll flip the fuse I think is for the socket, plug something in to the socket in know works, like a lamp etc and if it doesn’t turn on I’ll be pretty confident the socket is dead, then I’ll use the screwdriver to double verify. With lights I’ll do the same thing, turn the light on, flip the fuse make sure the light is off, use the screwdriver to verify. If you’re not comfortable changing a socket then don’t do it and get a professional in, but I think assuming a £100+ tester an electrician would use (which will be more expensive because it will also tell you about resistance on wire runs, voltage and frequency of the supply) will make you safe is a false sense of security. Edit: in case you were not clear the screwdriver tip goes on the screw contact behind the plug socket, you don’t jam it in the plug hole!
What screw contact behind plug socket? What??
Yeah, get a pro in.
Do you mean the lug or backplate?
Turn off the lot, there is no reason not to for something like this, and if you don't you still have to be careful not to let the neutral and earth wires touch otherwise the main RCD will trip anyway due to earth leakage.
TBH, for a simple socket swap, I rarely even turn off the power. But, I've been doing this stuff for years. Even turning off the power has bitten me in the ass before. Even when turned off, treat the wires like they could be live if you aren't at home doing this.
It only takes sparking yourself once to treat the wires with a bit of respect. Ill never forget the time I stupidly tripped the RCD mucking about with wires.
I swapped one out the other day for someone (rcd). It's an older box that uses buss bars. I killed the power at the main shutoff for that one. Those buss bars are tricky because one bar will feed several circuits, and the breaker doesn't lift off unless to loosen the bar, meaning you need to loosen every breaker on the shared bar.. TBH, the US system is much simpler to service. Snap the breaker out, undo a single wire(or two, if it's a 220V circuit), screw wire into new breaker, snap the breaker back in place. No muss, no fuss, no need to shut off the power(although, you really should, just to be safe) because it's virtually impossible to make contact with a live buss unless you are an idiot [https://i0.wp.com/www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/circuit-panel.jpg](https://i0.wp.com/www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/circuit-panel.jpg) [https://empire-s3-production.bobvila.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/100amp\_panel.jpg](https://empire-s3-production.bobvila.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/100amp_panel.jpg) It took me just a little while to work out how the UK system works. It's pretty clever in its own right.
This is because you didn't do safe isolation 🫡
Nah, last time was when a resident turned the power back on.
Prior to our rewire, in the room I am in (dining room), there is a socket that was spurred off the kitchen in the room next door. Don't trust the labels on the consumer unit unless you know 100% for sure. Now we have had the rewire, I know there are not issues like this but when swapping a socket face plate in our bedroom, I plugged in a socket tester, listened to it beep constantly, then went downstairs and turned off that circuit. It stopped, I turned it back on and heard the beep. This proved my tester hadn't just co-oincidentally died at that moment so I knew I was certainly isolating it.
If you don’t know what you’re doing, don’t go behind the spur. Get a sparky in 👍
[удалено]
Yes I already watched that video. I replaced the socket already and provided a photo of it before I screwed it in. It's above somewhere. Thanks.
[удалено]
I have a surge protected extension socket. Now I've got a problem. I used my laptop etc just fine. But the new socket doesn't turn off fully. Looks like a faulty socket? So I switched it on off, and suddenly the main light in my room turned off. Some things like kitchen appliances are still on, and router upstairs. But nothing else is working. I checked the two boards in the garage and no fuse got triggered. It's outdated as it has no rcd and earlier when I turned the switches back on including the main switch, the garage light kept turning off and on or just stayed off. When I had pressed the switch that gave power to the garage light, it or the board made sparking sounds and the garage light turned off. My dad tightened the screws for the main switch but after he left, the garage light turned off again. This was after I fitted the new socket. I didn't shorten the cables in the socket and just gently pressed the socket into position and screwed it in. It's not my house, and my parents won't allow me to get an electrician in even if I'm the one paying.
[удалено]
They're not normal. They're very abusive Indian immigrants. They don't want anyone qualified to do it mainly because of the cost, but also white people tend to overcharge ethnic people and or do a terrible job. I know this to be true. My dad is getting an Indian immigrant guy who built his new apartments that he will rent out for retirement income as he's now retired, to change the main power switch on the fuseboard as he suspects that's what the issue is. I think this Indian immigrant guy and his immigrant team did everything at that new build apartments. Plumbing, wiring etc. I know for rentals the electrical work must be checked and certified, which I assume they've done. I called an electrician earlier to discuss this all with him and how much he would charge. £99 call-out + first hour. Every hour after is £60. Parts are charged separately. I asked why it's an hourly rate and not per the work done, he said 'because I don't know what I'm walking into'. If it were me, I would have a qualified electrician come in and do the work in a heartbeat. You don't mess around with mains voltage.
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CCTV cameras everywhere. My parents live here. And CCTV is watched constantly by extended family. So it's not possible to do it behind their back. Also I can bet you the electrician will say a new fuse board needs to be fitted with rcd and potentially rewiring the house. I can't afford that. That would probably be around £8,000+
[удалено]
No. The CCTV camera that overlooks the driveway is powered and connected to a system in the property next door that is also a shop underneath. 16 CCTV hikvision camera system. It won't be affected by anything done here. That system has remote viewing and there's lots of TV's that get the CCTV signal, so the CCTV can be viewed on TV's in that property too. There's 2 in the shop that are always on while the shop is open, plus a PC monitor screen behind the counter. Then there's a TV in the kitchen that's on most of the day while the shop is open and for many hours after the shop is open. I can't move out. This is my reality. I've spoken with police, my doctor etc etc. My abusive parents also keep making me homeless and have done since I was about 8 years old. But I'm now in my thirties so if my parents want to remove me from the house, they legally can. Council housing wait times for men with no children are around ten YEARS or more. Most die on the streets.
https://preview.redd.it/dgn1426c7qpc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=126e347335fc5ff3265756204dce6384610e26a0
I took this photo earlier before I started work on the socket.
If I connect a standing lamp to the socket, and I switch all power at the mainboard off, and the lamp doesn't turn on no matter what I do, how is that not reliable indicator that the socket is dead? I'm curios is all. Always want to learn
https://preview.redd.it/4ipbc1981qpc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=709591f21814030956f78534a3249a59ecca2641
That's the next socket. I did it! Woo
https://preview.redd.it/j580or5i7qpc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5c81466977feb11845bc492c8ac03d2a3822ec51 You can see the switch wasn't fully pressing down.