Home DIY

@Emyr Like this right? That's what my leccy comes through.

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Yes it can, I get that off my chain mortiser, got something to do with a poor earth I would imagine.

Don't screw around with the insides of that box, you can easily electrocute yourself.

huh? I wasn't suggesting fucking with the consumer unit. Not on your nelly.

That's odd because it didn't appear to have an earth when I opened it up. Aren't most power tools 'double insulated' (summoning GCSE D&T here, I'm not sure what that really means).

That's good, I'm glad you didn't try to plug it straight into an RCD in some kind of way.

Sometimes they have just a live and neutral and if you cut through the lead the RCD trips on the box. I'm a chippy not an electrician, so that's as far as I'll go in trying to explain it.

The box and sockets are connected to the earth, but it's all witchcraft as far as I'm concerned.

Aren't most power tools 'double insulated'

This means having no conduction path from the circuitry to any external surfaces, even (iirc) in a fault condition.

It's a good idea to have an RCD socket which you plug tools into, they look like timer sockets but are RCD's (!) Cost about £15. Your consumer unit looks to be normal breakers not RCBO's (the name for RCD's that are integrated with the breaker).

If you have an RCD socket plugged into a circuit that's RCD protected one of them would trip on a fault, you can't really tell which one would trip but at least you'd be alive to find out.

To answer the basic question, yes you can receive a smaller amount of current than the max because of insulation resistance breaking down.

Nice cat!!

I'll pick one up. Sounds like it would be wise to have around anyway.

Toolstation nearby?
I have one of these
https://www.toolstation.com/shop/Electrical/d190/IP66+Rated/sd3138/BG+IP66+Outdoor+Power+Kit/p27175

I think I'll just get one of those sockets and wire it to my existing extension lead. Screwfix is 5 mins up the road thankfully.

That particular double socket is only IP66.
Within their range they also offer an RCD IP66 double socket.

I have one which I can never find! It occurred to me when I was doing the electrical training that relying on my customers electrical installation to save my life might be a bit too much of a gamble. A lot of the places I work on are pre part P systems so no RCD at all.

Where can I buy some decent steel toe cap boots today within zones 1-3 in London?

Leyland SDM
https://leylandsdm.co.uk/branches/

Any Screwfix near you? https://www.screwfix.com/landingpage/steel-toe-cap-boots/

Most DIY places. I bought Stanley FatMax boots from Wickes - steel toes and steel base plate.

Should have bought steel uppers though, which might have stopped a kango going into my foot...

Maybe steel socks, then you're protected in all your footwear?

There's some steel toe crocs images floating around...

*pukes on cock*

What does that do, filter before entry to vacuum? Will that make the suction better? I think I need more suction to pull dust through the tools better rather than it shooting off

It removes particles from the airflow before they reach the shop vac.

(Dyson took his idea from cyclones attached to factory dust extractors.)

Any increase on the amount of tubing will decrease the effective power, but it will be more than compensated by the fact that the filters won't fill up and block airflow.

There's load of YouTube videos on how well they work.

And on building extraction systems for workshops!

Nice one! I checked the website but it seemed they all are for next day collection, but when I called they said they do have stock of certain shoes in store. Feeling like Big Pun right about now..

(Dyson took his idea from cyclones attached to factory dust extractors.)

Husband turned our broken Dyson into a cyclone extractor for the shed. What goes around comes around...

Wiring question time.

I have stripped a wall back to bare brick, and there are two sockets (attached to the same ring main with 2.5mm2 twin & earth) flapping in the breeze.

I have now built a stud frame, which will be boarded and skimmed, and behind will be filled with sheep wool insulation.

As I understand it, this sort of work isn't notifiable, and I should be able to run the cable in the same oval trunking used to bury it in the plaster previously - and from what I've read, it doesn't matter if it's outside the insulation or between the insulation and plasterboard.

Am I going to die?

We're all going to die mate.

You probably won't die from a fire caused by your electrical installation though. You're right it's not notifiable and it seems like you've got a handle on how to do it. Just follow safe working practices when you make the connections. The calculations for wiring in insulation would come into play on longer runs. You basically need wire that can run hotter without combusting on longer runs where the wire is covered by insulation.