Electrics

[Clermont]

5 hours ago, jimeve said:

t is properly protected. Each circuit has it's own fuse (Breaker) The only alternative is have the lighting circuit rewired, that means ripping down the ceilings and hacking the cement walls.

Must be an easier way?

Up to you but I'd disregard all electric wiring and conduit new wiring back to your breakers. Conduit doesn't look all that out of place with a bit of paint the same colour as the background. Remember, to do it properly is about the cost of a funeral, then you've got the trouble of breaking in a new missus or making a new kid, if it's you, well.   

[hk blues]

17 minutes ago, Clermont said:

Conduit doesn't look all that out of place with a bit of paint the same colour as the background. 

Yes...we wanted to upgrade wiring for an A/C and didn't want to chip the wall for obvious reasons.  I wasn't too keen on the idea of conduit but once it was done we painted it and it's pretty much invisible.  We did take care to ensure it was placed unobtrusively though i.e. right under an existing beam and then we chipped the wall 6" or so from the conduit down to the box rather than having the conduit running down the wall which is a little obtrusive. 

[jimeve]

1 hour ago, Clermont said:

Up to you but I'd disregard all electric wiring and conduit new wiring back to your breakers. Conduit doesn't look all that out of place with a bit of paint the same colour as the background. Remember, to do it properly is about the cost of a funeral, then you've got the trouble of breaking in a new missus or making a new kid, if it's you, well.   

The electrician suggested doing it that way, condemning the light circuit, then wire it up hide in conduit. Although a newer model missus sounds good. Disregard that last sentence..

I think a new wired conduit is the way to go. Thanks. 

[Snowy79]

On 2/24/2021 at 8:37 AM, jimeve said:

Power back on, power came back on by it's self. There is a main breaker where the service drop enters the property, that was not tripped.

We have  3 breakers on each floor and none were tripped. 

 

You said no breakers tripped that's why I figured they hadn't earthed it properly.  It should have the earth spike but also bonded back to the circuit breakers so they sense the large current drop and trip instantly. If not bonded and it shorts to earth sometimes the breakers don't trip.  That's why if say a microwave isn't earthed and the body comes live when you touch it the power earths through you and the breakers won't trip, leaving you break dancing.  If it was bonded the second it shorted to the body of the microwave the circuit breaker would trip.

 

[jimeve]

32 minutes ago, Snowy79 said:

You said no breakers tripped that's why I figured they hadn't earthed it properly.  It should have the earth spike but also bonded back to the circuit breakers so they sense the large current drop and trip instantly. If not bonded and it shorts to earth sometimes the breakers don't trip.  That's why if say a microwave isn't earthed and the body comes live when you touch it the power earths through you and the breakers won't trip, leaving you break dancing.  If it was bonded the second it shorted to the body of the microwave the circuit breaker would trip.

 

You were talking about the second floor lights, the 15 amp breaker tripped.

Now, there was a second incident after that, when all the electric went off. We thought it was a brown-out until night-time and saw the guest house and neighbors had lights. Then later all the power came back on apart from the second floor lights. Since then we have had the breakers and junction boxes  tested. 

You must have got the two incidents mixed up. 

Looking for a competent qualified electrician to sort it out. 

[Jollygoodfellow]

16 hours ago, Snowy79 said:

You won't even know it isn't grounded until the insulation breaks down an an item becomes live and you become dead.

He wont know when he is dead either 

[Clermont]

Bump your circuits up to 30 amps while doing it ,it will help stop tripping out, a must. 

[sonjack2847]

3 hours ago, Clermont said:

Bump your circuits up to 30 amps while doing it ,it will help stop tripping out, a must. 

If the wiring is up to it yes, otherwise just more problems. The cables could burn through overheating caused by too much power going through them.

[jimeve]

6 hours ago, Clermont said:

Bump your circuits up to 30 amps while doing it ,it will help stop tripping out, a must. 

Breakers have only 15 amp for lights and the rest 20 amp. Would this be safe? Or do I need to buy a new panel?

[jimeve]

3 hours ago, sonjack2847 said:

If the wiring is up to it yes, otherwise just more problems. The cables could burn through overheating caused by too much power going through them.

Circuit will be having new wiring.